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United States Legacy Raytheon (RTX)
Patriot PAC-2
The blast-fragmentation variant of the U.S. Patriot air-defense missile, upgraded after the 1991 Gulf War for improved anti-ballistic-missile performance. It remains in widespread service alongside the newer hit-to-kill PAC-3.
In service since 1990 · 13 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
160
km range
24,000
m altitude
8
targets
170
km radar
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed; battery pricing varies by contract
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Established · 13 operators
In service since 1990. Status: legacy.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 5 Mach Stronger than 68% of air-defense systems
- Engagement range
Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.
- 160 km Stronger than 78% of air-defense systems
- Engagement altitude
Maximum target altitude the system can reach.
- 24,000 m Stronger than 60% of air-defense systems
- Simultaneous targets
Number of targets the system can engage at once. Higher resists saturation attacks.
- 8 Stronger than 56% of air-defense systems
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- MIM-104C/D interceptor missile
- Warhead
Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.
- 91 kg Stronger than 79% of air-defense systems
- Warhead type
Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.
- Blast-fragmentation
- Guidance
How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.
- Track-via-missile, Semi-active radar homing
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- AN/MPQ-53 phased array radar
- Radar range
Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.
- 170 km Stronger than 61% of air-defense systems
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Patriot ICC command network
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 13 Top 9% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public Raytheon (RTX) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the engagement range of the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2 has a maximum engagement range of 160 km.
What is the main armament of the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2's primary weapon is the MIM-104C/D interceptor missile.
What is the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2 used for? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2 is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2 is operated by 13 countries.
How much does the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2 cost? +
Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-2: Unit cost not publicly disclosed; battery pricing varies by contract. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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