DALLAS, May 4 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin received a $379 million contract Thursday for production of more than 100 PAC-3 Patriot missiles for the U.S. Army.
The hefty deal includes not only orders for 112 PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability-3) missiles but manpower support and modification kits for the launchers used in the field to fire the Patriot against incoming missiles.
The production will take place at Lockheed's plants in Dallas and Lufkin, Texas and in Camden. Ark.
The PAC-3 is the Army's primary defense against not only theatre missiles such as the Gulf War-era Scud, but more-modern cruise missiles and manned helicopters and planes.
"The PAC-3 Missile has proven hit-to-kill lethality and is the world's most advanced, capable air defense missile, so we're pleased to provide this powerful system to the U.S. Army," boasted Lockheed's PAC-3 program director, Richard McDaniel.
The PAC-3 upgrade consists of a fire-solution computer, improved electronics in the launching mechanism, a canister that holds four missiles and the missile itself, which primarily uses a kinetic energy interception to knock out the target. The interceptor also is equipped with small attitude-adjustment motors that Lockheed says makes the 21st Century PAC-3 a more agile weapon than its predecessors.
The PAC-3 configuration also increase the overall firepower of a Patriot battery in the field since 16 individual rockets can be packed into a launcher as opposed to only four in the older PAC-2 system.
