High costs and long waits for popular US-made Patriots just drove a NATO ally to pick a European rival

A NATO ally is choosing a European alternative over the popular US-made Patriot air defense system, citing long wait times for the surface-to-air missile system that has seen soaring demand.

Denmark's defense ministry said last week that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the need for layered air defenses and announced that it intended to procure European-produced systems for long- and medium-range air defense as part of a $9 billion investment.

It's passing on the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile battery for long-range defense, instead choosing the Franco-Italian SAMP/T, and picking from among European options for its mid-range needs.

Pugholm Olsen, the head of the Danish defense ministry's acquisitions body, said the decision was due to the higher price and a longer wait for delivery.

"It is not a rejection of Patriots," he said. "It's a selection of what is best."

He said that "the decision to go with more than one or two suppliers enables shorter delivery times. This means that we can achieve our goal of a comprehensive ground-based air defense capacity as quickly as possible and in this way best support the rapid build-up of Danish combat power."

Denmark sees air defense systems as an urgent need, with the defense ministry calling their acquisition the country's biggest-ever single investment in defense. Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark's defense minister, called them a "top priority" and said these defenses would be present throughout the country.

The US Army fires a Patriot interceptor missile during a test. US Army photo

Patriot demand is surging

Demand for air defense systems has surged due to their use in recent conflicts and a greater realization of their need in the West amid growing worries about a war against a well-armed peer-level adversary like Russia or China. Patriots have proved extremely successful in Ukraine, even dispelling old doubts about their abilities, and have since become very much in demand.

High demand is good news for manufacturers, but it isn't without challenges. Defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing, which make the missiles, ground components, and seekers for the Patriot system, are surging production to record levels, but demand outstrips supply, leading to backlogs and long waits.

Air defense missiles are needed in large stocks, as typically, multiple missiles need to be fired to take down an incoming target. That means militaries need more interceptors than their adversaries have missiles and other threats — something that's concerning for the West with both Russia and China ramping up their missile and drone production.

Manufacturing interceptor missiles, launchers, and other air-defense components is expensive and time-consuming.

Thomas Laliberty, Raytheon's president of land and air defense systems, said last year that it takes a year to build a Patriot radar and two years to get the parts. The company told Business Insider this summer that it was accelerating delivery.

The SAMP/T that Denmark is selecting instead of the Patriot is developed by France's Thales and the multinational European defense conglomerate MBDA. The specific price and delivery time for this weapon are unclear. For a medium-range system, Denmark intends to choose between one or more systems out of the Norwegian-made NASAMS, Germany's IRIS-T, and France's VL MICA.

The country said that it will procure eight systems with long and medium ranges and that it is picking its defense systems "based on an overall assessment of operational, economic, and strategic factors."

Denmark did not mention any other reason that it might want to avoid US-made weaponry; however, across Europe, there is a push to buy weaponry made on the continent.

There are serious questions about the US commitment to long-standing alliances amid new spats — tariffs, territorial concerns, and other arguments — and a drive for independence and self-sufficiency.

A French army truck carries SAMP/T missiles. LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine proves the need

Rifts aside, there's a clear recognition in Europe that more defenses are needed from whoever can provide them. Russia's attacks on Ukraine have included huge barrages of drones and missiles, putting tremendous strain on Kyiv's air defenses.

This fight has led to concerns in the West that it does not have sufficient ground-based air defense systems for such a fight. Ground-based air defenses are an area the West has invested less in since the Cold War, and the issue is recognised by NATO, with its chief identifying it as a top priority to address immediately.

Poulsen said in his country's announcement that "experience from Ukraine shows that ground-based air defense plays a crucial role in protecting, among other things, the civilian population against Russian attacks from the air."

Denmark's defense ministry said the first ground-based air defense system is expected to be put into operational use "as early as 2025, and the number of systems will gradually increase thereafter." It said it wants the medium-range systems as soon as possible, describing them as "urgently procured."

It said that the systems will be deployed nationwide to protect civilians, cities, military sites, and infrastructure, and can be layered to provide stronger defenses against aerial threats.