MIM-104 Patriot | |
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A Patriot system of the German Air Force in August 2005.
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Type | Mobile long range surface-to-air missile with anti-ballistic missile capability |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1981–present, initial operational capacity 1984. |
Used by | See operators |
Production history | |
Designer | Raytheon, Hughes, and RCA |
Designed | 1969 |
Unit cost | about US$2–3 million |
Produced | 1976 |
Number built |
1,106 launchers in U.S. service, Over 172 launchers exported |
Variants | See variants |
Patriot missile | |
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Four Patriot missiles can be fired from the highly mobile TEL
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Type | Surface-to-air missile |
Place of origin | United States |
Production history | |
Designer | Raytheon |
Unit cost | US$1 to 6 million |
Number built | over 8,600 |
Variants | Standard, ASOJ/SOJC, PAC-2, PAC-2 GEM, GEM/C, GEM/T (or GEM+) and PAC-3 |
Specifications (PAC-1) | |
Weight | 700 kg (1,500 lb) |
Length | 5,800 mm (19 ft 0 in) |
Diameter | 410 mm (16 in) |
Warhead | M248 Composition B HE blast/fragmentation with two layers of pre-formed fragments and Octol 75/25 HE blast/fragmentation |
Warhead weight | 200 lb (90 kg) |
Detonation
mechanism |
Proximity fuze |
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Wingspan | 920 mm (3 ft 0 in) |
Propellant | Solid-fuel rocket |
Operational
range |
PAC-1: 70 km PAC-2: 96 km-160 km PAC-3: 20 km against ballistic missile PAC-3 MSE: 35 km against ballistic missile |
Flight altitude | 79,500 feet (24,200 m) |
Speed | PAC-1: Mach 2.8 PAC-2/PAC-3: Mach 4.1 |
Guidance
system |
Radio command with Track Via Missile semi-active homing |
Launch
platform |
mobile trainable four-round semi-trailer |
1,106 launchers in U.S. service, Over 172 launchers exported
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. 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" or the bacronym PATRIOT. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) system, and replaced the MIM-23 Hawk system as the U.S. Army's medium tactical air defense system. In addition to these roles, Patriot has been given the function of the U.S. Army's anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system, which is now Patriot's primary mission. The system is expected to stay fielded until at least 2040.
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.
Patriot systems have been sold to Republic of China (Taiwan), Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Spain. Poland hosts training rotations of a battery of U.S. Patriot launchers. This started in the town of Morąg in May 2010 but was later moved further from the Russian border to Toruń and Ustka due to Russian objections.South Korea also purchased several second-hand Patriot systems from Germany after North Korea test-launched ballistic missiles to the Sea of Japan and proceeded with underground nuclear testing in 2006. On December 4, 2012, NATO authorized the deployment of Patriot missile launchers in Turkey to protect the country from missiles fired in the civil war in neighboring Syria.