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The U.S. defense contractor Raytheon was granted a $478-million contract by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to supply GEM-T missile interceptors to Germany, the company said on Aug. 6.
The contract is meant to help replace the Patriot missiles Germany provided to Ukraine.
Berlin is Kyiv's key supplier for the highly advanced Patriot air defense system, providing three full batteries in addition to ammunition supplies.
Ukraine has been calling on its allies to provide additional air defenses as Russia continues to pound Ukrainian cities and infrastructure with drones and missiles.
"Our customers are already realizing the benefits of bundled, multi-national procurement of Patriot missiles through NSPA, including the economies that offer greater affordability and the pre-negotiated contracting framework that shortens the acquisition timeline," said Tom Laliberty, the president of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon.
"As a result, not only can we better support the missile inventories for these European partners, but also strengthen our cooperation, their interoperability, and their contribution to an essential NATO mission."
Stacy A. Cummings, the NSPA General Manager, said: "This contract demonstrates once again that NSPA, as NATO's lead organization for multinational acquisition, support and sustainment, delivers effective and cost-efficient multinational solutions to nations, while reinforcing European industrial capacities."
GEM-T is a missile interceptor designed to better counter tactical ballistic missiles.
Ukraine fields at least four Patriot systems – the three German ones and one provided by the U.S. Kyiv was also pledged one battery from Romania, and the Netherlands said it would work with another partner country to deliver one more full system.
Martin Fornusek
