RTX’s Raytheon has received a $478 million contract from NATO to replenish the Patriot GEM-T missiles Germany has sent to war-torn Ukraine, the company announced Tuesday.
Awarding the contract was the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, which supports a partnership between Ukraine, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany — countries who have agreed to finance the procurement of GEM-T missiles to replenish those sent to Ukraine in support of its defense against Russia.
“Our customers are already realizing the benefits of bundled, multinational procurement of Patriot missiles through NSPA, including the economies that offer greater affordability and the pre-negotiated contracting framework that shortens the acquisition timeline,” Tom Laliberty, Raytheon’s president of land and air defense systems, said in an August 6 statement.
“As a result, not only can we better support the missile inventories for these European partners, but also strengthen our cooperation, their interoperability, and their contribution to an essential NATO mission,” he added.
In January, the multinational coalition jointly ordered up to 1,000 Patriot GEM-T missiles as part of a $5.5 billion production and delivery contract of the weapons to COMLOG, a joint venture between MBDA Germany and Raytheon.
There are currently eight European countries that purchase the Patriot air and missile defense systems. That customer list grows to 19 countries worldwide.
Earlier this month, Raytheon won the company’s second contract this year, worth $1.2 billion, to provide major Patriot air and missile defense components to Germany as the country sends additional Patriot systems to Ukraine.
Raytheon previously inked a Patriot systems contract with Germany in March for the same amount. The company is expected to deliver four complete Patriot fire units under the previous contract and four fire units under the new deal.
How companies plan to ramp up production of Patriot missiles
While some components for GEM-T missiles will still be made stateside, Raytheon is expanding its supplier base in Europe to build critical GEM-T components. This effort includes the standing up of an all-up round integration and test facility with Germany’s MBDA, Laliberty told Defense News in an interview earlier this year.
MBDA subsidiary Bayern-Chemie will become a new rocket motor manufacturer for the missile, while another company in Spain will build a new control actuation system.
Overall, Raytheon’s production of GEM-T missiles remains ongoing, with a contracted backlog of approximately 1,500 missiles, including the NATO order, and an estimated near-term demand of an additional 1,000 missiles.
The company is producing roughly 20 missiles each month and, with the added capacity through international initiatives, is on a path to reach 35 missiles per month by the end of 2027, according to Laliberty.
