Raytheon has been awarded a $692.9 million contract for U.S. Army contract to produce Sweden’s Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System including spare parts, support training.
Previously announced by the U.S. Department of Defense, the contract calls for Raytheon to build and deliver an undisclosed quantity of Patriot fire units and GEM-T interceptor missiles.
“Sweden’s Patriot procurement will provide joint training opportunities for the Swedish and U.S. armed forces, and enhance military interoperability,” said Tom Laliberty, vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “Patriot is continually modernized, providing Sweden the world’s most advanced and capable air and missile defense system.”
Patriot is the backbone of Europe’s defense against advanced aircraft, drones, and ballistic and cruise missiles. Fifteen other nations depend on Patriot to protect their citizens and armed forces, including the U.S. and six other European nations: Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Romania and Poland.
Raytheon’s Patriot is a missile defense system consisting of radars, command-and-control technology and multiple types of interceptors, all working together to detect, identify and defeat tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, advanced aircraft and other threats.
According to the Defense News, Sweden requested four Patriot Configuration 3+ modernized fire units that include four AN/MPQ-65 radars; four control stations; nine antenna masts; 12 M903 launching stations; 100 GEM-T missiles, or Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile Tactical Ballistic Missiles; and 200 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or MSE, missiles.
The Patriot Configuration 3+ is the most modern of the Patriot missile defense systems. Built by Raytheon, it includes a whole host of upgrades from the earlier configurations, including the ability to fire PAC-3 MSEs.
The PAC-3 MSEs are the most advanced interceptors on the market for the Patriot system.