US-based engineering firm KBR has won a $207 million contract to upgrade the Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (Patriot) missile system.
Awarded under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center, the task order will require the company to conduct multi-disciplined analyses and provide recommendations necessary for missile upgrade.
KBR will also support modeling and simulation for surveillance, guidance, engagement decision logic, fire control, and warhead performance.
Under the contract, the firm will conduct extensive studies, performance runs, flight test missions, and hardware-in-the-loop testing to verify missile system performance.
“KBR has provided uninterrupted systems engineering support to the Patriot missile system for decades,” KBR Government Solutions president Byron Bright said in a press release. “We’re proud to continue that support and to further our shared goal of protecting US forces and allies through enhancing the capabilities of the Patriot missile system.”
‘A Critical Component’
Manufactured by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, the Patriot missile is a long-range, all-altitude air defense system that counters tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced aircraft.
The missile can hit targets at a range of up to 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) and a maximum altitude of 24 kilometers (14.9 miles). It has a maximum flight time of three and a half minutes.
The Patriot advanced capability (PAC-3) variant features increased effectiveness against aerial threats through the latest “hit-to-kill” technology.
Its guidance system destroys targets using kinetic energy, hitting them head-on.
KBR describes the missile system as a “critical component” of US air and missile defense, protecting ground forces and high-value assets by countering a variety of enemy threats.