US Lost 50% of Patriot and THAAD Missiles Due to Iran War – CNN
The US has lost up to 50% of its Patriot and THAAD missile stockpiles due to the war with Iran, posing a risk of shortages. 45% of precision missiles were expended in seven weeks. Replenishment will take 3-5 years, complicating confrontation with peer adversaries.
The US armed forces have significantly depleted their stocks of key missiles during the war with Iran, creating an «immediate risk» of ammunition exhaustion in the event of a future conflict. Over the past seven weeks of war, the US military has expended at least 45% of its precision missile stockpiles.
Specifically, at least half of THAAD missile stocks and nearly 50% of Patriot air defense interceptor missile stocks have been used. These figures correlate with classified Pentagon assessments, according to CNN sources and analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
While the Pentagon has signed contracts to expand production, delivery times for replacing these systems range from three to five years. In the short term, the US likely has enough munitions for operations against Iran, but current stockpiles are insufficient to confront a near-peer adversary like China, and it will take years to restore them to pre-war levels.