The two most important American weapons systems NATO is eager to have
Moves send a clear message to Putin as Ukraine battles a surge in Russian ballistic missile attacks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two American weapons systems sit atop NATO’s most wanted list: F-35 fighters, and the Patriot missile interceptors. The buzz at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, began on Tuesday, when President Donald Trump caused a stir on Tuesday by indicating he may clear the way for Turkey to purchase F-35s – after that nation was kicked out of the program in 2019. Then on Wednesday, Trump stunned the world by telling Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he might grant a license for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors.
"We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots," Trump said. "That's pretty cool. Right? This way you can't complain that we're not giving them enough. I'd say make them yourself," Trump said on July 8.
Here's why Trump’s discussion of F-35s and Patriots signal his commitment to NATO – and deliver a smack down to Putin.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP SAYS US WILL LET UKRAINE MAKE PATRIOT MISSILES IN MAJOR POLICY SHIFT
Patriot games
Trump’s public statements about Ukraine building Patriot missiles is like saying "read my lips." Trump is telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S., with NATO, will continue to support Ukraine’s vital air and missile defenses. That’s a win for Zelenskyy. Barrages against Ukraine now include dozens of ballistic missiles, swathed in 300 or more drones. Ukraine is nailing the Russian drones, but on Monday, failed to hit a single ballistic missile.
A U.S. airman watches an Air Force F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft approach for the first time on July 14, 2011, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. (Samuel King Jr./U.S. Air Force)
"Russia is placing its bets on ballistic weapons, and those who want peace must place their bets on protection against ballistic attacks," Zelenskyy said July 6.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}UKRAINE’S BATTLEFIELD IS TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE OF NATO
However, despite the powerful symbolism, don’t look for a "Made in Ukraine" stamp on the Patriot batteries anytime soon. Boosting Patriot production is a top U.S. priority and the supplier base is already in overdrive. Last year, the U.S. Army gave Lockheed Martin nearly $10 billion to speed up production of the most sophisticated Patriot variant.
Subcontractor Boeing just built a new 35,000-foot-facility in Huntsville, Alabama, to triple production of the Patriot missile seekers. The seeker, by the way, is quite a feat of technology. The Patriot interceptor kills through bodily contact: actually hitting the incoming missile warhead directly. That demands a precision intercept, so the Ka-band millimeter wave seeker on the missile has to track moving targets with great clarity in all weather and at difficult angles.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NATO and the U.S. have shuffled batteries and interceptors to Ukraine from the Netherlands, Poland and Germany. Israel also sent a batch of interceptors. "We are working from every angle" to up the flow of Patriots, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on July 6.
TRUMP COULD HAND PRIZED STEALTH JETS TO NATO ALLY ONCE SEEN AS ALLIANCE HEADACHE
Could Zelenskyy build entire Patriot systems in Ukraine? Not anytime soon. But Ukrainian firms may be able to join the supplier base. NATO allies are already pitching in with the Patriot supply chain. Poland’s defense company WZE was selected May 28 to manufacture attitude control motors for the Patriot PAC-3; and Patriot lead contractor RTX has worked with 10 Polish companies to implement the Wisla system, linking Patriots with integrated missile defense systems across Poland.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Poland "signed an agreement with the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden regarding the creation of a service centre of PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot system," Poland’s Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X.
Turkey and the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter
As for the F-35, I’m all in favor of returning Turkey to the program. Most of the top air forces in NATO fly or are awaiting deliveries of the F-35. "Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries," Trump pointed out on Tuesday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, despite the powerful symbolism, don’t look for a "Made in Ukraine" stamp on the Patriot batteries anytime soon.
Shaped to be hard to detect on radar, the F-35 has been ruling the skies over Iran. Its powerful engine and sophisticated radar enable the F-35 to shoot down cruise missiles or carry out precision ground attacks. Turkey joined the F-35 program way back in 2002, and plans were in place for Turkish industry to co-produce fuselage sections and many other parts for the F-35.
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Then in 2019, Turkey bought the Russian S-400 air defense system. Experts worried Turkey could fly the F-35s near the S-400s and collect radar signature data; or plug in devices to corrupt NATO’s tactical data links.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}So Turkey got kicked out of the F-35 program. It was ugly. Turkish pilots were sent home from their F-35 flight training in Arizona, and their six bought and paid for F-35s were locked up. Fast-forward to 2026 and F-35s have been flying all over the Middle East, and along Russia’s border. The operational security concerns have diminished. Most important, Turkey is building its "Steel Dome" missile defense without the Russian missile system. As Trump no doubt appreciates, F-35s with the Turkish air force could be a big help deterring Russia over the Black Sea and NATO’s southern flank.