Army awards follow-on for Patriot support

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has awarded a contract modification to Raytheon to continue support for the Patriot Air and Missile Defense system.

U.S. company Raytheon was awarded the contract from the Alabama-based Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. As part of the $5.8 million contract modification, Raytheon says its Integrated Defense Systems unit will continue to provide services for the missile defense technology.

The contract modification, which follows an $8.1 million awarded in August, includes analysis, engineering and testing support among other requirements to ensure the missile system is capable of immediate deployment.

"This contract modification signifies the continued commitment by the U.S. government to ensure that Patriot systems are at the highest level of readiness," Sanjay Kapoor, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Patriot Programs vice president, said in a statement.

"Raytheon is continually improving Patriot to deliver the most advanced capabilities to the U.S. Army and our 11 international partners."