The American company Lockheed Martin is actively promoting the THAAD missile defense system in Europe amid growing threats from Russia. Company representative Williamson confirmed that negotiations are underway with potential buyers, and the greatest prospects for development are expected in European markets over the next five years.
THAAD is seen as an alternative to the Israeli Arrow 3 system, which Germany has already chosen to integrate into the European Sky Shield initiative. Demand for modern air defense and missile defense systems has skyrocketed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. European governments, particularly Germany, plan to invest hundreds of billions of euros in defense.
Incidents involving Russian drones over NATO territory have made the issue even more pressing. This has intensified competition between leading manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. To strengthen its position in Germany, Lockheed has entered into a partnership with Rheinmetall. At the same time, European governments are trying to avoid excessive dependence on the US, as demonstrated by Denmark’s decision to give preference to the SAMP/T system over Patriot.
The saturation of NATO countries with air defense systems will allow some of these systems to be transferred to Ukraine. This, in turn, will reduce Putin’s aggressive ambitions.
