May 25 (SeeNews) - US-based defence contractor Raytheon said on Friday it has been awarded a $395.8 million (337.9 million euro) deal by the US Army for production of Romania's Patriot air and missile defence system.
The contract calls for Raytheon to build Romania's first Patriot fire unit, the company said in a statement.
"We are using what we have learned in building 220 fire units and to meet Romania's Patriot fielding schedule," Tom Laliberty, vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems, said.
Raytheon said it has already ordered thousands of critical long-lead items from hundreds of suppliers, and begun production of critical electronic components, machined parts, circuit card assemblies and cables.
Romania signed a letter of offer and acceptance for Patriot in November 2017, which made it the sixth NATO member state to procure Patriot. The US, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain currently have Patriot, while in March Poland became the seventh NATO state to procure Patriot.
Patriot is a missile defence 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 defence for 15 nations, the statement reads.
In July last year, the US Department of State cleared the sale of seven Patriot systems to Romania for an estimated $3.9 billion.
Romania, which joined NATO in 2004, plans to spend 9.8 billion euro until 2026 to boost its defense capabilities.
($= 0.8539 euro)