Germany To Procure Additional Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems Worth $1.2 Billion
On March 21, the German Ministry of Defense signed a $1.2 billion contract with RTX, a subsidiary of Raytheon, for the purchase additional Patriot air and missile defense systems. According to a statement issued by Raytheon and the German Bundestag’s Budget Committee, the contract includes four MIM-104 Patriot batteries in the PAC-3MSE configuration, as well as relevant spare parts and support. The statement added that the first system would be delivered to the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) in 2027, with the final system being delivered in 2029.
Raytheon Land and Air Defense Systems President Tom Laliberty said of the additional Patriot purchase, which will strengthen Germany’s existing air defense infrastructure: “This contract reflects the global emphasis on advanced air and missile defense capabilities and the steadfast confidence in Patriot. With this expansion, Germany will not only modernize its own significant air defense but enhance its interoperability with allies and further strengthen a core NATO mission.”
The new contract, which will improve Germany’s air defense and interoperability with its allies, aims to ensure that the Berlin government meets its NATO obligations while also filling the gap left by Patriot systems donated to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend against Russian air attacks. In 2022, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) had 12 MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 batteries. In response to Russia’s increasing aggression against Ukraine, the German Federal Government donated two Patriot air defense system batteries (with spare parts) to Kiev in 2023. Simultaneously, Berlin stationed a Patriot battery in Slovakia and Poland to support deterrence and defense efforts on NATO’s eastern flank.
In addition to the new Patriot purchase, Germany placed an order for 1,000 PAC-2 GEM-T interceptor missiles through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency earlier this year as part of a coalition that included the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain. The $5.5 billion contract was awarded to COMLOG, a joint venture between US company Raytheon and German company MBDA based in Schrobenhausen, Germany. The large volume of the order will support the set-up of a production facility for Patriot missiles in Germany.
Aside from the Patriot air and missile defense systems, the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) have four other air defense systems in their arsenal that are effective at various altitudes. These are: the IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defense system, the GEPARD self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, the Ocelot light anti-aircraft system, and the MANTIS very short-range air defense system. Last year, Germany’s defense ministry also signed an estimated $3.6 billion deal with Israel’s Ministry of Defense to purchase the Arrow 3 hypersonic missile system. Germany expects to receive these systems, which have a range of 2,400 kilometers and can neutralize conventional and unconventional ballistic missiles both in the atmosphere (endoatmospheric) and outside the atmosphere (exoatmospheric) at altitudes of up to 100 kilometers, in the fourth quarter of 2025.