The U.S. Army is planning to allocate more than $1.3 billion toward the purchase of Patriot air-defense missiles in the upcoming fiscal year, and has quietly raised its long-term acquisition target for the advanced interceptors by more than fourfold,

The American-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system has been a workhorse for Kyiv in defending against Russian attacks.

The US Army plans to spend more than $1.3 billion on Patriot missiles for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and has quietly quadrupled its overall purchase target for the air defense weapon that has proven critical not just for Ukraine but also for US forces in the Middle East.