MBDA and Raytheon Missiles & Defense present Patriot 2048 – Roadmap to production of Patriot Interceptor Missiles in Germany

Patriot™ is becoming increasingly important as the backbone of NATO and German air defense. Raytheon Missiles & Defense and MBDA are now expanding their partnership and have developed a strategic roadmap for the production of Patriot interceptor missiles in Germany. This will enable Germany to counter the current threat situation and to use Patriot in the Bundeswehr until at least 2048.

In the COMLOG joint venture, both companies have been working together for over thirty years to make Patriot available to the Bundeswehr, to ensure Patriot’s operational capability and to modernize the systems. In order for Patriot to remain a credible deterrent in the current threat environment, it is necessary to maintain, expand and further develop the system’s capability and combat effectiveness. With COMLOG as a service provider for the armed forces, RMD and MBDA are deepening their partnership for the tasks ahead.

Germany is striving for a leading role in ground-based air defense within NATO. COMLOG already plays a key role in maintenance and logistics for the Patriot air and missile defense system. The partners have now developed a roadmap that will make it possible to cover German demand for Patriot GEM-T interceptor missiles by producing the missiles in Germany. The timetable also opens up the possibility of delivering German-made GEM-Ts to other Patriot partners in Europe.

Thomas Gottschild, Managing Director of MBDA Germany: “Patriot plays a central and forward-looking role in the defense of Germany and Europe. With our partner RMD, COMLOG as an existing joint venture of our companies, the test and reference facility in Freinhausen and the possibilities at our company locations, we have ideal conditions to provide Patriot together until the year 2048.”

The Guidance Enhanced Missile, GEM-T for short, is one of the Patriot™ variants available to both US armed forces and international customers. The GEM-T missile provides an enhanced capability to engage tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or enemy aircraft in complement to the PAC-3 missile.

“Our successful COMLOG joint venture with MBDA plays a key role in missile maintenance and logistics,” said Tom Laliberty, President Land Warfare & Air Defense at Raytheon Missile & Defense. “By enabling COMLOG to produce GEM-T in Germany, we are also expanding the capacity to deliver this mission-critical intercept system to Patriot partner nations in Europe.”