On August 8 2020, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) signed an agreement with the United States to purchase four Patriot Configuration 3+ Modernized Fire Units equipped with AN/MPQ-65 radars and armed with 100 MIM-104E Guided Enhancement Missile-TMB (GEM-T) missiles and 200 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles. The estimated $1.13 billion in armaments is scheduled to be operational by 2025.
The acquisition is intended to reinvigorate Sweden’s air defenses following several decades of stagnation in accordance with a U.S.-Swedish defense cooperation agreement signed in June 2016. The FMV selected the Lockheed Martin and Raytheon co-produced system over the Eurosam SAMP/T after both systems’ participation in the Aurora 17 international military exercise in Sweden in September 2017. The choice to acquire Patriot was reportedly guided by Swedish commitment to deepening military-technical cooperation with the United States.
Patriot is a multi-functional system for defense against tactical ballistic missiles as well as aircraft and cruise missiles. Configuration 3+ refers to a suite of upgrades to the entire Patriot system, including but not limited to compatibility with PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles.
Raytheon has won a $692.9 million U.S. Army contract to produce Sweden’s Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System including spare parts, support and training.
“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.”
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