The Pentagon awarded Raytheon a $1.2 billion contract to make additional for the U.S. Army and fulfill a foreign military sale to Switzerland, which is planning to acquire the air defense system.
The Patriot is a surface-to-air missile SAM system with a high-performance radar that is capable of engaging hostile aircraft, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and other aerial targets. It became operational in 1984 for the U.S. Army and has seen service in several conflicts since then. Patriot is an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target.
Raytheon will carry out the $1.2 billion contract for Patriot missile launchers at several locations in the U.S., including Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Pennsylvania, in addition to The Pentagon estimates that work on the contract will be completed by the end of 2032.
The acquisition of the Patriot was approved by the State Department in 2020 as a request to acquire five Patriot batteries with missiles, radars and other equipment at a total cost of more than $2.2 billion. The Pentagon awarded a contract for Patriot launchers or fire units on Tuesday.
As is the case with other foreign military sales, Switzerland s purchase of the Patriot fire units is combined with the U.S. military s orders for the same equipment, which helps reduce the per-unit cost due to economies of scale in the defense contractor's production process.
A number of U.S. allies and partners, including Germany, Greece, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates, are part of the Patriot missile system, which is operated by a number of U.S. allies and partners.
Ukraine is expected to operate three batteries of Patriots in the future, including one that will be provided by the U.S. and another by Germany in those countries, which will provide aid to defend against Russian air attacks. The Netherlands also announced that it would provide Ukraine with Patriot launchers and missiles but not a full battery that includes the Patriot's radar systems.