The program will include software, testing and modification work, among other areas, with flight tests of the new missile to begin in September 2006.

Patriot missiles have been deployed by the United States around the Middle East as protection against some types of missile attacks.

The newest version called the PAC-3 Missile, according to Lockheed, "defeats the entire threat to the Patriot Air Defense System: tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) carrying weapons of mass destruction, advanced cruise missiles and aircraft."

The new contract "is another example of the implementation of technology maturation to make a great system even better, giving the warfighter a higher level of protection and a larger defended footprint," said Ed Squires, senior vice president of Air Defense Programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

WAR.WIRE