Sweden has taken the decision to purchase US Patriot missile system.

Sweden has announced final decision to purchase American-made Patriot air defense missile system said the Swedish government on Thursday, August 2, 2018. According to a Swedish radio, the contract could reach an amount of $1.14 billion.

Japan Air Self-Defense Force 1st Lt. Yamamoto, left, and Leading Airman Ikumi Aomatsu, right, both Shariki Sub Base Patriot missile operators, standby during a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 deployment training at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Sept. 7, 2017. (Picture source U.S. MoD)

In May 2018, it was announced that Sweden will sign a contract to purchase American-made Patriot air defense missile system from the U.S. Company Raytheon.

Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said that the acquisition of the Patriot air defense missile system is in full compliance with the defense decisions taken by Swedish authorities in recent years. The delivery of the new air defense missile system adding is expected to start in 2021 and to finish in 2025.

The U.S. Company Raytheon has built more than 220 Patriot fire units and delivered them to customers in 15 nations including Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Taiwan, Greece, Spain, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and United States. Many of those countries have chosen to take advantage of Patriot’s flexible architecture and upgrade their systems.

The government of Romania signed on November 29, 2017, an agreement to purchase seven Patriot Configuration 3+ units, complete with radars, a control station, antennas, launching stations and power plants. In November 2017, the U.S. State Department approved a $10.5 billion sale of four Patriot missile defense systems to Poland.

The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. Patriot uses an advanced aerial interceptor missile and high performance radar systems. The latest generation of Patriot launcher uses the PAC-3 missile produced by the Company Lockheed Martin.

The PAC-3 is the latest generation of Patriot missile which has a new missile design, nominally known as MIM-104F and called PAC-3 by the Army. The PAC-3 missile evolved from the Strategic Defense Initiative's ERINT missile, and so it is dedicated almost entirely to the anti-ballistic missile mission. The MIM-104F missile has a range of about 40 km and can reach targets at an altitude of up to 20 km.

The PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) is an evolution of the battle-proven PAC-3 Missile. The hit-to-kill PAC-3 MSE provides performance enhancements that counter evolving threat advancements. The enhancements ensure the PAC-3 Missile Segment of the PATRIOT Air Defense System is capable of engaging new and evolving threats. The hit-to-kill PAC-3 Missile is the world’s most advanced, and capable theater air defense missile and defender against the entire threat to the PATRIOT Air Defense System: Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBMs) carrying weapons of mass destruction, evolving cruise missiles and aircraft.