GEM-T

The GEM-T (Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical) is a lower-tier interceptor in the Patriot air defence system, produced by Raytheon (now RTX). It is designed to engage aircraft, Cruise Missiles, and drones but cannot intercept Ballistic Missiles — that role belongs to the PAC-3 MSE, which uses hit-to-kill kinetic impact at higher altitude. GEM-T uses a proximity-detonation warhead and is significantly cheaper: approximately $1-2 million per round versus $13.5 million for the PAC-3 MSE. The GEM family traces its lineage to the original Patriot PAC-1 and PAC-2 interceptors, with the GEM-T representing the most advanced variant of the lower-tier line, optimised for the aerodynamic target set.

On 14 April 2026, Germany signed a €4 billion Patriot package for Ukraine routed through a direct Raytheon commercial sale at a planned production facility in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria — bypassing US government export approval timelines that are currently blocked by the White House's global Patriot export suspension. This procurement route is the key structural feature of the deal: Germany retains sovereign control over delivery schedules to Kyiv, independent of US political decisions. The same week, Zelenskyy described Ukraine's overall Patriot situation as one that 'could not be any worse', underscoring that GEM-T — while significant — does not address the ballistic-missile gap that the PAC-3 MSE export freeze has created.

GEM-T interceptors are widely deployed across NATO Patriot batteries and have been consumed by Ukraine at a pace that outstrips combined NATO production capacity. The Schrobenhausen facility decision is therefore strategically significant for Ukraine's air defence balance in the medium term, even as it leaves the higher-tier ballistic-missile defence gap unresolved. Ukraine's layered air defence architecture relies on GEM-T for the aircraft and cruise-missile threat layer; without it, Patriot batteries must expend expensive PAC-3 MSE rounds against targets the cheaper interceptor could handle.