Photo: Japanese Self-Defense Force members pass by the Patriot III air defense missile. \Reuters

According to Reuters, the United States’ plan to use Japanese factories to increase production of Patriot air defense missiles has been delayed due to a shortage of a key part produced by Boeing.

According to Japanese government officials and industry sources, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan has reached a licensing agreement with US arms dealer Lockheed Martin to produce about 30 Patriot III (PAC-3) air defense missiles per year, with plans to increase production to 60. In the battlefield of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Ukrainian army used this air defense missile to defend against Russian attacks.

Sources said the United States hopes to quickly increase global annual production of the anti-aircraft missile from about 500 to more than 750. However, sources said Japan cannot expand production without additional missile guidance heads. Due to the shortage of this key part produced by Boeing, it may take Mitsubishi Heavy Industries several years to increase production.

Boeing began expanding its missile seeker factory in the United States last year, hoping to increase production by 30%, but the new production line will not be operational until 2027. Boeing did not disclose the specific production volume last year. Lockheed Martin said that by 2027, it will increase the annual production of Patriots in the United States from 500 to 650, with each missile costing about $4 million.

Analysts believe that Japan’s arms production bottleneck shows that even if Washington tries to incorporate its allies into a complex arms supply chain, it still faces many challenges. Last year, the Japanese government revised the “Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment” and decided to export “Patriot” air defense missiles produced in Japan under the authorization of American companies to the United States. However, the financial subsidies for arms expansion can only be used for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and cannot be used for export. This means that if Mitsubishi Heavy Industries or the United States wants to expand the production of “Patriot” missiles, they may need to pay out of their own pockets.