US Army to Upgrade 166 Patriot PAC-2 to GEM-T Configuration

Released on Thursday, December 04, 2008

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Dec. 4, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company has been awarded a contract to continue upgrading Patriot missiles by adding the capability to engage and destroy cruise and ballistic missiles.

The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., issued the $77.4 million contract to upgrade 166 Patriot Advanced Configuration-2 missiles to Guidance Enhanced Missiles-Tactical (GEM-T).

"Upgrading Patriot PAC-2 missiles to GEM-Ts ensures that the Army and our other Patriot partners have the capability to defend against advanced air-breathing and tactical ballistic missiles," said Skip Garrett, vice president and deputy for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). "Raytheon remains dedicated to continuously improving Patriot hardware and software to ensure that Patriots can defeat all known and potential threats."

Work for this contract will be performed by Raytheon IDS at the Integrated Air Defense Center, Andover, Mass., through August 2011.

Raytheon is the prime contractor for the Patriot system and integration of all variants.