On Thursday, August 15, 2024, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the U.S. Department of State had approved the potential sale of a batch of 600 PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles to the Federal Republic of Germany for a maximum value of 5 billion USD.
Photo: Lockheed Martin
According to the published information, the German government requested the possibility of acquiring up to 600 PAC-3 MSE (Patriot Advanced Capability 3 Missile Segment Enhanced) missiles for its medium-range MIM-104 Patriot air and missile defense systems, including 10 missiles designated for flight testing.
The package also includes the following non-MDE (Major Defense Equipment) items: tools and test equipment, firing and testing programs, auxiliary equipment, related publications and technical documentation, training equipment, spare and repair parts, training for the new equipment, transportation, quality assurance team support, technical assistance from the U.S. government and the contractor (Lockheed Martin), engineering and logistics support services, system integration and control, field office support, participation in the International Engineering Services Program (IESP) and Field Surveillance Programs (FSP), launcher modification kits, MSE standard conversion kits, and other related logistical and programmatic support elements.
The purchase is related, among other things, to replenishing the ammunition stockpiles for Germany’s Patriot systems, due to the transfer of both battery systems (a declared total of three out of the originally owned twelve) and missiles to war-torn Ukraine.
On August 6 of this year, the American corporation RTX announced the signing of a contract worth 478 million USD with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for the delivery of a batch of PAC-2 GEM-T interceptor missiles for Germany’s Patriot systems.
On March 21 of this year, it was announced that a contract worth 1.2 billion USD had been signed for the delivery of new Patriot systems to Germany, including M903 launchers, AN/MPQ-65 fire control radars, AN/MSQ-132 ECS control stations, related spare parts, and a technical support package.
On the other hand, Germany has been modernizing its Patriot systems for several years due to the postponement of deploying their successors under the TLVS (Taktisches Luftverteidigungssystem) program.
On March 20 of this year, as reported by the German industry portal Defense Archives, a Luftwaffe spokesperson stated that the military plans to purchase a mid-range three-digit quantity of PAC-3 MSE missiles next year, thereby fulfilling its NATO obligations in this area as well. Long-term plans for the period after 2030 (referred to as KWS 3) include the integration of German Patriot systems with a radar capable of 360° threat detection and a new battle management system (BMS).
In 2019, Germany ordered the first batch of 50 PAC-3 MSE missiles as part of the modernization of their systems. On May 11, 2023, the American company Lockheed Martin announced that, together with the Luftwaffe, they conducted the first test launch of a PAC-3 MSE from a modernized German M903 Patriot launcher at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, as part of the Germany Tactical Test / Operational Test 3.
The PAC-3 MSE is an advancement of the PAC-3 CRI and was developed to enhance the MIM-104 Patriot system’s capabilities in intercepting ballistic missile threats. As part of the project, they were equipped with more powerful rocket engines, and their performance, such as range and interception altitude, was improved. The PAC-3 MSE missiles can be used to destroy maneuvering targets, such as cruise missiles and manned or unmanned aerial vehicles. They lack a traditional warhead with an explosive charge; instead, they destroy targets using kinetic energy (hit-to-kill). It is also worth noting that the Military Aviation Works No. 1 (WZL-1) recently launched a production line for the launch containers of these missiles.
In recent months, Spain and Switzerland have joined the list of new users of PAC-3 MSE missiles.