US State Department Approves Sale Of MIM-104E Patriot Missiles To Netherlands

The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Netherlands of PATRIOT MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) Ballistic Missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.219 billion. The Government of the Netherlands has requested to buy ninety-six (96) PATRIOT MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) ballistic missiles. The proposed sale will increase the defensive capabilities of the Netherlands’ military and supports its goal of improving national and territorial defense as well as interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces. The prime contractor will be Raytheon Corporation, Tewksbury, MA.

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. It is manufactured by the U.S. defence contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar component of the weapon system. The AN/MPQ-53 at the heart of the system is known as the “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target” which is a backronym for PATRIOT. The Patriot system replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army’s primary High to Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) system and replaced the MIM-23 Hawk system as the U.S. Army’s medium tactical air defence system. Patriot has been given the function of the U.S. Army’s anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system, which is now Patriot’s primary mission.

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Guidance Enhanced Missile TBM (GEM-T) is the latestin-production series of thehighly successful Raytheon Patriot missile variants availableto both U.S. forces and interna-tional customers. GEM-T deliveries to the U.S. Army began in 2006. This capability adds a low-noise oscillator for improved acquisition and tracking performance in clutter. The GEM-T missile provides an upgraded capability to defeat tactical ballistic missile (TBM), aircraft and cruise missilethreats in complement to the PAC-3 missile. A modernized digital fuze design eliminates obsolescence and introduces significant performance improvementsagainst TBM targets. This design also increases sensitivity for improved performance against high-speed TBM targets.

The low noise front end (LNFE) of the GEM-T has increased seeker sensitivity, improving acquisition/track performance. The new low noise oscillator design has amodified down-link, which provides an increased signal to interference ratio, improving acquisition/track performance against small ABT and cruise missile targets in clutter. The GEM variants were combat proven in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The improvements developed and fielded since 1991 reflect the enhanced capabilities of Patriot. In 2003, the U.S. and coalition Patriot units were deployed throughout the CENTCOM region to protect forces and populations from the threat of ballistic missiles. The Configuration-3 ground equipment, PAC-3 and GEM-T series of missiles a reall combat proven.