Description
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The PATRIOT (PAC-3) program is an air-defense, guided missile system with long-range, medium- to high-altitude, all-weather capabilities.
The PAC-3 primary mission is to engage TBMs, and advanced cruise missile and aircraft threats. The PAC-3 missile uses hit-to-kill technology for greater lethality against TBMs armed with weapons of mass destruction. The PAC-3 system upgrades have provided improvements that increase performance against evolving threats, meet user requirements, and enhance Joint interoperability.
PATRIOT’s fast-reaction capability, high firepower, ability to track numerous targets simultaneously, and ability to operate in a severe environment make it the U.S. Army’s premier air defense system.
The MIM-104 Patriot is a modern US medium-range surface-to-air missile system. The first prototypes of the MIM-104 Patriot missile appeared in the late 1960s, and entered the line in the US armed forces in 1981. The latest versions of the MIM-104 missiles can engage air targets at an altitude of up to 25 km and at a distance of up to 160 km, and can carry a warhead weighing up to 90 kilograms. In the US Army, the Patriot system is often built on a wheeled chassis – most often the M983 Oshkosh trucks.
The MIM-104 Patriot system was developed by Raytheon to replace the MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-14 Nike Hercules missiles. Work on it began in 1961, and the trial – successful – firing dates back to 1969. However, shortly thereafter, the US armed forces changed the requirements for the system and decided that it would use the Track-via-Missile (TVM) system, which assumed the self-collection of information about the target by a missile already fired. This requirement significantly increased the level of difficulty of the entire undertaking and significantly extended the work. It was not until the end of the 1970s that it was possible to meet the high demands of the American armed forces, and from 1981 the MIM-104 Patriot system began to enter the line. The Patriot system was originally designed as a theater air defense system to fight enemy aircraft, but since the early 1990s, with the introduction of the MIM-104C missile and the use of much more advanced guidance systems and radars, the system has achieved the ability to combat enemy ballistic missiles short and medium range. The system was used in combat primarily in Operation Desert Storm in 1990-1991. The operators of the Patriot system, in addition to the US armed forces, are also, among others: Greece, the Netherlands, Israel, Japan and Germany. The system is also offered to Poland as part of the Wisła program.
