The US Army has awarded Raytheon a $551 million contract to start production of the Patriot air and missile defense system for the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The contract, which was awarded on January 31, 2020, comes after Bahrain signed a letter of offer and acceptance for the acquisition of the Patriot in August 2019.
With this acquisition, Bahrain became one of seventeen countries worldwide to buy the system that provides protection against aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The system consists of radars, command-and-control technology and multiple types of interceptors. The radar at the heart of the system is known as the “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target,” which is an acronym for PATRIOT. This system replaced the Nike Hercules system which was the US Army’s previous primary high to medium air defense system (HIMAD).
“Raytheon’s Patriot provides the Kingdom of Bahrain and 16 other countries around the globe with a combat-proven system that protects citizens, infrastructure and armed forces from a broad spectrum of threats,” said Tom Laliberty, vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “Patriot works, has saved countless lives, and will continue to do so for many years because the system is constantly tested, modernized, upgraded and improved to stay ahead of the advancing threat.”
