Qataris and Saudis gain PAC-3 flight test support
Saudi and allied officers pose in front of a Patriot missile battery at Prince Sultan Air Base in September 2020. (photo: USAF/Staff Sgt Cary Smith)
US Army Contracting Command has awarded sole bidder Lockheed Martin a $16.1 million FMS deal for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor flight test support in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Work should be completed by 13 February 2025, the DoD announced on 14 February.
The Financial Times newspaper in the UK reported last month that Saudi Arabia was in danger of running out of Patriot interceptors amid continuing missile and UAV attacks from rebel Houthi forces in Yemen.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia were among 14 FMS customers covered by a PAC-3 technical engineering services modification issued in February 2021 by the Lower Tier Project Office in the US Army Program Executive Office Missiles and Space.
PAC-3 is a long-range, medium- to high-altitude, all-weather air defence missile designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Defence Notes
-
UK Chancellor commits £2 billion to make the country a “defence industrial superpower”
Rachel Reeves announced port upgrades, protected budgets for innovation and investment in novel technologies.
-
Avalon 2025: Australian defence budget meets the low expectations of show attendees
The Australian Budget was marked by tax cuts and a looming general election which led to little hope that there would be a substantial defence boost even with a big bill for nuclear submarines due.
-
Launch of Gilat Defense targets DoD market
The communications company Gilat launched its new Gilat Defense division at the Satellite 2025 expo, with future solutions aimed at US military customers.
-
Collins MAPS Gen II to equip US DoD watercraft
US services have already conducted multiple tests with military maritime systems fitted with the system.
-
OCCAR expects substantial boost in programme numbers “in the coming months”
Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) “has to establish itself…as a centre of excellence for cooperative Defence Equipment Programmes” in the face of growing threats and the need for rearmament, according to the organisation’s chairman.