Bahrain Purchases Patriot Air Defense System
Bahrain has joined the ever growing list of Patriot customers, becoming the seventeenth country to purchase the system for air and missile defense. With tensions in the Persian Gulf region remaining high, and a proven missile threat from both Iran and Yemen, the island kingdom seemed bound to purchase such a capability eventually.
The sale has cleared the State Department, and was signed by representatives from the US and Bahrain on the twelfth of this month. The signed deal will allow the US government to begin contract negotiations with Raytheon. The value and size of the deal are both currently unknown. However, according to an earlier Defense Security Cooperation notification, the deal may consist of 60 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, 36 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles with canisters, nine M903 launchers, two AN/MPQ-65 radar sets, control stations and association equipment.
In a statement on Raytheon’s website, Ralph Acaba, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems said, “Raytheon’s Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System will ensure the Kingdom of Bahrain is well equipped to defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and manned and unmanned aircraft. Patriot is continually modernized, enhanced and upgraded, through this 17-nation community, to ensure it outpaces the evolving threats for years to come.”
Patriot has been sold to almost all of the other states on the Arab peninsula. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates all operate varying numbers of Patriot systems. If one includes Israel, Patriot batteries cover airspace from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Strait of Hormuz.
Patriot has been one of Raytheon’s most successful products in recent years. The increasing ballistic and cruise missile threats from hostile states, such as Russia, North Korea, and Iran, as well as well-armed non-state actors, such as Yemen’s Houthi rebels, has driven demand for the system. Sales of missiles and supporting equipment is likely to continue at a steady pace in the coming years, providing a steady revenue source for Raytheon.