Air Defenses Originally Sold to Allies Diverted to Ukraine by US
“Heeeeeyyy buddy. So, you know how you paid a $300 million deposit on those three new NASAMS? Yeah, sorry about this, but we need to send your systems to Ukraine. You understand.”
When I was in Qatar, I saw a familiar sight: The Qatari armed forces were using American-made electronic and kinetic capabilities designed to take down UAVs.
Some of it was US-made jamming equipment, but I also saw older Patriot systems designed to take down larger UAVs — likely for the Iranian threat.
Indeed, Qatar was among the top five importers of US military hardware from 2019–23, along with India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and Pakistan.
The fact is that the US is the world’s top arms dealer, accounting for 42 percent of international arms sales between 2019 and 2023.
Now, the US has made the difficult decision to divert air defense weapon systems currently rolling off the production line intended for international buyers.
Last week, the White House announced that it is sending Ukraine air defense missiles that were contracted for purchase by other countries. In recent weeks, Ukraine has pleaded with its supporters to send at least seven Patriot missile systems to defend against Russian munitions.
