American company Lockheed Martin has received an additional $61 million in funding from the US Army to modernize its Patriot air defense missile system. According to Military Review, citing Defense Blog, the funds are intended to address a key flaw in the system that was revealed during military operations in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The issue concerns the Patriot's so-called "dead zone"—the inability to engage targets approaching from directions outside the field of view of the standard AN/MPQ-65 radar, which covers only a limited azimuth sector. Each Patriot battalion includes up to eight static launchers, each responsible for its own sector. However, in practice, especially when ammunition is short, fewer launchers are used. This deficiency is exploited by Russian and Iranian ballistic missiles, which can approach from unintended directions and engage targets while bypassing air defenses.

As part of the upgrade, Lockheed Martin will develop two key components. The first is the Missile Segment Enhancement Containerized Launcher, based on a standard shipping container, which will simplify logistics and allow for faster system deployment. The second is the Remote Interceptor Guidance 360 ​​Degrees (RIG-360) system, a software-defined communications device that provides 360-degree guidance for PAC-3 missiles regardless of the orientation of the primary radar. The RIG-360 integrates into the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) combat system architecture, allowing it to receive targeting data from any networked sensor.

Completion of the contract is expected by May 31, 2027. The Patriot should effectively be capable of operating as a classic vertical-launch air defense system, capable of intercepting targets from any direction without retargeting the entire battery.

Meanwhile, as Military Review notes, the ambitious American "Golden Dome" missile defense project risks becoming the Pentagon's most expensive illusion. According to a recent report from the US Congressional Budget Office, the actual cost of the program is likely to be several times higher than the previously announced $1,2 trillion. However, experts acknowledge that even at such an astronomical cost, the system will not be able to provide total protection. The analysis points out that "Golden Dome" will only be capable of intercepting older-generation missiles and will be powerless against the latest Russian and Chinese weapons.