Delegations from eight countries watched a live fire test of the newest suite of upgrades to Raytheon’s Patriot™ Air and Missile Defense System.

U.S. Army soldiers conducted the test using Post Deployment Build 8, or PDB-8, to fire two Patriot interceptor missiles against two tactical ballistic missile targets.

Raytheon’s Global Patriot™ Solutions is a missile defense system consisting of radars, command-and-control technology and multiple types of interceptors, all working together to detect, identify and defeat tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, advanced aircraft and other threats. Patriot is the foundation of integrated air and missile defense for 14 nations.

“The success of this test is proof that investment by the 14-nation Global Patriot partnership are paying off,” said Tom Laliberty, Vice President of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business.

“Through sustained investment we will continually modernize and enhance Global Patriot to keep it ahead of the constantly evolving threat,” he added.

PDB-8 is slated for fielding with the U.S. Army and other Patriot partners later this year. It offers:

• Enhanced capability against a variety of threats.
• An improved Identification Friend or Foe capability.
• Improved radar search capability.
• Improved target detection and identification.
• A redesigned Fire Solution Computer, which enables Patriot to take advantage of the PAC-3 MSE missile capabilities.
• An Enhanced Weapons Control Computer which provides up to 50 percent additional processing power for software enhancements to address evolving threats.

Raytheon’s Global Patriot Solutions is the most advanced, tactical air and missile defense system in the world, providing protection against a full range of advanced threats, including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The 14 Patriot Nations are:United States of America;The Netherlands; Germany; Japan;Israel;Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Taiwan; Greece; Spain; Republic of Korea; United Arab Emirates (UAE);Qatar; Romania.

Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions.

With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. 

Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.