USA to Sell Ukraine S-300 Clone Missiles
The United States has approved the sale of S-300 Clone missiles to Ukraine as part of a new package of equipment and weapons.
Apart from a mention in the U.S. State Department’s list, no further information about these missiles has been provided.
Their purchase will be financed by European partners and through funds from the U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program.
Joint development of S-300 missiles with the U.S.
The then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin first spoke about work on new missiles for the air defense system back in September 2024.
At a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, he announced joint work with Ukraine on developing a ‘replacement’ for the Soviet S-300 air defense systems and R-27 air-to-air missiles.
“With the support of several European companies, the United States is working with Ukraine to develop and manufacture a replacement for the S-300 surface-to-air missile system, as well as the R-27 air-to-air missile,” Austin said.
In August 2026, Robert Hamilton, a retired U.S. Army colonel and president of the Delphi Global Research Center, spoke about the joint development of new missiles.
According to him, the project involves the production of 100–200 anti-aircraft missiles per year.
In addition to work on developing missiles in collaboration with partners, there are also reports of localization efforts in Ukraine. Localization involves bringing European partners on board the project.
S-300 Systems in Ukraine’s Arsenal
Prior to the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine had approximately 25–30 battalions of S-300PT/PS systems at its disposal, in varying states of operational readiness.
The systems currently deployed in Ukraine are designed to counter strategic and tactical aircraft, as well as cruise missiles, at altitudes ranging from 25 m to 27 km and at ranges of up to 100 km.
On April 8, 2022, the then-Prime Minister of Slovakia, Eduard Heger, announced the provision of an additional S-300PMU air defense system to Ukraine, which had been in service with his country.
During combat operations, certain components (launchers and radars) were lost, and Ukraine’s missile stockpiles were depleted. For this reason, partners—including Norway—allocated funds for Ukraine to purchase missiles from third countries. However, a shortage persists.
Source: Militaryni
