The Army gave Raytheon Co. [RTN] an $11.4 million contract to support Patriot missile defense facilities this year.

The Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., issued the additional funding as an option under a three-year contract previously awarded to Raytheon in January last year.

This add-on award brings the value of the contract to $35.5 million, with potential for additional options through 2010.

Support under the contract involves technical assistance, reliability testing and data analysis of deployed systems.

Work will be performed by Raytheon IDS at its headquarters in Tewksbury, Mass., and the Integrated Air Defense Center, Andover, Mass., by Raytheon Technical Services Co. in Burlington, Mass., and at various overseas locations.

Raytheon IDS is the prime contractor for both domestic and international Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems and systems integrator for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles. Some Democratic lawmakers in Congress have said Patriot is one of the more advanced, developed missile defense programs they wish to continue supporting, even as other programs are slowed or cut.