New US foreign military sale to provide Patriot missile support to Saudi Arabia.

According a statement releases on March 30, 2018 to the official web site of the U.S. Department of Defense, the American Company Lockheed Martin was awarded a $278,839,837 modification (P000015) to Foreign Military Sales contract for Saudi Arabia to increase fiscal 2018 PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 production contract to include Cost-Reduction Initiative missiles and associated ground support equipment.

A US Army Patriot missile launcher, similar to those Saudi Arabia already has in its arsenal.  (Picture source US Army)

According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) Arms Trade Database, Saudi Arabia has purchased 21 PAC-3 Patriot air defense missile systems from United States, including a $1.7 billion to upgrade the SAM systems to Patriot-3 version.

On July 2015, the U.S. State Department had announced a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missiles and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $5.4 billion.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had requested a possible sale of six hundred (600) Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI) Missiles with containers, eight (8) PAC-3 CRI Test Missiles for fly-to-buy. Also included are PAC-3 Telemetry Kits, PAC-3 Guidance Enhanced Missile (GEM) Flight Test Target/Patriot as a Target (PAAT) missiles, Fire Solution Computers, Launcher Modification Kits, PAC-3 Missile Round Trainers, PAC-3 Slings, Patriot Automated Logistics System (PALS) Kits, Shorting Plugs, spare and repair parts, lot validation and range support, support equipment, repair and return, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, Quality Assurance Team, U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $5.4 billion.

The PAC-3 is the latest generation of missile in the Patriot family able to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. PAC-3 currently provides missile defense capabilities for six nations – the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. Kuwait also is under contract to procure PAC-3 missiles.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Dallas, Texas, is the prime contractor on the PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade to the Patriot air defense system. The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 Missile, a highly agile hit-to-kill interceptor, the PAC-3 Missile canisters (in four packs), a fire solution computer and an Enhanced Launcher Electronics System (ELES). These elements are integrated into the Patriot system, a high to medium altitude, long-range air defense missile system providing air defense of ground combat forces and high-value assets

Previous version of Patriot missile has a maximum firing range of 160 km against aerial threats while the PAC-3 is able to intercept ballistic missile has a maximum range of 20 km. The PAC-3 MSE can destroy ballistic missile had a maximum firing range of 35 km.