MIM-104 Patriot

MIM-104 Patriot
A Patriot system (equipped with an AN/MPQ-53 Radar Set) of the German Air Force in August 2013
TypeMobile surface-to-air missile/anti-ballistic missile system
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In serviceSince 1981; initial operational capacity 1984[1]
Used bySee operators
WarsGulf War
Iraq War
2014 Israel–Gaza conflict
Syrian Civil War
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
Saudi Arabian–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present)
Russo-Ukrainian war
2023 Israel–Hamas war
Production history
DesignerRaytheon, Hughes, and RCA
Designed1969
ManufacturerRaytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing
Unit costDomestic cost: About US$1.09 billion (FY 2022) for a battery;[2] US$4 million for a single PAC-3 MSE missile[3]
Export cost: About US$2.37–2.5 billion for a battery; US$6–10 million (FY 2018) for a single missile[4]
Produced1976
No. built
  • 1,106 launchers in U.S. (483 were in service in 2010)
  • Over 250 launchers exported to 18 countries[5]
  • Over 10,000 missiles manufactured
VariantsSee § Variants
Specifications

Operational
range
160 km (max)

The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary such system used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar component of the weapon system. The AN/MPQ-53 at the heart of the system is known as the "Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target,"[6] which is a backronym for "Patriot". In 1984, the Patriot system began to replace the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary high to medium air defense (HIMAD) system and the MIM-23 Hawk system as the U.S. Army's medium tactical air defense system.[7] In addition to these roles, Patriot has been given a function in the U.S. Army's anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system. As of 2016, the system is expected to stay fielded until at least 2040.[8]

Patriot uses an advanced aerial interceptor missile and high-performance radar systems. Patriot was developed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, which had previously developed the Safeguard ABM system and its component Spartan and hypersonic speed Sprint missiles. The symbol for Patriot is a drawing of a Revolutionary War–era minuteman.

The MIM-104 Patriot has been widely exported. Patriot was one of the first tactical systems in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to employ lethal autonomy in combat.[9] The system was successfully used against Iraqi missiles in the 2003 Iraq War, and has also been used by Saudi and Emirati forces in the Yemen conflict against Houthi missile attacks. The Patriot system achieved its first undisputed shootdowns of enemy aircraft in the service of the Israeli Air Defense Command. Israeli MIM-104D batteries shot down two Hamas UAVs during Operation Protective Edge in August 2014, and in September 2014, an Israeli Patriot battery shot down a Syrian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 which had penetrated the airspace of the Golan Heights, achieving the system's first known shootdown of a crewed enemy aircraft.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference M104 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cancian, Mark F.; Karako, Tom (June 5, 2023). "Patriot to Ukraine: What Does It Mean?". CSIS.
  3. ^ "What the Patriot missile can do for Ukraine". CBS News. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "A Look at Turkey's PAC-3+ IAMDS Procurement Activities". Defenceturkey.com. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Judson, Jen (April 9, 2024). "How Patriot proved itself in Ukraine and secured a fresh future". Defense News. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "US sends 400 troops with Patriot missile batteries to Turkish frontier". Daily Telegraph. December 14, 2012.
  7. ^ "Patriot missile ready for field". United Press International. November 13, 1984. The first deployment to Western Europe of the Army's new Patriot anti-aircraft missile will begin later this month, six months later than scheduled because of testing problems, the Army said Tuesday. The non-nuclear missile system, which can track up to 50 targets at a time and guide five missiles, is intended to improve the air defenses of the NATO alliance and will replace the old Nike Hercules system and several battalions of Hawk missiles, an Army announcement said.
  8. ^ "Raytheon Unveils New Patriot Radar at AUSA Global 16". Army Times. March 15, 2016. [dead link]
  9. ^ Hawley, John K. (February 8, 2017). "Patriot Wars: Automation and the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System". Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference ynetnews.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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