For nearly three decades, Patriot has been the world’s most combat-proven air and missile defense system, providing a constant source of comfort for a growing number of nations.
While the U.S. and its global allies continue the technological race to outpace the proliferation of offensive threat missiles, one defensive system has remained a constant source of comfort for a growing number of nations. The Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, which defended civilians and troops in operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, provides security for 12 nations on three continents. For nearly three decades, Patriot has been the world’s most combat-proven air and missile defense system, providing a long-range, high-altitude, all-weather air and missile defense capability that has been progressively upgraded.
Patriot is fielded by U.S. NATO allies Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Greece; by Israel, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the Mideast; and by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in Asia. More than 170 Patriot fire units and 9,000 missiles have been delivered worldwide. In 2008, the United Arab Emirates announced that it would become the 11th partner nation to join the U.S. in fielding the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System.
No other system has been so thoroughly evaluated in both live combat and stressful air and missile defense tests. Patriot has undergone more then 2,500 target search and track tests and 500 missile firings that have demonstrated the system’s performance against a full range of tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and high-performance aircraft. The system is capable of simultaneously engaging numerous targets against severe electronic countermeasures. As a result, the Patriot U.S. Army–industry team has invested continuously in technical improvements to respond to evolving threats with advanced and robust capabilities.
During the last 10 years alone, the U.S. Department of Defense has invested more then $3 billion to further improve and extend Patriot’s performance against increasingly challenging threats. “The Patriot team is dedicated to the continuous improvement of Patriot hardware and software to ensure the system can defeat all known and potential threats,” says former U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph G. “Skip” Garrett, who commanded Patriot missile units in combat during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Today Garrett is vice president and deputy of Raytheon’s Patriot Programs business. “There is a strong demand for the Patriot in the U.S. and around the world,” Garrett says.
In March 2008, the U.S. Army awarded a contract for engineering services to upgrade Patriot for both Army and international Patriot users. The award was “just another indication of the resurgence of Patriot as the reliable and flexible cornerstone of the U.S. and international air and missile defense capability,” said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president of Patriot Programs at Raytheon. “These upgrades are a testament to the continuing operational flexibility of a combat-proven system and our commitment to ensure that this capability remains available for the protection of the U.S. and its allies.”
The future of Patriot includes a global strategy for technical refresh and introduction of new capabilities both in the system and its logistical and training support packages. Beyond weapon system hardware and software upgrades, 21st century interactive computer-driven training devices and packages are in development and are being fielded now. The reconfigurable tabletop trainer, procured by the U.S. Army and available internationally, will bring such devices into the classroom and field environments, making operator training more realistic, capable and affordable. It can replace older, bulkier, and expensive training devices with state-of-the-art interactive workstations that allow standalone or netted training to replicate Patriot operations.
The addition of new members such as the UAE to the Patriot family of user nations introduces development of improved radar processors, modernized command and control through state-of-the-art operator man-stations, and the integration of complementary missile technologies for Advanced Threat Interceptors. Current Patriot user nations are also upgrading their earlier system configurations to the latest Configuration-3. The U.S. will achieve a pure Patriot Advanced Configuration-3 (PAC-3) baseline by 2012. Taiwan, Kuwait and Japan are receiving PAC-3 radar upgrade kits along with related engineering and technical services. Some nations are also upgrading their missile inventories to the Guidance Enhanced Missiles–Tactical, or GEM-T configuration, which enhances the Patriot’s ability to engage and destroy cruise and tactical ballistic missiles.
Additional Patriot enhancements that will complement flexible “plug and fight” future capabilities are being developed. New radar technologies on the horizon are leading to an affordable netted 360-degree sensor capability with integrated fire control achievable through multi-source track correlation as demonstrated by the Joint Fires capability. The resurgence of Patriot on a global scale is recognized by the Patriot team as a unique opportunity. It will provide 21st century U.S. and coalition Patriot warfighters with a robust capability for defending deployed forces, the homeland and national interests with the best combat-proven asset.
