Raytheon given $2.4B FMS contract for Patriot fire units

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Qatar is being supplied by Raytheon with new-production Patriot Air and Missile Defense System fire units, the company announced.

The U.S. Foreign Military Sales contract for the equipment is worth $2.4 billion.

"This award is yet another example of the trust countries around the world place in the combat-proven Patriot," said Dan Crowley, president of Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business.

"As our customer base continues to grow, our global partners benefit from the shared costs for system upgrades and enhancements through Raytheon's unique Engineering Services Program. This ensures that Patriot remains at the highest level of readiness to counter current and evolving threats anywhere in the world."

Patriot provides protection against a full range of advanced threats, including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles and is used by 13 countries.

Qatar will use the air defense system as a cornerstone its advanced integrated air and missile defense capability. Raytheon was recently contracted by the U.S. Air Force to build an Air and Missile Defense Operations Center for Qatar that will integrate U.S. defense systems such as the Patriot, and early warning radars with European air defense systems operated by the country.

The new Patriot fire units provide increased computing power and radar processing, improved man-machine interface and reduced life-cycle costs, Raytheon said.