Shoulder-fired Stinger missiles are in high demand in Ukraine, where they have successfully deterred Russian air attacks. However, US supplies have dwindled, and producing more anti-aircraft weapons faces significant challenges.
According to discussions with US officials and defence corporations, challenges include ramping up production, the US’s reluctance to shift important manufacturing capacity to decades-old technology, and defence firms’ fears of being stranded with unwanted armaments as the Ukraine war winds down.
While U.S. troops have limited use for the present supply of Stingers — a lightweight, self-contained weapon that can be deployed swiftly to protect against helicopters, aeroplanes, drones, and even cruise missiles — the US needs to keep them on hand while it develops new capabilities.
‘We were going to divest ourselves of Stingers right before Ukraine attacked,’ a congressional source claimed. According to a Pentagon officer and a congressional source, Pentagon officials are concerned about a ‘dwindling’ excess.
According to a Facebook post by Arvydas Anusauskas, Lithuania’s defence minister, Ukrainian military have shot down at least six targets with Lithuanian-supplied Stingers during the battle, including helicopters, planes, drones, and a cruise missile. The claim could not be verified by Reuters.
According to an administration official, the US has shipped 1,400 Stingers to Ukraine since February. However, finding more will be challenging.
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