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MBDA to Boost Patriot Missile Production with New German Facility by 2026
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European missile manufacturer MBDA is preparing to expand production of Patriot missiles at a new facility in Germany and says it is ready to build Patriot launchers as well.
The plans were confirmed by Thomas Gottschild, managing director of MBDA’s German division, in an interview with Reuters on September 26.
Patriot, designed by US defense contractor Raytheon, has remained one of the world’s most advanced air defense systems since its introduction in the 1980s. Ukraine relies heavily on the system to repel Russian attacks, while Western nations continue to purchase the missiles to strengthen their arsenals. In 2024, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain signed a $5.1 billion contract to procure up to 1,000 missiles from the Raytheon-MBDA joint venture.
According to Reuters, the plant in Bavaria is expected to double global capacity for producing upgraded PAC-2 missiles, which are optimized to intercept tactical ballistic targets.
“We are on schedule. We are planning to start production at the end of 2026, to ensure first delivery at the beginning of 2027,” Gottschild said.
Although he declined to disclose production capacity for security reasons, Gottschild noted that the site will be able to manage additional orders. He also emphasized that MBDA has the technical expertise to produce Patriot launchers, having previously handled their maintenance and repair.
“We can do it. It is just a question of industrial cooperation between us and Raytheon — and the wishes of our customer Bundeswehr, or other clients requesting the production of launchers,” he added.
At the same time, MBDA is weighing participation in a joint UK-German program to develop a “deep precision strike” missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers, Reuters reported. The initiative was announced in May, though no timeline has been set.
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“Irrespective of the timeline, it is important that we start as soon as possible to get more concrete,” Gottschild stressed.
The full-scale war in Ukraine has underscored Europe’s dependence on US-made long-range weapons and accelerated efforts to field indigenous systems. In parallel, MBDA is developing compact interceptors designed to target low-flying drones such as those Russia has recently flown into Polish airspace.
The company expects to sign a contract with the German government by year’s end to design a concept for the DefendAir missile.
DefendAir, with a range of more than five kilometers, builds on MBDA technologies already applied in the Enforcer system. It is designed to complement the 30mm cannon integrated into Rheinmetall’s Skyranger short-range air defense platform.
Earlier, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany will launch a program to supply Ukraine with several thousand long-range drones for deep strikes against the Russian war machine, at a total cost of $351 million.
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