Here’s how Raytheon and Mbda will build Patriots in Germany
Raytheon has announced plans to produce Patriot missiles in Europe for the first time, collaborating with European competitor MBDA. All the details
The American Raytheon intends to produce the Patriot missiles in Germany with the European competitor Mbda.
In late November, the US military signed a new $1.2 billion contract with Raytheon Missiles and Defense to send six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) air defense missile systems to Ukraine.
But Raytheon also makes the Patriot: a US-made surface-to-air system that costs about $1 billion per battery. The Patriots are the most advanced surface-to-air missile defense systems that NATO has in its repertoire. They are capable of tracking and eliminating incoming ballistic and cruise missiles and aircraft.
As reported by the Washington Post , Raytheon has announced plans to produce Patriot missiles in Europe for the first time, collaborating with MBDA to produce the weapons in Germany.
Protecting additional air defense systems is a top priority for Kiev. Since the start of Russia's attack on Ukraine in February, Ukraine has repeatedly called for more Western air defense systems along with other weapons and equipment to counter Kremlin missile and drone strikes.
All the details.
THE DEMANDS OF UKRAINE
Since the Russian invasion last February, Ukrainian President Zelensky has been calling for Patriot systems to be deployed, but recently there has been a resurgence of interest in these systems as the country comes under major missile attacks on its power grid.
Ukraine needs US-made Patriot missile defense systems to protect its civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated this week. "The message is simple: send Patriot as soon as possible because this is the system Ukraine needs to protect its civilian population and its infrastructure," he stressed at the NATO Foreign Ministerial meeting in Bucharest.
WHAT'S GOING ON BETWEEN BERLIN AND WARSAW
Meanwhile, Poland has asked Germany to supply the Patriot system to Ukraine. Following the November 15 Przewodow incident (when a missile hit an agricultural plant killing two people) , Berlin offered Warsaw Patriot systems and Eurofigher multi-role fighters to enhance the security of its airspace. After agreeing, the Polish government requested that the Patriots be deployed in Ukraine as support against the Russian invasion. The German Defense Minister, Christine Lambrecht, replied that these are NATO systems: therefore, their deployment outside the territory of the Atlantic Alliance must be discussed by the States parties.
"Our offer to the Polish government to protect its country is not yet out of the question," Chancellor Scholz reiterated to reporters at a press conference in Berlin.
THE POSITION OF NATO
After a week of back and forth between Poland, Germany and NATO, it is still not clear what to do. ( Here Startmag 's in-depth analysis: Will NATO send the Patriots to Zelensky? ).
For NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg it is too early to reach a verdict on talks between Poland and Germany on sending Patriot air defense systems from Germany to Ukraine. Reuters reports: "We all agree on the urgent need to help Ukraine, including with air defense systems." However, "it's important to understand that it's not just about delivering new systems, it's also about ensuring that the delivered systems can work."
PRODUCTION OF PATRIOT MISSILES BY MBDA AND RAYTHEON HAS STARTED IN GERMANY
Meanwhile, MBDA, represented by its MBDA Deutschland division, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense have agreed to start production of Patriot missiles in Germany. This would be the first time Patriots were manufactured outside the United States.
To this end, the two companies have developed a plan that will make it possible to supply Patriots both to the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and to those of other European states.
Raytheon and MBDA already have a joint venture in Germany called COMLOG. This plays a key role in the maintenance and logistics of Patriot air defense systems deployed in the country.
THE GEM-T VERSION IS PRODUCED IN GERMANY
Therefore, the new roadmap of Raytheon and Mbda foresees that the German army satisfies the demand for GEM-T (Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical) by starting the production of interceptors at the COMLOG facility. The GEM-T is one of the Patriot anti-missile systems available to US and international customers. The interceptor provides enhanced capabilities against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or enemy aircraft.
The plan also opens up the possibility of delivering German-made GEM-Ts to other Patriot partners in Europe.
“Our successful COMLOG joint venture with MBDA plays a key role in missile maintenance and logistics,” said Tom Laliberty, President Land Warfare & Air Defense at Raytheon Missile & Defense. “By enabling COMLOG to produce GEM-T in Germany, we are also expanding the ability to supply this mission-critical intercept system to Patriot partner nations in Europe.”
For MBDA, cooperation with Raytheon would provide ideal conditions for Patriot deployment in Germany by 2048.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/ecco-come-raytheon-e-mbda-costruiranno-i-patriot-in-germania/ on Fri, 02 Dec 2022 06:33:21 +0000.