How Many Patriot Missiles Does the US Have?
The US has an estimated 759 to 827 PAC-3 Patriot interceptors left, about a third of its pre-Iran war stock of 2,330. Output, costs and rebuild time.
In this article
Context
The Pentagon does not publish a number, but the best public estimate is that the United States holds roughly 760 to 830 of its most capable Patriot interceptors, the PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE, as of late July 2026. That is about a third of the roughly 2,330 it had before the war with Iran began on February 28, 2026.
The figure comes from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, whose analysts Mark Cancian and Chris Park wrote on July 27 that Patriot inventories were “now under 1,000” after fighting resumed following the April ceasefire. It matters well beyond the Gulf: the same missiles are what Ukraine is begging for, and as we reported on October 17, Ukraine’s Patriot interceptors have run out while Russian Iskanders get through.
Analysis
How many Patriot missiles did the US have before the Iran war?
About 2,200 to 2,330 modern interceptors, depending on how they are counted. The CSIS estimate reported by Task & Purpose on July 30 puts the pre-war stock at 2,330 and the remaining stock at 759 to 827, meaning up to 67 percent was fired. CNN, citing the same think tank, gave the pre-war figure as around 2,200 of the two most modern variants.
The count covers only hit-to-kill rounds. In its April review, CSIS said its total included around a thousand older PAC-3 missiles alongside the newer MSE, and left out up to 400 PAC-2 missiles that may still be on the shelf. Those older blast-fragmentation rounds still work against aircraft and cruise missiles but are less suited to ballistic missiles.
How many Patriot missiles has the US used against Iran?
No official tally exists, but the CSIS figures imply roughly 1,500 fewer interceptors than before the war. The decline came in two steps. By the April ceasefire, after the first 39 days of the air and missile campaign, CSIS put the loss at about 55 percent; its July update raised that to about 65 percent once combat resumed, ABC News reported.
The Pentagon has not confirmed the numbers. Its spokesman Sean Parnell told ABC that the United States “has everything it needs” to carry out the president’s orders. THAAD, the higher-altitude layer, fell less steeply in the same estimate, from 452 interceptors to between 234 and 278. Gulf partners drew down too: Saudi Arabia used about 86 percent of its PAC-3 stock by Reuters’ count, as we noted when explaining Anduril’s cheaper Steelfin interceptor.
Analysis
How many Patriot batteries does the US Army have?
Fifteen deployable Patriot battalions, plus two training battalions that do not deploy. In July 2025 Army leaders told The War Zone that one of the 15 was being overhauled, and that plans exist for a 16th, 17th and 18th battalion.
Each battalion has three to five firing batteries, and each battery can field up to eight launchers. A modern M903 launcher carries 12 PAC-3 MSE or 16 of the smaller PAC-3 rounds. By Silent Dossier’s arithmetic, a full load for one eight-launcher battery is 96 MSE, so roughly 800 interceptors would fill only about eight batteries, against a force of at least 45 batteries.
Analysis
How many Patriot missiles does the US make per year?
About 600 today, aiming for 2,000 a year by the end of 2030. Lockheed Martin delivered 620 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2025, 20 percent more than in 2024, and on January 6, 2026 it agreed a seven-year framework with the Pentagon to more than triple output, Breaking Defense reported.
Not all of that reaches the US Army. CSIS estimates that about half of annual production goes to allies and partners. The money is now flowing: the Army signed a multiyear deal worth up to $58.6 billion in July, and Lockheed reported on October 22 that its record $292 billion backlog includes $52.5 billion tied to that PAC-3 MSE award. On the same day’s earnings call, chief executive Jim Taiclet said the company had awarded Boeing $14.7 billion to triple production of the missile’s seeker.
Analysis
How much does one Patriot missile cost?
About $4 million to $5.3 million for a PAC-3 MSE. The Army’s fiscal 2027 request prices it at about $5.3 million, as The War Zone reported and as we set out in our Iron Dome vs Patriot vs THAAD comparison; Defense News puts its value at around $4 million.
The request itself shows the scale of the rebuild. The Army asked for $12.2 billion for 2,798 PAC-3 MSE in fiscal 2027, against $1.3 billion for 233 missiles a year earlier, The National reported. Counting the Navy, which is fitting the missile to its destroyers, the services want 3,203 rounds in 2027 versus 341 in 2026, according to a CSIS figure cited by Defense News.
Analysis
How long will it take to rebuild the Patriot stockpile?
A little more than three years to get back to pre-war levels, on CSIS’s estimate, and longer if the fighting with Iran flares again. The delay is built into how missiles are bought: Cancian told Military Times that “what we’re getting now are missiles that were funded in 2023.”
That leaves every other customer in the queue. Ukraine has received more than 600 Patriot interceptors from the United States and its allies, according to CSIS’s April count, and its president asked Europe for 300 more in October. Seventeen partner nations have chosen the PAC-3, according to Lockheed Martin, and all of them compete with the US Army for the same production. Alternatives such as Europe’s SAMP/T NG are arriving in far smaller numbers.
Key facts
The United States had an estimated 2,330 PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE interceptors before the Iran war began on February 28, 2026, according to CSIS.
CSIS estimated 759 to 827 remained as of late July 2026, a fall of about two-thirds.
The Army fields 15 deployable Patriot battalions, each with three to five firing batteries, as of July 2025.
An M903 launcher holds 12 PAC-3 MSE interceptors.
Lockheed Martin delivered 620 PAC-3 MSE in 2025 and plans to build 2,000 a year by the end of 2030.
The Army’s fiscal 2027 budget request seeks 2,798 PAC-3 MSE for $12.2 billion, at about $5.3 million each.
CSIS expects the Patriot and THAAD stockpiles to take a little more than three years to return to pre-war levels.
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