Raytheon [RTN] was awarded a $128.5 million contract to provide engineering services for the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, and awarded a $58.3 million contract to upgrade Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC) 2 missiles to the Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) missiles.

Issued by the Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM), the engineering services contract calls for Raytheon to continue to provide the latest upgrades and system capabilities through systems analysis, software and hardware engineering, and testing and logistics support to both U.S. and international Patriot customers.

“Patriot engineering services provide the U.S. Army and our 11 international partners with continued improvements to the Patriot system,” said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). “This contract signifies the commitment by the U.S. government to ensure that Patriot systems are at the highest level of readiness.”

The work on this contract will be done by Raytheon IDS at the Integrated Air Defense Center, Andover, Mass.; at IDS Headquarters, Tewksbury, Mass.; at the Warfighter Protection Center, Huntsville, Ala.; and at the Mission Capability Verification Center, White Sands, N.M.

AMCOM this week also issued the missile upgrade contract, which will see 131 PAC-2 missiles advance to the GEM-T configuration.

This is a follow-on contract as part of AMCOM’s Patriot missile continuous technology refreshment program initiated in 2000.

“These continuing upgrades speak to the critical role Patriot plays in our 12 partner nations’ air and missile defense capabilities,” Kapoor said. “This cost-effective alternative makes it possible for them to increase their air and missile defense capabilities, using existing Patriot systems.”

The GEM-T missile upgrades include the replacement of select components that increase reliability and extend the service life of the missile. GEM-T upgrades are ongoing under existing contracts with the U.S. and other Patriot partner nations and are performed at Raytheon’s Integrated Air Defense Center in Andover.