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United States Raytheon (RTX)
Patriot PAC-3
The U.S. Army's primary long-range surface-to-air and ballistic-missile defense system, upgraded in the PAC-3 configuration with hit-to-kill interceptors for higher-precision endo-atmospheric intercepts. It is one of the most widely exported air-defense systems in the world, operated by over a dozen nations.
In service since 2001 · 19 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
60
km range
24,000
m altitude
8
targets
170
km radar
💲 ≈ $1,100,000,000 — Approximate cost per full battery including launchers and radar
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
Widely fielded · 19 operators
In service since 2001. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$2.8B – $3.9B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~25 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
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.
Overview
The MIM-104 Patriot with PAC-3 missiles is the United States' primary long-range, mobile air-and-missile-defence system, and the PAC-3 upgrade marks its shift from blast-fragmentation toward hit-to-kill interception. The PAC-3 MSE missile physically collides with its target, a demanding approach designed to defeat tactical ballistic missiles as well as aircraft and cruise missiles. A battery pairs the missiles with a phased-array radar and networked command posts, forming a layered shield.
Raytheon's Patriot is operated by roughly twenty nations, from Germany and Japan to Saudi Arabia and Israel, and demand has outstripped production, straining stockpiles of interceptors.
Since 2023, Patriot batteries in Ukraine have become one of the most closely watched systems of the war, credited with intercepting Russian ballistic and cruise missiles, including claimed engagements of the Kinzhal aeroballistic missile — figures that remain partly disputed. The war has exposed how quickly interceptor inventories deplete under sustained bombardment, making resupply and manufacturing capacity a strategic concern for the US and its allies well into the 2026 period of heightened regional conflict.
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.
- 60 km Stronger than 50% 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.
- PAC-3 MSE hit-to-kill interceptor missile
- Warhead
Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.
- 74 kg Stronger than 73% of air-defense systems
- Warhead type
Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.
- Blast-fragmentation / hit-to-kill kinetic
- Guidance
How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.
- Active radar homing, Inertial + datalink midcourse update
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- AN/MPQ-65 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.
- Link 16, IBCS
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $1,100,000,000 Bottom 4% of air-defense systems
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 19 Top 6% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public Raytheon (RTX) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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What is the engagement range of the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3 has a maximum engagement range of 60 km.
What is the main armament of the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3's primary weapon is the PAC-3 MSE hit-to-kill interceptor missile.
What is the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3 used for? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3 is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3 is operated by 19 countries.
How much does the Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3 cost? +
The Raytheon (RTX) Patriot PAC-3 has an approximate unit cost of 1,100,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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