Raytheon awarded USD 1.2 Bn contract to supply Patriot air defense missiles to Switzerland


The U.S. Department of Defense on March 28 announced that Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $1,225,368,567 firm-fixed-price contract for Patriot Missile System fire units. Fiscal 2023 Foreign Military Sales (Switzerland) funds in the amount of $1,225,368,567 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
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Patriot PAC3 air defense system displayed at Abu Dhabi during IDEX/NAVDEX 2023 (Picture source: Army Recognition)


Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Andover and Tewksbury, Massachusetts; West Plains, Missouri; Manchester, New Hampshire; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; Altenstadt, Germany; and Switzerland, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2032.

Raytheon’s Patriot missile is a surface-to-air missile system designed to detect, track, and intercept incoming enemy missiles or aircraft. The system is made up of several components that work together to provide comprehensive defense against airborne threats.

The Patriot missile system's primary component is the radar system, which is capable of detecting and tracking incoming missiles or aircraft at long ranges. The radar system consists of three different radar sets: the AN/MPQ-53 phased array radar, the AN/MPQ-65 radar, and the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar. These radar sets work together to provide 360-degree coverage, allowing the system to detect and track targets from any direction.

Once a target has been detected and tracked, the system's command and control center determines the best course of action for intercepting the incoming threat. The command and control center sends this information to the launchers, which then fire the Patriot missiles.

The Patriot missile itself is a solid-fueled rocket that uses a guidance system to steer itself toward the target. The missile's guidance system is designed to be highly accurate, allowing it to hit targets at great distances. The missile is equipped with a high-explosive warhead, which is designed to destroy incoming threats upon impact.

In a flight test on March 23, 2023, Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) successfully engaged and intercepted an advanced medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) target. The test is the first in a series of flight tests to validate software updates that will be deployed across fielded batteries as part of the next Patriot software release. “Software updates like this improve performance against evolving threats and are critical to ensuring PAC-3 MSE keeps our customers ahead of our adversaries,” said Brenda Davidson, vice president of PAC-3 Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “We continue to invest in PAC-3 enhancements to enable a robust defensive capability for our customers around the world.”

An evolution of the battle-proven PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI), the PAC-3 MSE boasts a dual-pulse solid rocket motor, providing increased performance in altitude and range to defend against incoming threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. PAC-3 MSE continues to prove its effectiveness against a variety of advanced targets.


Defense News March 2023