The procurement is for the Swedish army brigades and for the battle group on Gotland to “better defend the military forces we have,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
The Diehl statement did not explain the defining features of the Block II upgrade, sharing only that the missile will be “improved continuously and will continue to set benchmarks with new capabilities in its original air-to-air role.”
It’s about improving existing platforms with autonomy, and applying AI, edge computing, quantum encryption, and sensor fusion.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius encouraged allies, including the US, to “arrive” at military expenditure of 3 percent GDP – though declined to put forward a timeline for such change to occur.
If all options are exercised under the contract, the European nations will buy a combined total of 1,000 Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T), according to manufacturer RTX.
Switzerland made clear that it will “examine” areas where co-operation can be strengthened, with a plan to specifically address information exchange and training for the US-made Patriot air defense system, of which it ordered five units in June 2021.