U.S. weapons maker Raytheon Co. on Monday reported that it is upgrading Germany’s Patriot missile defense system to the most current configuration available under a $105.5 million direct commercial sales contract from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.
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. Patriot is the foundation of integrated air and missile defense for 16 nations.
The contract award was first announced on Raytheon’s earnings call on July 25th.
“This upgrade ensures that Germany’s air and missile defense remains current until at least 2035,” said Tom Laliberty, Raytheon vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense.
The contract comes shortly after the Defense and Budget Committees of the German Federal Parliament approved the upgrade, ensuring Germany remains aligned with five other EU and NATO allies that rely on Patriot for their air and missile defense. All countries – including the U.S. – benefit from being part of the 16 nation consortium through:
- Cost sharing for upgrades
- Enhancements to stay ahead of the growing threat
- Interoperability with other partner nations
Patriot has been successfully used more than 250 times in combat to defend allied forces and civilian populations against hostile aircraft, drones and tactical ballistic missiles.
The company’s website said since January of 2015, Patriot has intercepted more than 100 ballistic missiles in combat operations around the world; more than 90 of those intercepts involved the low-cost Raytheon-made Guidance Enhanced Missile family of surface-to-air missiles.
Those engagements were possible because Patriot is built on a foundation of more than 3,000 ground tests and over 1,400 flight tests.