The United States wants to strengthen European defense with a PAC-3 missile maintenance center.

The United States plans to establish a maintenance center in Europe for Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 air defense missiles, a senior US defense official announced Tuesday. Washington is also not ruling out the possibility of producing these missiles outside the United States.

Speaking at a defense industry gathering held on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, US Under Secretary of Defense Michael Duffey clarified that the European country that will host this facility had not yet been chosen.

Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden are participating in discussions surrounding this project alongside Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the PAC-3 missiles used by Patriot air defense systems. These weapons are particularly sought after, notably by Ukraine, which relies on these capabilities to bolster its defenses against Russian air attacks.

According to Michael Duffey, the creation of this center aims to improve missile availability, reduce repair times, and strengthen the operational capabilities of the entire Atlantic Alliance. PAC-3 missiles do indeed require regular maintenance to remain fully operational.

When asked about the possibility of manufacturing the PAC-3 outside the United States, the American official stated that this option was not ruled out. "We are absolutely not ruling out the possibility of production beyond American borders," he declared, opening the door to broader industrial cooperation with European allies.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen European military capabilities in response to evolving security threats. In 2024, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain had already laid the groundwork for the first European production of Patriot systems by signing a €5,1 billion contract for the acquisition of up to 1,000 PAC-2 missiles, a less advanced version than the PAC-3.

Meanwhile, several European countries are also discussing with Washington a co-production of the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, another step in the industrial rapprochement between the United States and its NATO allies.