Patriot system
The USA’s MIM-104 Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept On Target (PATRIOT) anti-air missile system offers an advanced backbone for medium-range air defense, and short-range ballistic missile defense, to America and its allies. This article covers domestic and foreign purchase requests and contracts for Patriot systems. It also compiles information about the engineering service contracts that upgrade these systems, ensure that they continue to work, and integrate them with wider command and defense systems.
The Patriot missile franchise’s future appears assured. At present, 12 nations have chosen it as a key component of their air and missile defense systems: the USA, Germany, Greece, Japan, Israel, Kuwait, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan and the UAE. Poland, Qatar, and Turkey have all indicated varying levels of interest, and some existing customers are looking to upgrade their systems.
The Patriot Missile Family
PATRIOT Ground Systems
BBC: 2013 report
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A Patriot firing battery includes several components: an antenna mast group, radar, electric power station, launchers, ECC command center, and maintenance center. They are carried on a mix of heavy and medium trucks.
The OE-349 antenna mast group is usually carried on a M927 5-Ton truck.
The radar set is either an AN/MPQ-53 radar for PAC-2 systems, or an AN/MPQ-65 for PAC-3 systems, and is carried by a 10-ton M983 HEMTT truck pulling a M860 semitrailer. That equipment needs a lot of power, hence the truck mounted electric power plant, with 2 150kW generators on a modified HEMTT.
An AN/MSQ-104 engagement control station acts as the command center, pulled by a 5-ton FMTV or similar truck, and a semi-trailer maintenance center rounds out the battery. A battalion is usually made up of 4-6 batteries, with a command center and maintenance center of its own. It can include up to 600 soldiers including command, maintenance, and other roles.
With the other ground elements deployed, the battery’s 8 x M901 launching stations can be effective, deploying over a wide area on fully self-contained M983 HEMTT trucks pulling M860 semitrailers. In a PAC-2 battery, each launching station has 4 missiles, for a total of 32. In a PAC-3 battery, each launching station has 16 missiles, for a total of 128.
Raytheon is the prime contractor for the Patriot system as a whole. The most current standard for the Patriot’s ground systems is known as “Configuration 3”, and is compatible with both PAC-2 and PAC-3 launchers.
Raytheon recently completed a major upgrade to the ECS’ interface and computing, is currently testing Gallium Nitride radar semiconductor components that would improve performance at all power levels, and has proposed a rotating radar with 360-degree field-of-view, instead of the current 120 degree regard and 90 degree fire control cone.
PATRIOT Missile Variants
PAC-3 test launch
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PAC-2 GEM. In 2002, Raytheon completed a separate upgrade of their PAC-2 missiles, which became known as Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile Plus (GEM+). GEM missiles, including next-step upgrades like GEM-C/T, are essentially PAC-2 systems that still use the larger PAC-2 fragmentation missiles, but have a range of improvements to their guidance systems, fuzes, etc. GEM-T is optimized against tactical ballistic missiles, while GEM-C is optimized against cruise missiles. They’re fielded by the USA and by foreign militaries, such as Israel and South Korea. In 2003, the U.S. military launched approximately 20 PAC-2 missiles during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the majority of which were GEM interceptors.
PAC-3.The current US standard for new-build Patriot Missiles is the Patriot Advanced Capability 3. While Lockheed Martin’s missile is as long as previous Raytheon versions, it’s thinner and weighs only 30% as much (688 vs. 2,000 pounds). PAC-3 uses a “hit-to-kill” approach, instead of the PAC-2’s large fragmentation warhead, which allows it to packs more missiles per launcher (16 instead of 4). Its enhanced capabilities also allow it to be used for point defense against ballistic missiles, and its Config-3 ground systems also feature a range of improvements to the battery’s radar, communications, electronics, and software.
Lockheed Martin produces the PAC-3 missile, including the hit-to-kill interceptor, the missile canister 4-packs, a fire solution computer, and an Enhanced Launcher Electronics System (ELES). It has been exported to Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Taiwan, and the UAE. The latest PAC-3 variant is the PAC-3 CRI (Cost Reduction Initiative).
Beyond the USA, America is working with Japan on missile defense. Japan’s system will use the long-range naval SM-3 missiles as the outer layer, and Patriot PAC-3s as the point defense component. Japan has been licensed to produce its own Patriot PAC-3s.
A subsequent variant called the PAC-3 MSE was originally part of a canceled system called MEADS, but has been incorporated into the USA’s future plans. It’s covered as part of the USA’s ongoing PATRIOT programs.
The USA’s Patriot Programs
Pure Fleet, etc.
Patriot operation
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Budgets for PATRIOT systems as a whole are difficult to quantify, as recent years have seen them fully conflated with the separate MEADS program. Beyond MEADS, however, the U.S. Army has 2 important Patriot programs underway: “Pure Fleet” and “Grow the Army.”
Pure Fleet involves upgrading all its ground systems to Configuration-3. It will not necessarily replace all missiles in these batteries, which are often a mixed PAC-3/PAC-2 fleet, and are expected to remain so. What it will do, is make all batteries capable of firing the latest missiles, and ensure that the system’s technologies are kept up to date. This involves upgrades of multiple ground systems, and will be coupled with PAC-2 GEM-T missile upgrades under “continuous technology refreshment” programs.
Grow the Army was set to add 2 PAC-3 battalions to the Patriot force structure.
Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 Patriot-based air-launched hit-to-kill (ALHTK) concept was a much more radical concept. It would be launched from fighter jets, and used to target ballistic missiles during their vulnerable but hard-to-reach launch phase. Initial studies were conducted, but neither this variant, nor Raytheon’s internally-mountable NCADE, managed to gain much traction.
Beyond Patriot, the USA has also been involved in the tri-national American/ German/ Italian MEADS project. Pentagon documents started to lump the Patriot and its successor MEADS together after 2006, making it difficult to track each system. The 2 air defense systems use very different technologies, but the Pentagon’s treatment of MEADS in its documents may have been prescient. MEADS became an R&D-only effort in 2011, and looks set to feed in some of its technologies as future PATRIOT upgrades. Patriot system production appears to be secure for the near future.
Even so, American production has tailed off, and the production line has been weighted in favor of foreign orders:
After 2013’s orders are delivered, foreign orders will be the only thing sustaining PAC-3 missile production. The reason for that is a new missile. The multinational MEADS R&D program looks set to end, but it produced a PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) design that will become part of existing PATRIOT batteries.
Over the Horizon: PAC-3 MSE
PAC-3 MSE drawing
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One element that will survive from MEADS is the improved PAC-3 MSE missile, which is becoming its own program. PAC-3 MSE is designed to be a longer range missile that is more agile, and able to counter both tactical ballistic missiles and more conventional threats. Improvements begin with a higher performance, dual-pulse, 11″ diameter Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) design, a thermally hardened front end for longer fly out, enlarged fixed fins, more responsive control surfaces, upgraded guidance software, an improved Hit-To-Kill system, and upgraded batteries. They’re also pushing toward Insensitive Munitions (IM) compliance in order to lower safety risks, and a more compliant SRM propellant is being developed. The missile’s “single canister” design concept is similar to the Navy’s approach with its “all-up-rounds” for delivery, transport storage, and firing.
The MSE takes the PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI) missile design as its base, and the Army hopes this will lower its overall cost per missile. By 2015, the Army expects the more capable PAC-3 MSE to cost less per missile (around $7.5 million) than the current PAC-3 (about $7.6 million), with costs continuing to drop toward an average of about $5.5 million over the life of the program. The USA plans to order 1,680 of them in the coming years.
Patriot Engineering Services Contracts
ECS command vehicle
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PATRIOT Engineering support is a sole source contract initiated on Aug 26/03 by the Army Aviation and Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W31P4Q-04-C-0020). A follow-on contract was issued in FY 2009 (W31P4Q-09-C-0057).
Raytheon releases note that “engineering support” includes system and software engineering, hardware engineering, system testing, quality assurance, configuration management, logistic support and program management. The contract also funds specific tasks, including the implementation of the architecture for the first phase of the Combined Aggregate Program (CAP), CAP phase 2 studies, system of system architecture studies, Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) missile integration and missile segment enhancement, and conducting annual service practice missile firings. The CAP program aligns the Patriot system to incorporate and field Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) Major End Items (MEIs) as they become available.
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The overall program is an international cooperative effort, in which foreign partners both fund and benefit from common support. The FY 2004 – 2009 umbrella contract called for engineering services tasks to be performed specifically for Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Taiwan. Beginning in 2009, South Korea and the UAE added themselves to that list.
What follows are all of the publicly-announced disbursements since the FY 2004 base award:
Work on PATRIOT Engineering Services is generally performed at Raytheon IDS HQ in Tewksbury, MA; its Integrated Air Defense Center in next-door Andover, MA; its Missile Defense Center in Woburn, MA; its Integrated Force Protection and Security Center in Huntsville, AL; its Mission Capability Verification Center at White Sands Missile Range, NM; and additional Raytheon facilities that include Burlington, MA and El Paso, TX. The vast majority of work is done in Tewksbury and Andover, MA. These facilities also process Patriot Advanced Configuration-2 (PAC-2) and Guidance Enhanced Missile-T (GEM-T) missiles for stockpile reliability testing, recertification and repair in support of the Patriot Field Surveillance program.
Other PATRIOT-Related Contracts & Events
Unless otherwise specified, contracts are awarded by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL.
FY 2017
PAC-3 MSE
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November 30/16: An undisclosed member of the Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System program has contracted Raytheon to provide additional Patriot missile capabilities. The $225 million deal comes just 45 days after Poland requested the same product from the US government, and when Raytheon received another contract from the Netherlands to upgrade their own systems. Answers on a postcard please.
FY 2016
October 18/16: Radar signal management technology made by a Taiwanese company will be used in Lockheed Martin’s latest MIM-104F (PAC-3) air defense missile system upgrade. Developed by the state-owned National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the technology is also found in the indigenous Sky Bow III air defense system. So far, it has made $25.3 million in international orders.
October 10/16: Raytheon has been contracted to update the Netherlands’ Patriot missile system. Work to be undertaken as part of the upgrade includes the installation of the Modern Man Station user interface — the latest operator-machine interface upgrade to Patriot command and control shelters. The upgrade will make it easier to operate Patriot and provide enhanced situational awareness.
October 7/16: Plans by Taiwan to shoot down one of its indigenous Sky Bow II interceptors with the American Patriot air defense system have been postponed due to a China Coast Guard vessel being found lurking nearby. The Sky Bow II was supposed to be fired from Jihui Fish Port with a Patriot fired from Jioupeng Military Base attempting to shoot it down on October 5. Initially scheduled for May, the test had been first postponed due to typhoons.
September 8/16: Poland has officially selected the Patriot air defense missile system, making it the 6th NATO Patriot country and the 14th Patriot partner nation. Manufacturer Raytheon made the announcement saying that the company “will continue supporting the US and Polish governments through the Foreign Military Sales process,” and that it “will also partner with Poland’s government and industry to finalize offset and industrial participation plans.” So far, Raytheon has already signed eight contracts and more than 30 letters of intent with Polish industry.
August 31/16: The Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’ watchdog, has stated that it wants more oversight into the Army’s Patriot upgrade. With $1.8 billion in funding allocated for the next five years, the GAO stated that the service’s plan, which is expected to remain in operation until at least 2050, lacks oversight mechanisms as the Army carries out its strategy in the coming years. Congress has consistently taken issue with what it sees as the Army’s inability to estimate the cost of the system in future years, and has regularly withheld funds to upgrade portions of the system, demanding the Army provide more clarity to its plans before shelling out all of the requested cash to fund it.
August 19/16: Both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have submitted offers for upgraded integrated air-and-missile defense radar concepts as the US Army decides on its eventual Patriot system replacement. The service was initially planning to integrate the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), but this was ultimately shelved. As a result, the request for fresh radar concepts may prove a progressive first step in deciding whether to upgrade Patriot or go for something new.
July 28/16: Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz expects to have their Patriot missile-defense system finalized by the end of the year. The $5.5 billion deal could also be joined by more missile-systems as Warsaw accelerates efforts to enhance their missile-defense capability. $15 billion has been earmarked for the modernization with plans to spend some $10 billion on mid-range air- and missile-defense systems, and over $5 billion on short-range air-defense systems.
July 19/16: Last week Raytheon announced the success of Saudi-operated Patriot batteries in intercepting missiles coming from Yemen, however the system failed to take down a Syrian UAV that ended up in Israeli air space. The intrusion took place over airspace on the Golan Heights, which has been in Israeli possession since its annexation in 1967. While the IDF have often responded to stray rocket fire from the neighboring Syrian Civil War with tank and mortar shells, this marks the first time that Patriot missiles have been brought into play.
July 14/16: Patriot anti-missile systems operated by Saudi Arabia have had a 100% success rate according to manufacturer Raytheon. The system has seen service as part of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen intercepting missile attacks from Houthi rebels. Iran is believed to be arming the rebels with small arms and munitions including scud missiles.
July 7/16: Following its agreement with Raytheon over offsets, Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ has signed a letter of intent with Raytheon to install a Patriot missile defense system. According to a PGZ statement, “the signed letter of intent positions the Polish industry as an important component of the Global Patriot program, including the transfer of key technologies. It also opens the doors to the Polish industry to enable its participation in the modernization programs of 220 Patriot systems operated by 13 countries.” The agreement comes days before the commencement of Warsaw’s hosting of this year’s NATO summit between July 8-9.
July 6/16: Poland finally looks set to make a $5 billion deal to acquire the Patriot missile defense system after a breakthrough in discussions with manufacturer Raytheon. Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement as the US defense giant capitulated to allow for at least 50% of the money to be spent on works done by Polish plants. Just a few short months ago the deal, started by the previous government, had been seriously questioned by Macierewicz in a bid to secure more offsets to boost Polish manufacturing employment.
January 18/16: Belgium’s government is looking to buy the Patriot air defense system as part of its new strategic defense plan. The plan, if approved by the parliamentary defense select committee, could potentially see over $600 million used to purchase a battery of the system. Defence minister Steven Vandeput said the system would be used not only as part of Belgium’s defense from ballistic missile threats, but could be utilized by other NATO allies in places where such a system is most needed such as on the Turkish-Syrian border. The announcement comes alongside the news that Poland may also install the system in their country in a procurement that could reach $5 billion.
December 29/15: Kuwait is to receive technical assistance for the PATRIOT system after Raytheon was awarded a $9.27 million foreign military sales contract by the US Department of Defense. The contract shortly followed a previous $74.5 million award to provide pre-PATRIOT training classes to Kuwaiti military personnel ahead of the delivery of batteries of the missile defense system in July 2016, and will run until December 2016.
December 16/15: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $1.09 billion contract to provide Patriot PAC-3 missiles for use by the US Army, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Qatar. Delivery of the missiles is expected to be completed by June 30, 2019. The contract follows a similar one awarded in July worth $1.5 billion. The award follows a growing increase in demand for missiles and defense systems from both the US and countless other foreign buyers. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency has come under scrutiny as of late for not being able to process foreign arms sales quickly enough to keep up with demand.
November 30/15: Poland’s new government is considering backing out of a previous $5 billion deal to install the Patriot missile defense system. A further order of 50 Caracal EC725 helicopters worth $3 billion is also in doubt. The agreements were made last April amid rising tensions among NATO member states in eastern Europe after the Russian annexation of Crimea. The ruling Law & Justice party have brought the nature of the deal into doubt expressing concerns over extra costs and increased delivery time and may look at a renewed tendering process in 2016.
November 18/15: UAE Patriot missiles have been credited with shooting down two ballistic missiles launched by Houthi militants in Yemen. The UAE have had the Patriot battery deployed in the Marib provence of Yeman since September as part of a Saudi led coalition against the Shia insurgency there. The sale of the Patriot missile systems to various Gulf nations by the US has been part of a concentrated effort to counter Jihadist activity in various countries in the region. Earlier this month, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) cleared the sale of $380 million worth of munitions to the UAE who it sees as an “important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East”.
November 9/15: The Netherlands is planning to modernize its Patriot air defense missile systems, rather than procure new MEADS systems. Beyond Germany’s selection of the Medium Extended Air Defense System – a Lockheed Martin/MBDA Deutschland project – in May, MEADS has not seen the success some hoped for. The Dutch are reportedly planning to upgrade their Patriots between 2017 and 2021, extending their service lives out to 2040, with the Dutch withdrawing Patriot batteries from Turkey in August 2014 to facilitate this modernization work.
FY 2015
Purchases: Kuwait, Taiwan, Qatar, UAE; Requests: Saudi Arabia.
July 30/15: Saudi Arabia has requested Patriot PAC-3 missiles and auxiliary equipment through a potential $5.4 billion deal, which would modernize the Kingdom’s current stockpile of Patriot missiles. This DSCA request comes on the heels of a $1.5 billion contract announced by Lockheed Martin earlier this month, which will see Foreign Military Sales partners worldwide upgraded with new PAC-3 and PAC-3MSE interceptors, including Saudi Arabia, as well as another DSCA request from October 2014 for PAC-3 missiles, with that request valued at $1.75 billion.
July 27/15: Lockheed Martin will upgrade US Army and international partners’ Patriot systems through the Foreign Military Sales program in a deal worth $1.5 billion. The contract will supply PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE interceptors for Taiwan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. These states all operate the PAC-3, with Saudi Arabia requesting $1.75 billion-worth of PAC-3 enhancements in June 2014, with Qatar ordering the PAC-3 in October as part of a $11 billion equipment deal with the US. South Korea announced in April 2014 that the country’s Patriot systems would be upgraded to the PAC-3 configuration between 2016 and 2020, with a budget of around $1.25 billion.
May 19/15: Raytheon was awarded a $7 million contract modification in support of the UAE’s Patriot systems, with this totaling 138 man-months of work. The GCC member state first procured the systems in 2008, with the country operating the PAC-3 variant.
April 24/15: The undisclosed customer in Raytheon’s $2 billion contract announced earlier this week for Patriot air defense systems is now thought to be Saudi Arabia. The company secured a multi-billion dollar contract with Poland this week, with the Patriot system also a contender for Germany’s air defense modernization requirement.
April 20/15: On Friday, Raytheon announced the award of a $2 billion contract to an undisclosed international customer for the supply of new-production Patriot systems, training and support. The precise variant of the system was not revealed, however the new systems will include the “latest technology for improved threat detection, identification and engagement,” which sounds like the PAC-3 variant.
Nov 5/14: Korea. The US DSCA announces South Korea’s official export request for PAC-3 missiles to upgrade its Korea Air Missile Defense (KAMD) system from its existing PAC-2 GEM-Ts. This will create better interoperability with American forces in theater, while enhancing the country’s ballistic missile defenses (q.v. March 12/14). The estimated cost is up to $1.405 billion, and includes:
136 PAC-3 Missiles with containers
2 Patriot-As-A-Target (PAAT) Flight Test Targets with 2 PAC-3 Telemetry Kits
10 Fire Solution Computers
18 Launcher Station Modification Kits
8 Guided Missile Transporters
8 Missile Round Trainers
8 PAC-3 Slings
13 Installation Kits for TPX-58 Identification Friend or Foe with KIV-77 crypto
PAC-3 Ground Support Equipment (GSE)
10 Shorting Plugs
77 Defense Advanced Global Positioning Receivers (DAGR GPS) and Installation Kits
Patriot Fiber Optic Modem
4 AN/VRC-90E Radios with Installation Kits
10 Patriot Automated Logistics System Kits
Plus the usual spare and repair parts, support equipment, communication equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and US Government and contractor support.
The principal contractors will be Raytheon Corporation in Andover, MA (config-3 ground systems); and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Dallas, TX (PAC-3 missiles). Implementation of this proposed sale won’t require the assignment of any additional US Government or contractor personnel to Korea, beyond temporary in-country visits to meet program technical and management oversight and support requirements. Sources: US DSCA #14-52, “Republic of Korea – Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missiles”.
DSCA request: South Korea (136 PAC-3 & Config-3 upgrades)
Oct 14/14: PATRIOT. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $595.5 million foreign military sales contract modification, covering FY 2014 production for Kuwait, Taiwan, Qatar, and the UAE. They’re selling 152 PAC-3 cost reduction initiative missiles, 15 PAC-3 launcher modification kits, and the associated ground equipment, tooling, and initial spares. $543 million is committed immediately.
The PAC-3 CRI missile was used as the base for the PAC-3 MSE missile, but the MSE also adds a number of new technologies, and changes the missile’s structure. In contrast, PAC-3 CRI missiles offer PAC-3 performance at a slightly lower cost.
Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Lufkin, and El Paso, TX; Camden, AR; Chelmsford, MA; Ocala, FL; Huntsville, AL; and Anaheim, CA; and will continue until May 31/16. Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W31P4Q-14-C-0034, PO 0008).
PAC-3 missiles: Kuwait, Qatar, Taiwan, UAE
Oct 1/14: Saudi Arabia. The US DSCA announces a Saudi Arabian export request for more PATRIOT PAC-3 missiles, with Lockheed Martin in Dallas, TX and Raytheon in Tewksbury, MA as the designated contractors to negotiate with. the contract could be worth up to $1.75 billion, on top of previous request and sales involving a $1.7 billion upgrade of PATRIOT systems to Config-3 status for PAC-3 missile use (q.v. Nov 30/11), high-end maintenance and re-certification contracts (q.v. Dec 23/11, Nov 28/12), and a national C4I system (q.v. Nov 26/12).
This time, they want to buy up to 202 PATRIOT PAC-3 Missiles with containers, and 1 Patriot as a Target (PAC-2 Guidance Enhanced Missile GEM Flight Test Target). They also want up to 36 Launcher Station Modification Kits, 6 Fire Solution Computers, 6 Patriot Automated Logistics Systems Kits, 2 PAC-3 Telemetry Kits, 2 Missile Round Trainers, 2 PAC-3 Slings, 6 Shorting Plugs, spare and repair parts, lot validation and range support, ground support equipment, repair and return, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, a Quality Assurance Team, and other US Government and contractor support.
“The proposed sale will help replenish Saudi’s current [PAC-2] Patriot missiles which are becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and the limited availability of repair parts. The purchase of PAC-3 missiles will support current and future defense missions…. Although [industrial] offsets are requested, they are unknown at this time and will be determined during negotiations between the KSA and contractor.”
Implementation of this proposed program will require 1 additional US contractor to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a period of 3 years for equipment fielding and system checkout. Sources: US DSCA #14-43, “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) – Patriot Air Defense System with PAC-3 Enhancement”.
DSCA request: Saudis (202 PAC-3s)
FY 2014
Purchases: USA, Kuwait, Qatar; Requests: Saudi Arabia, South Korea; 2 batteries deployed to Turkey; DOT&E highlight reliability issues with radar, Raytheon crafts significant system upgrades for Polish competition, becomes a finalist; South Korea buys PAC-2 GEM-Ts, will upgrade to PAC-3/Config-3.
Greek PAC-2
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July 16/14: Upgrades. Raytheon announces a $235.5 million full rate production contract for Radar Digital Processor (RDP) kits, to upgrade PATRIOT systems for the USA and 2 partner nations. The changes will also allow support for the new PAC-3 MSE missile. As DID discussed when covering industrial process and component increases (q.v. May 10/14):
“The introduction of the new Radar Digital Processor in the Configuration-3 radar eliminates older components, provides a 12x improvement in mean time between failure, and increases radar processing efficiency. Innovations include radar system chips that have shrunk by 87.5%, and would almost fit into the grooves on a dime’s side. Meanwhile, Radar Digital Processor has dropped from 435 circuit cards to 5 in one of its assemblies, 16 power supplies have been combined into 1, and wiring that used to require 31 cables now takes 10. The space this opened up could house some refrigerator models, and is available for future upgrades.”
Raytheon also expects 40% improvement in Mea Time Between Failure, and notes that reducing the number of battery replaceable units from 759 to 56 should provide some maintenance savings. US Army Aviation and Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract. Sources: Raytheon, “US Army awards Raytheon $235.5 million contract for Patriot”.
July 15/14: R&D. Raytheon touts successful prototyping of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) technologies into the PATRIOT system’s radar. It’s part of a wider, privately-developed upgrade that will also include 360 degree coverage (q.v. June 12/14), and goes beyond extensive manufacturing and design improvements within the existing technology framework (q.v. May 10/13):
“…these technologies will significantly increase the defended area and decrease the time to detect, discriminate and engage threats. The introduction of GaN-based AESA technologies will also further improve reliability and lower the life cycle costs for the Patriot radar, beyond what has already been achieved with other recent Patriot radar improvements.”
Raytheon has made significant investments in GaN as a better base for semiconductors, and is also working with materials like synthetic diamond’s improved heat dissipation for denser circuits. GaN is more expensive than standard Gallium Arsenide, so for the moment it’s restricted to high-value applications like radars that appreciate its performance boost. Sources: Raytheon, “Raytheon demonstrates successful prototyping of AESA/GaN technologies into Patriot radar”.
July 14/14: Qatar. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel hosts Qatar’s Minister of State for Defense Affairs Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah at the Pentagon, where they sign letters of offer and acceptance worth around $11 billion for AH-64E Apache helicopters, Patriot PAC-3 air and missile defense systems (q.v. March 27/14, July 8/14), and FGM-148 Javelin Block 1 anti-tank missiles.
Details remain scarce, but their Nov 7/12 DSCA request covered up to 11 fire units, using Config-3 ground equipment and a combination of PAC-2 GEM-T (246) and PAC-3 (768) interceptor missiles. Lockheed Martin’s Oct 15/14 release only says that the initial contract “…is for missile and command launch system production.” Sources: Pentagon, “U.S., Qatar Sign Letters on $11 Billion in Helicopters, Defense Systems” | Lockheed Martin, “Qatar Becomes 8th International Customer for Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 Missile”.
Qatar PATRIOT systems
July 14/14: Kuwait. Lockheed Martin Corp. in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $28.5 million modification for PATRIOT PAC-3 Launcher Modification Kit Phase II Redesigns, on behalf of Kuwait. All funds are committed immediately.
Work will be performed at Grand Prairie, TX; Clearwater, FL; Minneapolis, MN; and Aguadilla, PR; and is expected to be complete by Sept 30/17. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-12-G-0001, PO 0007).
July 8/14: Sub-contractors. Japan’s new relaxation of its self-imposed arms export ban may be about to benefit Qatar, via a sub-component of Qatar’s PAC-2 GEM-T missiles. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries already manufactures the PAC-2 GEM missile and related ground equipment for Japan, under a license agreement with Raytheon. They also assemble PAC-3 missiles under an agreement with Lockheed Martin.
The report said that MHI would produce a “key component of the infrared seeker set into the tip of the missile to identify and track incoming targets,” but Raytheon has confirmed that the PAC-2 GEM-T has no such infrared component. They’ve also confirmed that this is still just a discussion about incorporating components manufactured by MHI, rather than a hard agreement. Sources: Raytheon | Channel NewsAsia, “Japan reportedly set for first arms export under new rules”.
June 30/14: Poland. Poland’s MON announces the Wisla air and missile defense program’s finalists: Raytheon (q.v. June 12/14), and EuroSAM. Poland won’t become part of the MEADS program, nor will it buy Israel’s David’s Sling. The 2-stage technical dialogue led Poland to conclude that they required an operational system that “znajdowac sie na uzbrojeniu panstw NATO.” Once those requirements were set, MEADS and David’s Sling failed to qualify. Sources: Poland MON, “Kolejny etap realizacji programu Wisla zakonczony”.
June 12/14: Poland, Upgrades. Raytheon Company and Bumar Elektronika announce a partnership to design and develop a modernized Patriot Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) antenna that can upgrade previous ground systems. Meanwhile, Raytheon has begun laying out its broader vision for WISLA.
The IFF system will be used as part of an “advanced Patriot 360 degree radar.” Raytheon says that it would be based on the current AN/APG-65 with the new Radar Digital Processor, but it would carry an all-new antenna, and rotate for full hemispheric coverage. The result would also be an attractive upgrade for customers whose emplaced PATRIOTs are currently limited to a 120 degree field of regard. It would also bring Raytheon closer to parity with Lockheed’s MEADS, which substitutes three 360-degree radars (2 X-band MFCR, 1 UHF-band VSR) in place of the PATRIOT system’s single G-band MPQ-53 (PAC-2) or MPQ-65 (PAC-3).
A new open-architecture, NATO-compatible Common Command and Control (CC2) system would be a joint Raytheon-Polish development, incorporating PATRIOT fire control software, but allowing the integration of options like NASAMS and other systems. CC2’s design, development, and testing would be done in partnership with Polish industry, with the final product produced in Poland.
Missile choice would be up to Poland. Raytheon makes PAC-2 GEM missiles, while Lockheed Martin makes PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE missiles. To flank their rival at the high end, Raytheon is offering a “new advanced Low Cost Interceptor (LCI)” option. This refers to Raytheon’s PAAC-4 offering, which can add RAFAEL’s Stunner missiles from the competing David’s Sling air defense/ ABM system. If previous reports are true (q.v. May 14/14), Raytheon has effectively recruited their Israeli competitor into their team. The final LCI missile solution would be based on Polish requirements, and it’s worth noting that Raytheon is also RAFAEL’s partner for the famous Iron Dome counter-rocket system. Sources: Direct discussions | Raytheon, “Poland’s Bumar Elektronika and Raytheon Partner to Develop New Patriot IFF Antenna”.
May 19/14: Support. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $212.3 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity foreign military sales contract, for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Support Center’s services to PAC-3 customers.
Funding and work location will be determined with each order, from customers including Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Netherlands, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Estimated completion date is Dec 31/17. This contract is for 3.5 years instead of 1, but it’s a full order of magnitude larger than similar contracts since 2006. The US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL acts as their agent (W31P4Q-13-D-0030, PO 0006). See also Lockheed Martin, “Lockheed Martin Receives $212 Million Contract for PAC-3 Missile Support”.
April 28/14: South Korea. South Korea’s defense establishment formally confirms their intent to upgrade existing PATRIOT systems to PAC-3/Config-3 status (q.v. March 12/14). The budget is WON 1.3 – 1.4 trillion (about $1.25 billion), and they aim to deploy the system between 2016 – 2020. Sources: The Korea Herald, “Seoul to upgrade missile defense”.
March 31/14: Support. Raytheon IDS in Andover, MA receives an $8.3 million contract modification for the repair and return of PATRIOT Missile parts pertaining to Israel, Kuwait, Taiwan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Holland and the United Arab Emirates.
All funds are committed, using FY 2013 – 2014 budgets. Estimated completion date is June 30/15. Work will be performed in Andover, MA. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract on behalf of its FMS clients (W31P4Q-13-C-0111, PO 0008).
March 28/14: PAC-3 MSE Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $610.9 million “modification to a foreign military sales contract” for the PATRIOT system advanced capability production to include 92 one pack Missiles, 50 launcher modification kits and associated ground equipment, tooling, and initial spares.
Only the PAC-3 MSE is a “one pack” missile, and an April 29/14 release from Lockheed describes this as “…the first production order of the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) following the Army’s successful Milestone C decision earlier this year.” It would appear that the Pentagon’s wording to imply exports was misleading – the contract number, which is associated with Kuwait, may be as well.
The effect of the contract is to commit a total of $873.8 million in FY 2013 – 2014 budgets. The estimated completion date is May 31/16. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Lufkin, and El Paso, TX; Camden, AR; Chelmsford, MA; Ocala, FL; Huntsville, AL; and Anaheim, CA. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract as an agent of their FMS customer (W31P4Q-14-C-0034, PO 0003). See also Lockheed Martin, “Lockheed Martin Receives $611 Million Contract for Production of First PAC-3 MSE Missiles”.
1st PAC-3 MSE order
March 27/14: Qatar. At DIMDEX 2014 in Doha, the Emirate announces $23 billion worth of military contracts, including a PATRIOT missile system contract related to its Nov 7/12 DSCA request. Sources: Al Defaiya, “Qatar Announces Big Defense Deals at DIMDEX 2014” | Arabian Aerospace, “Qatar in $23bn arms order including Apache and NH90 helicopters” | Reuters, “Qatar buys helicopters, missiles in $23 billion arms deals”.
March 12/14: Korea. DAPA spokesman Baek Youn-hyeong announces that South Korea has decided to shift its missile defense into higher gear. They’ll push for a full upgrade of their ex-German PATRIOT PAC-2/ Config-2 batteries to Config-3 ground systems, then buy PAC-3 missiles to switch in for existing PAC-2s. An anonymous official said that their goal is to sign a contract by December 2014, and begin to take deliveries in 2016.
Costs haven’t been negotiated yet, and another export request will be necessary, but the ministry reportedly set aside around KRW 1.5 trillion ($1.34 billion) in an earlier arms procurement plan. It isn’t clear whether DAPA would still seek to add another 112 PAC-2 GEM-T missiles (q.v. Dec 23/13), but PAC-3/ Config-3 naturally positions itself as a replacement rather than a supplement.
The ROK will also be pursuing related offensive and defensive systems, in the wake of recent North Korean rocket launches. DAPA intends to develop its MLRS rockets for ranges beyond 70-80km, in order to match the North’s 300mm systems, and one can expect precision guidance for lethal counterfire capabilities. On the defensive front, DAPA intends to spend KRW 200 billion ($186 million) in the next 5 years to field a tracked short-range gun/missile system based on the Bi-Ho, with twin-30mm guns and the SA-18 derived Chiron/ Shin-Gung missile. That won’t kill rockets, but it will add air defense resources. Alongside the ROKAF’s modern qualitative edge in the air, their SAM system seems to be evolving toward Biho Hybrid LLAD, plus short range Chun Ma/ Crotale NG missiles, plus remaining MIM-23 Hawk batteries which will be replaced by the K-SAM/ Cheongung cooperative effort with Russia. That’s an effective layered system, reducing reliance on PATRIOT batteries for conventional air defense. Sources: IMINT & Analysis, “The South Korean SAM Network ” | Arirang, “South Korea seeking Patriot missile upgrade by end of year” | Chosun Ilbo, “S.Korea to Upgrade Patriot Missile Defense” | Korea Herald, “Korea to buy PAC-3 missiles next year” | Reuters, “South Korea says seeks Patriot missiles upgrade deal by December”.
March 4-11/14: Budgets. The US military slowly files its budget documents, detailing planned spending from FY 2014 – 2019. For the PAC-3 MSE missile, there have been several notable changes.
The first is a sharply increased initial FY14 buy of 86 missiles, instead of 56. After that, the amounts are slightly below previously projections. The 2nd change is that the projected cost per missile drops sharply from $8 million in FY15 to around $5.5 million in FY16, and every year thereafter. $5.5M had been the program’s goal, but FY14 documents didn’t expect to get there until after FY18. The 3rd noticeable change may be related, and involves R&D spending dropping off a cliff beginning in FY15.
Feb 28/14: Kuwait. Raytheon in Andover, MA was awarded a $655.4 million firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract from Kuwait for 2 new-build Patriot fire units and associated initial spares. The new systems include recent upgrades to the PATRIOT’s ground systems, including increased computing power and radar processing efficiency, and a better interface for the operators. These new systems are part of Kuwait’s PAC-3 missile orders, and seem especially linked to their July 25/12 DSCA request, but note that the PAC-3 missiles themselves are a separate Lockheed Martin product (q.v. Dec 31/13).
All funds are committed immediately, and the contract runs until April 30/18. Work will be performed in Andover, MA, Chatsworth, CA, and in Greece. One bid was solicited with 1 received by US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, A. They’re acting as Kuwait’s FMS agent (W31P4Q-14-C-0052). Sources: Pentagon DefenseLINK | Raytheon, “Raytheon Awarded $655 Million Contract for Patriot”.
Kuwait: PATRIOT Fire Units
Jan 29/14: R&D. Raytheon in Andover, MA receives a $107.9 million in FY 2014 RDT&E funds for work on the Patriot missile system.
All funds are committed immediately. Work will be performed at Andover, Billerica, Burlington, and Tewksbury, MA; El Segundo CA; El Paso TX; Huntsville AL; Norfolk VA; Pelham NH; and White Sands, NM until July 31/14 (W31P4Q-09-C-0057, PO 0108).
Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E), which features the PAC-3 & MSE. It was a good year for PATRIOT testing, with 5 PAC-3 & MSE tests that killed 4 ballistic missiles and 3 cruise missiles. The Army also addressed 14/21 recommendations from last year’s report, but there are still a few areas of concern.
The latest overall system version is Post Deployment Build-7 (PDB-7), which offered improvements against some threats compared to PDB-6.5 (q.v. Jan 17/12), and a step back against others. Those details are classified, but Army engagement procedures are said to be part of the problem. At the same time, DOT&E publicly spotlights reliability issues with the PATRIOT’s radar, which doesn’t collect key reliability data from the field, and training that isn’t adequate for complex engagements.
On the other hand, PATRIOT testing against radar-killing ARM missiles is only models and simulations. Those are the most common air defense killers, so a real test or 2 seems like a good idea. DOT&E also wants the Army to conduct PATRIOT testing during joint and coalition exercises that include large numbers of different aircraft types, sensors, battle management elements, and weapons systems, while conducting cyber-penetration testing of the system. Having PATRIOT act as a live interceptor backup while testing other systems like THAAD could be helpful, especially in cases like the FTI-01’s SM-3 test failure.
Nov 14/13: R&D. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $16.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for “the design, development, production, and fielding of a mobile capability outside the continental United States for reconstitution of 4-pack PAC-3 launcher assemblies.”
$4.2 million in FY 2014 funds is committed immediately. Estimated completion date is Nov 30/15. Work location is Grand Prairie, TX. One bid was solicited and one received (W31P4Q-14-C-0022).
Dec 31/13: Kuwait. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $263.4 million firm-fixed-price contract from the Emirate of Kuwait for 14 Patriot missile 4-packs and 7 launcher modification kits. Kuwait operates PATRIOT PAC-2 batteries, and is in the process of converting some of them to the PAC-3/Config-3 standard (q.v. July 25/12, July 2/13), while enhancing others with PAC-2 GEM-T missiles.
$23.8 million is committed immediately. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, TX; Lufkin, TX; Camden, AR; Chelmsford, MA; Ocala, FL; El Paso, TX; Huntsville, AL; and Anaheim, CA; and will run until June 30/16. One bid was solicited with one received by US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL, who acts as Kuwait’s agent (W31P4Q-14-C-0034).
Oct 25/13: South Korea. The US DSCA announces South Korea’s official request to buy 112 Patriot Anti-Tactical Missiles (basically PAC-2), which will be upgraded to the GEM-T configuration via a follow-on Direct Commercial Sale. They’ll also buy test equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training, publications and technical data, and other forms of Government and contractor support. The estimated cost is up to $404 million.
Raytheon IDS in Andover, MA will be the prime contractor, and would also be the contractor for any DCS GEM-T upgrade. No additional US Government or contractor representatives will be deployed long-term, though teams will travel to the country on a temporary basis for logistics support. Sources: US DSCA #13-55 | NTI, “S. Korea Seeks More Patriot Missiles as N. Korea Eyes Rocket Launches”.
DSCA: South Korea PAC-2/GEM-Ts
Oct 17/13: Support. Raytheon IDS in Andover, MA receives a $17.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, multi-year foreign military sales contract modification for PATRIOT repair and return services. This FMS contract is in support of Israel, Kuwait, Taiwan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL will act as their FMS agent (W31P4Q-13-C-0111, PO 0004).
FY 2013
Annual order; Kuwait begins PAC-3 orders; Raytheon discusses major upgrades to ground systems; New PAC-3 MSE aces twin-kill; South Korea pushed to PAC-3 by PAC-2’s BMD performance; Deployment to Turkey; Corruption investigation in Greece; Good PAC-3 performance in varied FIT-01 BMD test.
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