EU Official Warns: Europe Must Develop Its Own Air-Defense Missiles, Can’t Depend on US

PARIS — Europe needs to bolster its own production of air-defense missiles as it cannot depend solely on the United States for adequate supplies, according to European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, who made the statement during the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum on Tuesday.

Commissioner Kubilius is currently on a tour across Europe, named the “missile tour,” to engage with missile manufacturers about how the European Commission can support the enhancement of missile production for both Ukraine and the European Union’s defense reserves.

According to Kubilius, Ukraine requires approximately 2,000 missiles annually for the Patriot air-defense system. In a stark contrast, the U.S. and Gulf nations used about 800 Patriot missiles in just the first five days of the conflict with Iran, as reported by Kubilius. Currently, the U.S. is producing these missiles at a rate of 750 units per year.

During a roundtable discussion on Europe’s security framework, Kubilius emphasized the urgency of the situation: “It becomes evident very quickly that you cannot solely depend on American production for all your defense needs,” he explained. “The U.S. simply does not have the capacity to produce enough missiles. Therefore, we need to enhance our own production capabilities.”

European nations are advised to initiate a rapid development program to significantly increase the production of European-made air defense systems and interceptors, similar to the European Union’s 2023 initiative to expand ammunition production, as suggested by analysts at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Addressing Europe’s most critical defense needs against ballistic missiles, Kubilius pointed out in his March 16 speech in Brussels that Ukraine had been targeted by 900 attacks involving Russian ballistic missiles in 2025, with the Patriot system serving as the primary defense.

Kubilius has already met with several European missile producers, including PGZ and Mesko in Poland, followed by MBDA Germany and Diehl Defence, as well as MBDA Italy. His next stop is Sweden, where he plans to visit Saab in Linköping to discuss capabilities with Swedish missile manufacturers.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has advocated for a 400% increase in the alliance’s air and missile defense capabilities.

Within Europe, the French-Italian SAMP/T system, developed by the Eurosam consortium of Thales and MBDA, stands as the only direct European counterpart to the Patriot system. This system, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, is undergoing an upgrade to enhance its anti-ballistic capabilities. Other European systems like Diehl’s Iris-T, Kongsberg’s Nasams, and MBDA’s MICA, have shorter operational ranges.

Ukraine has received at least two SAMP/T systems, with one actively defending the Kyiv region. President Volodomyr Zelenskyy announced earlier this month that Ukraine is set to receive the first unit of the upgraded SAMP/T NG later this year.

However, the European system has not been without its challenges, particularly in terms of missile supply shortages, as noted by President Zelenskyy in March 2025 regarding MBDA’s Aster missiles.

Despite these challenges, European missile systems remain among the best globally. According to MBDA Chief Executive Officer Éric Béranger, the primary challenge is to “restore depth” to Europe’s defense industry, which has suffered from 30 years of a “peace dividend.” Béranger expressed confidence during the roundtable with Kubilius, stating, “We realize that it’s not sufficient to merely have stockpiles; we must be prepared for a war of attrition,” and affirmed that the industry is mobilizing for increased production. He revealed that MBDA was ahead of its schedule to boost production of Aster missiles by 50% in 2026 compared to 2022, noting the complexity of the Aster missile, which consists of approximately 40,000 parts.