Spain has signed a $1.7-billion contract with Raytheon to acquire four Patriot air and missile defense systems, significantly enhancing the country’s integrated air defense capabilities. The agreement follows earlier approval by the US State Department and represents one of Madrid’s largest recent air defense procurements.
The acquisition package includes 24 M903 launcher stations, four AN/MPQ-65 radar units, four AN/MSQ-132 engagement control stations, two coordination and information centers, and four power supply plants. The foreign military sale was cleared by Washington in October 2023, with Spain granting final authorization in mid-2024 to proceed with the contract.
While the originally approved sale included 51 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors, these missiles are not believed to be part of the newly signed agreement. Instead, Spain has pursued missile procurement through separate arrangements. In early 2024, Madrid finalized a €400-million deal with Raytheon and MBDA for Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile–Tactical interceptors under a wider NATO framework involving Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania.
Spain has also reportedly completed the purchase of an undisclosed number of PAC-3 MSE interceptors from Lockheed Martin. The new systems will complement Spain’s existing Patriot inventory, which currently consists of three batteries acquired from Germany and operated by the Spanish Army’s 73rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment near Valencia. Since 2015, one Patriot battery has been deployed in Turkey as part of NATO’s Active Fence mission to protect against potential ballistic missile threats from Syria.
