Raytheon Co. will provide technical assistance to Taiwanโ€™s Patriot Air and Missile Defense System under a $26.9 million contract from U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, the company said in a press release Sept. 1.

Under the contract, Raytheon of Tewksbury, Mass., will supply engineers to refurbish Taiwanโ€™s existing Patriot equipment and to provide training services and operational support, Raytheon said. The award represents additional funding for a contract originally awarded in 2008, said Raytheon, prime contractor for both U.S. and international versions of the Patriot missile system.

โ€œThis will provide Taiwan with an enhanced level of security sooner than expected,โ€ Sanjay Kapoor, vice president of Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, said in a statement. โ€œUpgrades ensure that Taiwanโ€™s Patriots are fully capable of detecting, classifying and engaging all known and future hostile threats including aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.โ€