First delivery of the new Patriot components

On November 19, the German Armed Forces Procurement Agency took delivery of the first components of the newly ordered Patriot air defense missile systems from Raytheon in Andover, USA. In a first step, the company delivered two command posts for integrating the new systems into the existing PATRIOT fleet.

The remaining weapon systems will be delivered at a later date, providing the Air Force with additional firepower in the coming years.
The Patriot systems are being financed proportionally from the Bundeswehr's special fund, the regular defense budget, and Section 60. This section is used to finance replacements for deliveries to Ukraine.

The Bundeswehr has already delivered several Patriot systems from its inventory to Ukraine so that the country can defend itself against Russian aggression, in particular to protect the Ukrainian population and critical infrastructure from Russian air strikes. The Patriot systems ordered will replace the transfers and supplement the existing German air defense systems. They make an important contribution to national and alliance defense in the area of ground-based air defense.

The Patriot air defense missile system (“Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target”) is used to combat drones and aircraft, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. A complete system, also known as a fire unit, consists of several mobile individual components: a command post, a multifunction radar device, launchers with guided missiles, an antenna mast system, and power supply units.

The fire control station monitors and controls the radar and launchers. Targets are transmitted by the radar, analyzed by the computer, and displayed to the soldiers. They receive a threat analysis, verify the computer's suggestion, and initiate combat. The antenna is a phase-controlled antenna that operates with beam steering. This electronic steering of the antenna is more flexible than mechanical steering. This allows the airspace covered by the radar to be scanned for flying objects and prioritized as desired. The defensive missiles are launched from the mobile launch station, known as the launcher.