U.S. used roughly 19 years of Patriot interceptor purchases in seven months of fighting with Iran, leaving about a third of its prewar stockpile

The U.S. military used around 1,060 to 1,500 Patriot interceptors during about seven months of fighting against Iran, leaving roughly a third of its prewar stockpile, according to estimates from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The amount used was roughly equivalent to 19 years of U.S. purchases at the prewar rate.

CSIS estimates the United States had about 2,200 to 2,330 modern Patriot interceptors before the war. Before the conflict, it bought an average of about 225 interceptors a year; Lockheed Martin currently produces around 600 to 650 annually for the United States and its allies.

The think tank projects that rebuilding prewar inventories will take at least three years. It warned that the shortfall creates a “window of vulnerability” in any conflict with China.