According to recent reports from foreign media, due to a shortage of missile guidance heads produced by Boeing, the United States has had to postpone plans to increase production of Patriot missiles in Japan. Therefore, on July 24th, Japan and the United States exchanged relevant documents regarding Japan's provision of weapons and equipment to the United States. On the 28th, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that Japan will sell a portion of the Patriot missiles held by the Japan Air Self Defense Force to the United States for a total amount of 3 billion yen (approximately 19 million US dollars). According to external analysis, although Japan sells some Patriot missiles to alleviate the urgent missile demand of the United States, insufficient production capacity remains an unavoidable reality. The Patriot missile is a medium range surface to air missile system manufactured by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin in the United States, which can be used to intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and more. In recent years, with the intensification of regional conflicts, the demand for Patriot missiles has been increasing among countries. Due to limited production capacity in the United States, around 450 Patriot missiles are produced annually, with over half of them being supplied to the US military. At the end of 2023, authorized by the United States, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group of Japan was allowed to produce complete sets of Patriot missile systems in Japan for sale to the United States, and plans to increase the annual production of Patriot missiles in Japan from 30 to about 60. However, the plan was postponed due to Boeing's inability to supply enough missile guidance heads. It is reported that Boeing will begin expanding related production factories from 2023 to increase the production capacity of the Patriot missile seeker, but the newly added assembly line will not be put into operation until 2027. Due to the fact that the guidance head is a key component of precision guided weapons, relevant personnel have stated that it will be difficult for Japan to implement the "Patriot" missile production plan without obtaining sufficient missile guidance heads as soon as possible. In fact, the problem of insufficient production capacity is not unique to the United States. According to reports, the European Commission has stated that as of January this year, the annual production of 155mm shells in Europe has reached 1 million, and by the end of 2024, it is expected to reach 1.7 million. However, after interviewing relevant personnel, foreign media released an investigation report stating that as of January 2024, the actual annual production of 155mm shells in the European Union was only 550000. Analysts believe that the insufficient military production capacity has led to the spread of anxiety among European and American countries, but in order to achieve a balance between production capacity supply and demand, relevant issues still need to be addressed. On the one hand, it requires huge funds and long waiting times. In March of this year, the European Union passed a funding plan worth 372 million euros (approximately 400 million US dollars), hoping to increase ammunition production to 2 million by the end of 2025. But Europe lacks ammunition factories, and European countries have to consider restarting sealed factories or even building new ones. Rheinmetall plans to invest in the construction of a new ammunition industrial complex, but it is expected to start supplying by 2027. Although Japan's plan to increase production of Patriot missiles has been stalled due to a shortage of missile guidance heads, even with sufficient missile guidance heads, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' existing production capacity is insufficient to support the plan. It is expected that tens of millions of dollars or even more will need to be invested to adjust the production line. On the other hand, the industrial supply chain is fragile. The supply chains of European and American military industrial systems are relatively lengthy and highly dependent on foreign suppliers. Once a problem occurs in a certain link, it may lead to the paralysis of the entire supply chain. In addition, military enterprises are facing serious labor shortages, shortages of raw materials such as nitrocellulose and ammonium perchlorate for producing high-performance explosives, and strict safety and environmental regulations, which also constrain European and American countries from further improving their military production capacity. (New Society)
Edit：Xiong Dafei Responsible editor：Li Xiang
Source：XinHuaNet
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