Review of the Patriot missile interceptor arsenals in Arab countries

The Arab countries of the Persian Gulf have been among the main customers of the American Patriot air defense system, and the largest orders for purchasing PAC-2/3 missiles have been placed by them, but the 40-day war and the clashes of the past week have pushed the missile-interceptor arsenals of some of these countries to the threshold of complete depletion.

Bahrain: Stocks exhausted

In 2019, the Bahrain Armed Forces ordered a total of 2 Patriot batteries, 60 PAC-3MSE missiles, and 36 PAC-2GEM missiles, and received them in full; this is considered a very limited figure (96 missiles). At the beginning of 2026, Bahrainis registered requests to buy another 50 PAC-3 missiles and 150 PAC-2 missiles, but it is not clear how much of this order was delivered on an emergency basis.

Given the high volume of attacks against Bahrain, these stocks have certainly been fully used up. What is being fired today in response to missile and drone attacks by Iranian forces is, in fact, the Patriot batteries of the U.S. Army that are deployed to protect this country’s military bases.

Kuwait: Approaching depletion

The Kuwaiti army had 4 Patriot system batteries along with 144 PAC-3MSE/CRI missiles. The exact number of older-generation PAC-2 batteries is not known, but it is likely that a reserve of roughly 500 to 600 PAC-2 missiles was also in service with this country.

During the 40-day war and the week of recent clashes, Kuwait’s air defenses, according to official statements, have confronted about 1,500 different Iranian launchings of missiles and drones. It can be said that the PAC-3 missile stocks have certainly run out, and perhaps a limited cache of PAC-2 missiles is still available (along with the Patriot batteries deployed by the U.S. at military headquarters).

Qatar: Favorable situation

Qatar had received 11 Patriot batteries with a stockpile of 786 PAC-2GEM missiles and 358 PAC-3MSE missiles (total 1,144 missiles). Compared with the other Arab countries, Qatar was targeted for a shorter period (due to its intermediary role for Iran and agreements after the attack on Ras al-Funoun), and it is estimated that it still has more than half of its arsenal at its disposal, which appears sufficient for another full-scale conflict.

United Arab Emirates: Severe reduction in stocks

No country faced attacks from Iranian missile and drone fire as much as the United Arab Emirates in the recent war. Although in the past week, due to behind-the-scenes negotiations, it has not been targeted beyond limited cases, a large and irrecoverable portion of its Patriot stocks has been consumed during the 40-day war.

The UAE had 9 Patriot batteries with 800 PAC-3 missiles and 316 PAC-2GEM missiles (total 1,116 missiles) and has probably fired more than 70% of its stocks during the recent war. If a confrontation with a similar scale is repeated, it will likely reach a level comparable to August Number after a few days (unless supporting Patriot batteries from the United States are deployed in this country).

Saudi Arabia: Favorable situation

The Saudi Arabian army is the largest user of Patriot in the world after the United States, with more than 20 batteries, 800 PAC-3 missiles delivered, 730 PAC-3 missiles ordered, and +1,000 PAC-2 missiles under their operation. The extent of Saudi Arabia’s use of its Patriot stocks during the war in Yemen is not known, but it is likely that about half of their 2,500-missile interceptor arsenal was used. Nevertheless, they still have desirable stocks available in case a full-scale confrontation occurs in the near future.