US wants to send thousands of missiles to Ukraine until stocks run low


 Compared to other countries, the United States is the most diligent in sending aid to Ukraine with high-tech weapons, such as Javelin missiles, to fight Russia. To the extent that the US's own stock is currently reportedly running low.

As quoted by Popular Mechanic, since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, the State Department estimates that the US has assisted Ukraine in various forms of arms up to USD 3.8 billion.


The weapons are shipped from the US to military bases in Poland, then deployed to Ukraine by train or truck. One of them is the Javelin advanced anti-tank missile which is claimed to have contributed greatly to destroying hundreds of Russian tanks.



So far, the US Department of Defense has delivered at least 7,000 FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that the aid to Ukraine has consumed a third of Javelin stocks and a quarter of US stocks of Stinger.


As a solution, Javelin missile manufacturer Lockheed Martin said that it would increase its missile production capacity from 2,100 per year to 4,000 units. It is also estimated that it will still take approximately 2 years to make the US missile stock return to normal.


Another problem was that the company needed more time to provide Javelin components amid a shortage of semiconductors. This Javelin missile requires a chip for its guidance system to the target.


While producing Stinger missiles is even more difficult. The design is considered obsolete by modern standards and many of its components, including the microchip, are no longer manufactured. Even the production facilities have been closed. Manufacturer Raytheon said it took 6 to 12 months to reproduce it with a new design.


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