US has used up two-thirds of its critical Patriot missile interceptors since Iran War started: report

The US has used up two-thirds of its critical Patriot missile interceptors since the Iran War started — and the current tit-for-tat drone and missile strikes across the region are further depleting them, according to a grim new report.Prior to the war, the US had more than 2,700 missiles for the Patriot and anti-ballistic THAAD systems on hand.As of Monday the supply has plummeted to fewer than 1,000, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.That includes just 827 Patriot missiles — used in the famous American-designed Patriot missile batteries that have become the primary defense against Iranian drones and miles fired across the Middle East.

While America’s interception rate has been nearly perfect, several Iranian attacks have started to break through, with the CSIS warning that further diminishing defense stockpiles may put US soldiers and military bases at greater risk.“That percentage may not go up a lot, but it goes up a little,” said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and now senior adviser at CSIS.The US burned through many of its missiles during the first six days of Operation Epic Fury, when American forces decimated Iran’s launchers to the point that its retaliatory attacks would not overburden America’s air defense systems, which were already lower than normal after providing missiles to Ukraine.Iran has been unable to match the rate of attacks it managed during the start of the war, but the Islamic republic is still launching daily strikes, which have gotten more advanced, analysts have warned.At least three missiles were able to circumvent US defenses at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan earlier this month, killing three US soldiers.In the recent wave of fighting, the number of available Patriot interceptors fell from 1,030 when the cease-fire started to between 759 and 827.

That’s an overall decrease of at least 65% since the conflict began, according to the CSIS.PAC-3 MSE Pa...