Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
February 11, 2012
IWG Report 2009
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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Home :: Missile Defense Systems
Patriot
| Alternate Name: | MIM-104 |
|---|---|
| Country: | USA |
| Warhead: | HE |
| Range: | 70 km |
| Basing: | Land |
| In Service: | 1984 |
New BMD Plans for Eastern Europe
After a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland would agree to host SM-3 missile interceptors provided by the U.S., to be deployed by 2015. This will be in addition to the provision of Patriot surface-air-missiles to Poland by the U.S.—part of the original Bush administration ground-based interceptor plan. While the Obama administration has scrapped the core of the original European missile shield plan to install ground-based interceptors in Poland and a radar unit in the Czech Republic, they have chosen to keep the 2008 promise to give Poland the Patriot missile system.
Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said Friday that the Czech Republic is also ready and willing to proceed with the new missile defense strategy for Europe proposed by the Obama administration. The shift to mobile SM-3 interceptors and Aegis ship-based missile defense is partly a response by the Obama administration to Russian objections to a ground based system able to defend against longer range ballistic missiles.
» Missile system details for: Patriot, Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Barak: Israel Missile Defense Capabilities Rising
Israel will have a shield that will protect it from "about 90 percent of Shihab to Kassam rocket attacks within a few years," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Knesset State Control Committee on Tuesday.
Furthermore, we are giving high priority to the production of a system involving several projects, which, within a few years, will provide protection for Israel from about 90 percent of all attempts to fire rockets at us, from Shihab missiles to Kassams," the defense minister said. "In the longer range, we will have, for many reasons, to achieve a much higher interception level.
The Iron Dome, a kinetic interception system designed to eliminate Kassam rockets, will be ready in a few years. The Iron Dome is just one of missile defense systems currently under development, along with the Arrow 2. When completed, the Iron Dome and the Arrow 2 missile defense layers will buttress the existing system which includes a series of Patriot missile batteries and Arrow missiles.
Israel is considering upgrading its current Patriot missile batteries to the PAC-3 model, and debating whether to deploy the Skyguard system, a version of what was once known as the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) missile defense which utilizes lasers to target short range missiles.
» More stories on: Israel
» Missile system details for: Arrow, Patriot, Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL), Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)
MIT Probe Rejects Postol Allegations of Fraud
Five years ago, Theodore Postol, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, accused the university’s Lincoln Laboratory of committing fraud in a missile defense study. He argued that MIT scientists were acting in bad faith when they used what he said was flawed data to deem “basically sound” the results from a 1997 test of an infrared missile sensor. In the subsequent investigation, the Department of Defense refused to release classified information to Postol and others. The accusations were left unanswered for three to four years, which Postol denounced as fraud. Last fall, a panel of four MIT professors began looking into the matter, and The Boston Globe recently reported the panel’s conclusion that MIT did not make any serious mistakes. Rather, they found that Postol himself had impeded the investigation by modifying and amending his accusations over time. “The absence of a clear, concise and consistent definition of the allegation complicated the conduct of the inquiry,” the panel said. They faulted Postol further for revealing confidential information to the media and others.
» Oct. 23, 2005: The Boston Globe profiles Theodore Postol
» More stories on: Policy
» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2), Patriot
PAC-3 Interceptor Test Successful
The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor system successfully destroyed a tactical ballistic missile during a flight test today at White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico. The test was designated Task 2-2. As in previous tests, two Patriot missiles were “ripple-fired,” one after another, at an incoming Patriot-As-A-Target (an older Patriot missile modified to simulate a short-range missile). An additional PAC-3 test is scheduled for later this year.
From the press release:
The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 Missile, a highly agile hit-to-kill interceptor, the PAC-3 Missile canisters (in four packs), a Fire Solution Computer and an Enhanced Launcher Electronics System.
Army Colonel John Vaughn commented that this was a “variation of the current test, but we will be going after a slightly different threat.”
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), Patriot
Taiwan Tests Patriot Interceptors
Taiwan has test-fired two Patriot interceptors, as part of a computerized wargame simulating an attack by China. The Patriot interceptors hit their target, “a ballistic missile surrogate target.” Taiwan has three batteries of Patriot air defense and missile defense systems, but these are vastly outweighed by China’s over 500 short range missiles off the Taiwan coast. This most recent intercept took place from the Chiu Peng Test Range, in Southern Taiwan. The military simulation reflected estimated capabilities of Taiwan and China in 2006.
» More stories on: Taiwan
» Missile system details for: Patriot
GCC-U.S. Joint Exercises Tackle Missile Defense
The Iranian Shahab-3 ballistic missile threat was the focus of a joint American-Arab missile defense exercise in the United Arab Emirates last month. The exercise, called Eagle Resolve-2004, was sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to demonstrate the need and utility “for low-level and high-level anti-ballistic missile batteries deployed along the coastline from Kuwait all the way down to Oman,” a senior GCC officer told Defense News.
Both sides said the exercise, which sought better coordination and interoperability in GCC-U.S. air defense efforts, was successful. The U.S. currently deploys Patriot interceptors to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, but only Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are able to intercept missiles on their own. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are also in talks with Raytheon to acquire the more accurate and longer-range PAC-3 model.
» More stories on: Allies
» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), Patriot
Fort Bliss to Test New “Patriot Lite”
The Fort Bliss Army Base in Texas is set to test the latest configuration of the Patriot terminal defense interceptors. This “next phase” of the system is said to be smaller, more agile, and quicker to set up in the field.
» More stories on: Land-Based Systems, Technology, Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Patriot
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