US Missile Upgrades Face Years-Long Ball Screw Delays as Demand Jumps 50%
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 26
US Missile Upgrades Face Years-Long Ball Screw Delays as Demand Jumps 50%
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 26
Summary
Precision ball screws — critical for Patriot missiles, aircraft and other weapons — now can take months or even years to procure, creating a manufacturing choke point for U.S. defense programs.
Demand has risen as much as 50% since 2020, driven by the Trump administration’s push to replace or upgrade systems depleted by the war in Iran.
Only a handful of U.S. companies can make military-grade ball screws, and most are already at capacity, leaving expansion dependent on new time and investment.
The bottleneck highlights a broader industrial-base problem: even small components can slow missile output, alongside shortages of Rare-earth magnets, solid rocket motors and high-grade explosives.