FARNBOROUGH — RTX subsidiary Raytheon is studying how to proceed after President Donald Trump announced that the US would grant a license for building the firm’s high-demand Patriot interceptors in Ukraine, a top executive said Monday, while cautioning that talks are still early.
“That process has just started,” Tom Laliberty, Raytheon’s president of land and air defense systems, told reporters during a briefing at the Farnborough Airshow here on the outskirts of London. “And we’ll of course be following the United States government’s lead” on licensing, he added.
Missiles for the Patriot system — which itself consists of an RTX radar and other subsystems, as well as interceptors built by both RTX and Lockheed Martin — contain several lines of effort, Laliberty explained.
“There’s different levels of engagement of our supply chain,” he said, pointing to RTX partners worldwide that produce components, operate maintenance facilities and, in some cases, produce fully-assembled missiles.
RTX supplies the Patriot’s GEM-T interceptor and Lockheed produces the PAC-3, both of which can be used to defeat air and missile threats.
“Working with the United States government, we are working all three of those lines of effort to determine what is feasible and what is best for Ukraine,” he said.
“So as we work through the sort of feasibility studies, we will also, in parallel, be working licensing with the United States government,” he added. “And then, hopefully something of all that will yield the ability for Ukraine to get the right level of support that they desire for increased Patriot production.”
In a separate briefing Monday, Lockheed executive Tim Cahill, who leads the company’s missiles and fire control division, told reporters that “it’s early,” and discussions are underway with the Army.
“We’re going to support the US Army and the [Trump] administration on what they want to go do. I believe they are evaluating options, and we will support each of those options and do what needs to be done based upon that,” he said.
Patriot interceptors have been key for Ukraine’s defense in batting down barrages of Russian missiles. The Patriot system itself is highly sought after across the globe as a critical tool for air defense, and competing needs have driven delays that have sparked tensions with customers like Switzerland.
On Monday, Lockheed additionally rolled out a new, lower-cost version of its PAC-3 interceptor, called the Adapted Capability Effector. The company plans to partner with European industry and carry out a first test in 2028.
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