The supply of anti-aircraft missiles, etc. has greatly increased due to the war in Ukraine and Gaza.
Only 5,020 Russian-Chinese ballistic missiles and 3,200 Western anti-aircraft missiles
It is not easy to quickly expand production due to stagnation in the supply chain of thousands of parts
The U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 3rd (local time) that there was a serious production shortage of anti-aircraft missiles such as NASAMS (Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Weapon System), which boasted a 100% success rate in intercepting cruise missiles and drones during the early months of the Ukraine War. reported.
Nasams, which can fire up to 72 rounds simultaneously, is used as an air defense weapon at the White House. Orders are flooding in from various countries for this missile, which was developed jointly by Norway’s Kornsberg Defense and Aerospace with the U.S. Raytheon. Western countries, including Russia and China, which feel a security threat, are rushing to order this missile with its low price and proven performance.
The war in Ukraine has revealed the West’s lack of weapons production capacity, and the war in Gaza has made it difficult to supply some weapons.
In particular, there is a serious lack of weapon systems to defend against drones and missiles, which have emerged as key weapons in modern warfare.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced that its member countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, will purchase 1,000 Patriot missiles worth $5.5 billion (about 7.2 trillion won).
However, modern weapons are very complex, requiring thousands of parts, making it difficult to easily scale up production. Many Western weapons production companies, such as Kornsberg, produce weapons by designing weapons and assembling parts, and the parts are supplied from outside. There are as many as 1,500 companies that supply parts to the Kornsberg factory. For Nasams missiles alone, there are more than 1,000 parts suppliers located in the U.S. and continental Europe. The US company RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies) supplies radar and missiles.
Eric Lee (30), head of Kornsberg’s weapons production division, emphasized, “Companies that supply parts also receive their parts from subcontracted parts companies, and this supply chain is connected to mining companies.”
Weapons companies also suffer from labor shortages for numerous jobs, from software developers to welders. This is partly due to the fact that weapons companies have to go through lengthy security screenings in the process of hiring workers.
The problem of delays in weapons production in the West is not a matter of a day or two. This is a problem that has persisted since the Korean War in the 1950s. Orders from the 10 largest Western arms companies amount to $73 billion (about 957 trillion won). This amount is a 57% increase compared to 2017, when weapons orders began to rapidly increase.
Accordingly, major Western security officials are increasingly issuing warnings.
According to the Chinese invasion scenario of Taiwan published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) last year, it was estimated that America’s major long-range anti-ship missiles would be exhausted within a week of the start of the war.
However, the United States has no way to quickly replenish the shortage of missiles. Like Nasams, it takes about two years to produce anti-ship missiles.
Lockheed Martin and RTX, which produce portable surface-to-air missiles such as Javelin and Stinger, announced last year that it would take four years to double production. Supply chain problems are the biggest cause.
There are serious delays in the production of F-35 fighter jets, new trainer aircraft, tankers, and weapons for aircraft carriers.
However, U.S. security officials and arms companies emphasize that there is no problem with preparedness because the weapons used in support of Ukraine and Israel and in the Indo-Pacific region preparedness are different.
◆Lack of production of missiles, the favorites of modern warfare
The West’s weapons production capacity, especially the defense industries of European countries, declined as defense budgets were reduced following the end of the Cold War.
At the height of the Cold War, Germany was able to produce 400 tanks per year, but now it is only producing 50 tanks.
In addition, each country has a severe lack of budget space to stockpile cutting-edge weapons, which require a long production process and are expensive.
Missiles play the role of small fighters in modern warfare. Missiles, which were first used during World War II, began to be used in earnest during the Gulf War and NATO’s intervention in the Yugoslav War, and in recent wars, missiles and rockets have been used on a large scale.
As the use of drones and the use of hypersonic missiles, which are difficult to intercept, increases, the need to strengthen anti-aircraft defense capabilities has increased. Russia and China have surpassed the West in production of hypersonic missiles and air defense weapon systems. It is expected that it will take another 10 years for the United States and Europe to introduce hypersonic missile defense weapons.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), China and Russia have deployed 5,020 surface-to-air missiles, but the United States, Europe, and Japan have only 3,200 anti-aircraft missiles. This number does not include shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and naval missiles.
Most arms companies in China and Russia are state-owned, so unlike in the West, they are little affected by market conditions. According to an assessment by Ukrainian intelligence authorities, Russia can produce 100 various cruise missiles, 4 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, and 5 ballistic missiles every month. Russia is also receiving supplies of missiles, rocket launchers, and artillery shells from North Korea.
China, which had only a few non-nuclear ballistic missiles in 1996, is estimated to have more than 3,000 ballistic and cruise missiles. In a report submitted to Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense said that China’s missiles are top-notch and that China has the world’s largest advanced long-range missile force.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized in July last year that the most needed weapon was anti-aircraft missiles. However, Western countries lack anti-aircraft missiles to support Ukraine due to the need to support Israel.
The United States provided Israel with two Iron Dome systems and interceptor missiles.
Also, in November of last year, President Zelenskyy emphasized at a press conference that artillery support to Ukraine was being delayed due to the war in Gaza.
◆Demand for anti-aircraft weapons surges due to war in Ukraine
Lee, CEO of the Kornsberg plant, said that demand for Nasams has increased rapidly since the annexation of Russia’s Krum Peninsula in 2014. In addition, orders exploded in 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and as concerns about China grew, demand for surface-to-air missiles from the U.S. Navy and others increased. Kornsberg’s weapons orders amounted to $5.5 billion (approximately 7.2 trillion won), more than six times more than in 2018. billion won).
According to Bang Jong-kwan, a South Korean reserve army lieutenant general, Asian countries are developing their own missiles despite heightened tensions with China, “due to the lack of production capacity in the United States.”
Taiwanese officials publicly pointed out delays in the supply of U.S. Stinger surface-to-air missiles in 2022, and in October, the U.S. Congress told the Department of the Navy that it was concerned about delays in the supply of anti-ship missiles.
Taiwanese officials said Taiwan will begin mass producing new long-range surface-to-ship missiles in 2021 and is developing three types of long-range missiles.
Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Defense plans to announce a weapons industry strategy to resolve supply chain congestion within a few weeks. The goal is to secure a global supply chain for parts needed for 100 types of weapons systems. This is an attempt to resolve the problem of parts supply congestion at an early stage.
U.S. arms companies are also actively trying to increase production.
It takes Kornsberg one month to assemble the mobile command center, which is currently Nasams’ core equipment, with all parts secured. Kornsberg, which is building a new factory in June, plans to increase missile production tenfold.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.