The current Modern Man Station (MMS) user interface, present in the Patriot’s command and control centers, will be upgraded with a full-color operator-machine interface complete with liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, as well as new control and command tools.
The Dutch military deployed two Patriot batteries to Turkey in 2014 to help stave off potential Syrian ballistic missile attacks, and announced last year that they would continue their investment into the Patriot system. After almost two years of around-the-clock deployment, an overtaxed Dutch military decided to pull the Turkish batteries, handing the operation over to Spain.
"The Netherlands will continuously modernize Patriot as they intend to keep it in their inventory until at least 2040," Ralph Acaba, Raytheon’s vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense, said in a company statement. "The Modern Man Station is an important step in the Royal Netherlands Army's plan to upgrade their entire Patriot inventory to the most advanced capability currently available."
The statement claimed further that the Patriot is "the most advanced portfolio of air and missile defense technologies in the world, providing comprehensive protection against a full range of advanced threats, including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Patriot is continually upgraded and enhanced to leverage the latest technology. Thirteen nations depend on Patriot as the foundation for their defense."
Joe DeAntona, Raytheon’s vice president of business development for Integrated Air and Missile Defense, remarked that the enhancements will make the Patriot missile system easier to use as it, "remains a pillar of NATO missile defense because it is the only fielded, combat-proven air and missile defense system capable of outpacing the evolving threat."
The Royal Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation procured MMS weapons through a direct commercial sales contract. The missile system is intended to engage threatening targets, track threats and identify airborne objects.
