Saudis Order $1.1Bln More Patriot PAC-3 Interceptors From Lockheed Martin

The US Department of Defense announced that defense Contractor Lockheed Martin has won more than one billion dollar US Army modification contract to build Patriot anti-ballistic missile interceptors for South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Defense Contractor Lockheed Martin has won more than one billion dollar US Army modification contract to build Patriot anti-ballistic missile interceptors for South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the US Department of Defense announced.

"Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $1,094,983,588 modification foreign military sales (Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) contract… for Patriot Advanced Capability production (PAC-3)," the announcement on Monday stated.

The new contract follows an enormous $5.4 billion deal that Saudi Arabia signed to buy the upgraded PAC-3 interceptor missile to replace its aging force of earlier-model Patriot missiles that was announced in July 2015.

US Arab allies have sought to bolster their ballistic missile capabilities and anti-ballistic missile defense amid concerns over the Iran nuclear agreement and Tehran’s activities in the region.

In May 2015, the United States and Gulf Arab countries agreed to expand defense cooperation. Saudi Arabia was the world’s largest importer of arms in 2014, primarily purchasing weapons from the United States.