Members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces walk past a Patriot (PAC-3) missile battery on the grounds of the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tokyo.
The agreement was announced by Japan's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) on July 28, seven months after the Tokyo government decided to transfer some Patriot missiles from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to Washington at the request of the US administration under President Joe Biden.
The Nikkei newspaper reported on July 30 that an ATLA official declined to comment on the number of Patriot missiles to be sold to the US. However, a former Pentagon official familiar with the negotiations put the figure at around 10 missiles.
Late last year, on December 22, 2023, the Japanese cabinet approved a relaxation of regulations on the transfer of defense equipment to upgrade security relations with allies and strengthen the domestic arms manufacturing industry, Kyodo News reported.
In the US, the radar and ground-based systems of the Patriot system are manufactured by RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies, while the missiles are produced by Lockheed Martin.
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In Japan, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produces approximately 30 missiles annually for the air defense forces. Currently, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces possess three types of Patriot missiles: PAC-2, PAC-3, and the more advanced PAC-3 MSE.
The most advanced version of the Patriot costs approximately $4 million per missile, with a range 50% wider than the standard version. Therefore, at $19 million for 10 missiles, it is highly likely that the US will purchase the standard version of the Patriot missile.
For its part, ATLA also confirmed that it will soon sell PAC-3 missiles to the US military.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chi-tiet-thuong-vu-19-trieu-usd-nhat-ban-ban-ten-lua-patriot-cho-my-185240730105021236.htm
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