Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with officials from US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin at the presidential palace in Kyiv in October 2026. Lockheed Martin makes a number of systems vital to Ukraine’s defense in the ongoing war, including PAC-3 interceptor missiles and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets. (Office of the President of Ukraine)
Spurned by Trump, Zelenskyy Takes His Message to Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin cannot by itself speed up the deliveries of PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine—but there are other ways it could help the country’s defense.
Ukraine is now facing a significant shortage of interceptor missiles for its MIM-104 Patriot air defense systems. Relations between Ukraine and the United States have soured over the issue, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently suggesting that America was failing to make timely deliveries of missiles it had paid for.
Still, Zelenskyy has hoped to find a path towards increasing the supplies of the crucial ordnance that is used to counter Russian high-speed ballistic and cruise missiles. The Ukrainian leader recently met with officials from US aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin, led by Orlando Sanchez Jr., president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
“I met in Kyiv with a team from the American defense company Lockheed Martin, which helps us save lives. Its Patriot systems and F-16 aircraft play an important role in defending against Russian ballistic missiles and jet-powered ‘shaheds,’” Zelenskyy wrote on X. He claimed that Lockheed Martin was “ramping up production of ballistic missile interceptors. We count on the opportunity to purchase some of them to protect more lives.”
During the meeting with company officials, the Ukrainian president also stressed the need to continue to maintain and repair the NATO-donated F-16 Fighting Falcons, the single-engine multirole combat aircraft that have also been employed to shoot down Russian aerial threats.
Zelenskyy and Lockheed Executives Discussed PAC-3 Shortage
On Wednesday, Lockheed Martin officials also met with Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, where they also discussed the issue of the shortage of the Patriot interceptor missiles.
Ukrainian officials have alleged that American officials have held back the vital PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system. PAC-3 missiles have proven particularly effective against the short-range Iskander-M and the air-launched hypersonic Kinzhal; Russia has used both against Ukrainian cities repeatedly through the conflict. The Patriot remains the primary (and, in many cases, the only) system in Kyiv’s arsenal that is capable of stopping these and other Russian missile threats.
It is unclear what Lockheed Martin executives can do about this problem, as the Pentagon has stalled the deliveries rather than the private sector. US military officials have cited the depletion of US military stockpiles following the start of the Iran war in February, acknowledging it could take years to replenish the stockpiles. That put the spotlight on what could be a serious threat to US national security, as the US is now ill-equipped should it find itself in armed conflict with China or another near-peer adversary.
Lockheed Martin Also Makes the F-16 Fighting Falcon
The other topic of discussion on Wednesday revolved around the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which the Ukrainian Air Force has used to counter Russia’s jet-powered drones. Earlier this year, the Kremlin introduced faster variants of its jet-powered drones that are based on the Iranian Shahed-238 turbojet design. The Geran-4 and Geran-5 were first employed in strikes in January. It was over the past summer that Russia massively scaled up production and usage, launching hundreds and then thousands of jet-powered UAVs per month (such as around 1,500 in July and over 2,800 in August) to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.
Given the shortage of PAC-3 interceptors, Ukraine has deployed the F-16s to shoot down the drones. Although the Fighting Falcon can match the speed and maneuverability of the drones, relying on multi-role fighters for routine drone hunting creates high operational wear and steep economic costs. The jets are burning flight hours and using expensive air-to-air missiles that could be targeted at other threats.
Ukraine has also struggled to maintain the legacy aircraft, which were supplied by NATO partners including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
“The F-16 is part of Ukrainian aviation. Ukraine is committed to a long-term partnership with Lockheed Martin. It is important to increase weapons supplies and to do everything to keep as many F-16s as possible in service and operating in Ukrainian skies,” Khmara said.
The Ukrainian officials generally expressed their thanks to Lockheed Martin for its assistance in the war, and offered to share lessons learned in the ongoing fighting to inform the aerospace firm in its weapons development programs.
“Ukraine is counting on mutually beneficial cooperation with Lockheed Martin for years to come,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence wrote. “At the same time, the Defence Forces have unique experience of using weapons in real combat conditions. Ukraine is ready to share its expertise to jointly improve defense solutions in line with the challenges of modern warfare.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. He has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism, including Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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