US firm Lockheed Martin is to develop cheaper missiles for the Patriot system: what we know
Reuters reports this.
The new missile has been named the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE). It will cost half as much as the current PAC-3 MSE missile, which costs around $4 million per unit. The company added that initial production will begin within 36 months. The weapon will be developed and manufactured in collaboration with American and European industrial partners.
Reuters believes that the US company’s production of a cheaper interceptor highlights how the largest defence companies are responding to growing competition.
Patriot is a US long-range anti-aircraft missile system that forms the backbone of the US Armed Forces’ air defence. The system is capable of destroying aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at ranges of up to 160 km. The weapon successfully intercepts Russian ballistic missiles, even though they may deviate from their trajectory, as the Patriot automatically calculates the missile’s flight path and the point of impact between its own missile and the ballistic missile.
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