Raytheon to continue Patriot fleet modernisation

The US Army has contracted Raytheon to upgrade the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System with the modernised Radar Digital Processor (RDP) and Modern Man Station (MMS). The contracts, worth $71.7 million, were announced on 21 October.

The RDP brings increased processing power to improve the radar's reliability by 40 percent; while the MMS brings greater situational awareness to the soldier in the field to enable better defence against evolving threats.

Both RDP and MMS are supported by the new Patriot PDB-7 software release that Raytheon announced in June, and were developed under the Patriot International Engineering Services Program (IESP).

Ralph Acaba, vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense, Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) business, said: ‘These major enhancements to the RDP pave the way for improved target detection and identification, multifunction surveillance and the full support of advanced PAC-3 missile enhancements through software upgrades. The new MMS with colour LCD displays, touch screens and soft keys will give soldiers the ability to more quickly identify threats, assess the situation and make decisions.’

All 12 Patriot partners are members of the IESP and actively participate in prioritising the enhancements needed to keep the Patriot system ahead of evolving threats. The funding from Patriot partners provides for a significant portion of the shared or common elements of the programme as well as the activities associated with country-specific issues or requirements.