What does Patriot cost in Europe and globally?
Patriot is currently sold to, or in use by, a total of 18 countries worldwide. In Europe, the users are the Netherlands (1987), Germany (1989), Greece (1999), Spain (2004), Romania (2017), Sweden (2018), Poland (2018) and Switzerland (2022). In the rest of the world, there are additional user countries: Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan, Korea, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. Sorted by acquisition date.

What does it cost to acquire long-range air defenses of the Patriot type?

Large material investments are complex projects, and the final real price tag is not always available as information, partly because it often includes repurchase agreements and other industry collaborations, which means that the actual sums for the state and the country’s industry are very complex calculations.

Nevertheless, it is possible to find some rules of thumb by studying public US documents that are routinely published in advance of the final sale.

A review of the acquisitions of Patriot in Europe in recent years shows that a battery, with radar, four launchers and other main components such as a control vehicle, connection and power supply as well as other necessary services and logistics elements, costs approximately 360 million dollars.

The standard PAC-2 GEM-T missile costs about $4 million apiece. There are four such missiles on one launcher. If half the battery is filled with GEM-T, this will amount to an additional cost of 32 million dollars.

The PAC-3 MSE, the missile specialized against tactical ballistic missiles, costs about $7 million. There are 12 such missiles on one launcher. If one wanted to fill half the battery with PAC-3, this would amount to a cost of 168 million dollars.

A battery of four launchers loaded with respectively 24 PAC-3 MSE and eight GEM-T could cost around 560 million dollars.

The Netherlands

Acquired four Patriot batteries in 1987. These were modernized to Configuration-3+ in 2019-2022 for $105 billion. Bought possible PAC-3 first in 2004, then 34 missiles in 2020 for 241 million dollars and then 96 GEM-T and some other logistics elements in 2022 for 1.2 billion dollars.

Germany

Acquired Patriot in 1989, these were subsequently upgraded and scaled down to 12 batteries, and operational with PAC-3 from 2013. New purchase of 50 PAC-3 MSE in 2019 for $401 million.

Greece

Bought six batteries of PAC-3 and GEM in 1999 for $1.2 billion. Operational since 2003. Upgrade in 2020-2022, as part of an agreement on lending/deployment to Saudi Arabia.

Spain

Bought three Patriot batteries from Germany in 2004 (1) and 2014 (2), for 60 and 41 million euros respectively. The batteries are to be upgraded from Configuration 2+ to 3, and that the country has requested the purchase of a new battery during the period. 2023 – 2028. The total amount for this is stated at 1.389 billion euros.

Sweden

In 2018, the Swedish authorities chose to acquire four batteries with Patriot. In December 2022, the last battery arrived in the country. Total stated at $3.2 billion for fire units, with 12 launchers, 100 GEM-T and 200 PAC-3. Also read.

Poland

Poland requested four batteries and the associated IBCS control system in 2017, the price was stated at 10.5 billion dollars. Adjusted downwards to 4.75 billion at the conclusion of the contract. Deliveries were underway in 2022, and the material to be delivered is 4 radars, 16 launchers, 219 PAC-3 MSE missiles, 2 IBCS plan cells, 6 IBCS operations cells, 6 IBCS control cells and 5 Link-16 terminals.

Romania

In July 2017, the US government approved the sale of seven batteries for $3.9 billion, consisting of 7 radars, 28 launchers, 56 GEM-T missiles, 168 PAC-3 MSE missiles. The following year, an additional agreement was concluded for a further three batteries. Delivery was well under way in 2022.

Switzerland

In November 2021, it emerged that the contract for five batteries was worth around $2.1 billion for five radars, 17 launchers, 70 GEM-T missiles and six Link-16 terminals.

Updates:

February 27, 2023: The number of PAC-3 MSEs per launcher is 12, not 16.

Feb. 28: Poland; price adjusted down to 4.75 billion dollars.