Lockheed Martin receives $2.45bn to produce PAC-3 missiles for MIM-104 PATRIOT air defence systems

While the first MIM-104 PATRIOT surface-to-air missile systems started arriving in Ukraine, the US Department of Defence has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to produce PAC-3 missiles. The amount of the agreement exceeded $2.45bn.

Here's What We Know

The Pentagon announced the contract on its official website. Lockheed Martin has been awarded $2,451,432,304 to produce the PAC-3 missile interceptors. Work will take place at the plant in Texas for the next (almost) seven years, until 31 December 2029. The number of missile interceptors is not specified.

The US exports the MIM-104 PATRIOT to about two dozen countries. In addition to Ukraine, the air defence forces of Germany, Greece, Spain, Japan, Israel, Poland, Jordan, the Netherlands, Qatar, Romania, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Taiwan, the UAE and Kuwait use the systems.

The PAC-3 missile interceptor can destroy air threats at a maximum altitude of 40km (130,000ft). Compared to the PAC-2, this figure has doubled.

Source: Pentagon