The United States has given defense contractor Raytheon a $154 million contract to make improvements to Taiwan's Patriot air and missile defenses, the company said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 15, 2008).
Under the contract issued by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Raytheon would refurbish Taiwan's missile radar system, provide equipment to upgrade missile defense radar and command and control elements and carry out other technical work.
"Upgrading Patriot fire units from Configuration-2 to Configuration-3 will provide Taiwan with enhanced system capabilities to meet current and emerging threats," Sanjay Kapoor, vice president for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, said in a statement. "These awards are additional indications of the viability of Patriot as a reliable air and missile defense system."
In 2008, Raytheon received two contracts for technical services and upgrades to Taiwan's Patriot missile defense system (Raytheon release, Jan. 26).