Lockheed Martin [LMT] delivered an initial order of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles to Sweden in April, the company said May 10.
The State Department originally
approved a $3.2 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Sweden of four Patriot Configuration 3+ Modernized Fire Units along with 200 PAC-3 MSE missiles in February 2018 (Defense Daily, Feb. 21, 2018).
“By choosing PAC-3 MSE for missile defense, our customers around the world know they have the combat-proven technology needed to stay ahead of rapidly-evolving threats. We’re proud to deliver this advanced capability to Sweden so they can best defend their armed forces, citizens and infrastructure,” Brenda Davidson, vice president of PAC-3 programs at Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control division, said in a statement.
The company underscored Sweden is among 11 countries to choose PAC-3 MSEs for air and missile defense. Beyond the U.S. and now Sweden, other PAC-3 MSE users are Bahrain, Germany, Japan, Poland, Qatar, Romania, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.
The PAC-3 MSE modifies the base and PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative missile models by using a two-pulse solid rocket motor to increase range and an enhanced airframe for additional maneuverability. The model has been in full-rate production since 2018.
This delivery comes after a busy year of PAC-3 MSE sales and testing.
Last October, the Missile Defense Agency and Army conducted a test that had a PAC-3 MSE interceptor successfully destroy a target using data from a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Army-Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance and Control Model 2 (AN/TPY-2) radar (Defense Daily, Oct. 2, 2020).
In September 2020, the State Department approved a $401.3 million FMS to the United Kingdom for 34 PAC-3 MSEs and C-17 aircraft logistics support (Defense Daily, Sept. 24, 2020).
Then in June 2020, a PAC-3 MSE intercepted a tactical ballistic missile target in a test (Defense Daily, June 26, 2020).
Previously, in May 2020, the State Department approved an $800 million FMS to Kuwait for 84 PAC-3 MSEs (Defense Daily, May 28, 2020).
In April 2020, the Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $6 billion contract to produce an undisclosed amount of PAC-3 MSEs and associated equipment with equipment scheduled to be delivered across fiscal years 2021 – 2023 (Defense Daily, May 1, 2020).