U.S. Army Expands Use of Patriot Air and Missile Defense System
Written by Erin Flynn Jay
PAC-3 is a land-based element built upon the proven Patriot air and missile defense infrastructure. PAC-3 was deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where, together with the PAC-2s deployed to the region, it intercepted several ballistic missiles. The PAC-2 uses a blast fragmentation warhead to kill the target.
The Army is responsible for production and further development of the PAC-3 and the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS); the Missile Defense Agency remains responsible for the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and PAC-3 interoperability and integration efforts.
Initially using the PAC-3 missile segment enhancement (MSE) interceptor described later, MEADS will be capable of countering ballistic missiles and air-breathing threats (i.e., aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.)
There is no phase-out plan for the Patriot air and missile defense system. The U.S. Army has committed to keeping the Patriot system in the field through 2028 and potentially beyond, said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president, Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. In fact, the Army is expanding its use of Patriot. It is upgrading all existing systems to the latest Patriot configuration and adding fire units to its tactical inventory.
RESURGENCE IN PATRIOT
There is significant renewed interest—a resurgence—in Patriot as threats continue to evolve around the world. “Most of Raytheon’s international partners will be relying on Patriot well beyond 2028. Many of our 11 international partners are in the process of upgrading Patriot to the latest Configuration-3 baseline and/or adding to their current Patriot inventory,” said Kapoor. “And, the United Arab Emirates signed a $3.3 billion contract in December 2008 for new production systems. For the first time in almost 10 years, Raytheon will be producing new build Patriot systems.”
Raytheon supports a layered approach to air defense. “Our deployed systems work together to intercept incoming targets at all altitudes and ranges, and Patriot also works with coalition forces’ air and missile defense systems,” said Kapoor. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is an upper-tier defense system for high-altitude, long-range intercepts of tactical ballistic missiles, while Patriot is a lower-tier defense system that can intercept a wider variety of targets. Raytheon is a subcontractor for THAAD’s radar. THAAD can be netted to work in combination with Patriot and will be interoperable in the near future.
Patriot is the world’s only combatproven, long-range air and missile defense system. It is designed to defeat advanced threats including high-performance aircraft, helicopters, unmanned air vehicles, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Patriot can simultaneously engage multiple targets under the most severe electronic countermeasure conditions, and it interoperates with coalition and other air defense systems for target data.
Additionally, Patriot protects both fixed and maneuvering assets to meet warfighters’ needs for increased battle area mobility and a reduced logistics footprint. It also works with two missile types—the GEM-T and PAC- 3—to counter all threats.
Raytheon is a leader in integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) networks, and Patriot is the foundation for the U.S. Army’s IAMD strategy. “Our deployed systems work together to intercept incoming targets at all altitudes and ranges. Patriot typically intercepts at high altitudes,” said Kapoor. “Our surface-launched AMRAAM system has capability against all types of air breathing targets within a shorter range and operates at a lower altitude.”
Hawk XXI (which can be upgraded to surfaced-launched AMRAAM) is designed to defeat fixed wing, helicopter, UAV, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missile threats at medium altitudes. Patriot, surface- launched AMRAAM and Hawk XXI are developed by Raytheon and are interoperable. Together, they provide a robust method of intercepting almost any combination of incoming hostile air targets.
Foreign sales for Patriot include: Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. Taiwan plans to add to its Patriot inventory and is also upgrading existing systems to Configuration- 3, said Kapoor. Additionally, Kuwait and Japan are upgrading to Configuration-3, and Turkey, Qatar, Poland, Kuwait, India, Greece and Saudi Arabia have expressed interest in Patriot upgrades, additional fire units, and/or purchasing new systems.
INTEROPERABILITY
Patriot systems around the world are interoperable and can use intelligence from national defense networks to create a comprehensive air and missile defense capability. “Having such a significant international Patriot community enables the United States and our allies to work together and respond with the highest probable intercept solutions for threatening targets,” said Kapoor.
There is only one Patriot system. Improvements have been made over time resulting in new configurations. The latest enhancements resulted in the Configuration-3 system that is approved by the U.S. government for international sales. The Patriot Configuration-3 system includes improved target classification, detection and tracking of theater ballistic missiles (TBMs), performance in “cluttered” environments where missile debris is a factor in locating the target, and remote launch capabilities for defending expanded areas. “We are also building new Patriot systems using state-of-the-art technology. These will have the same proven performance as the Configuration-3 baseline while delivering increased reliability and maintainability,” Kapoor said.
An international industry team of more than 4,000 suppliers and subcontractors support the Patriot air and missile defense system. These and other suppliers now have an opportunity to become a part of the Patriot program long term. Currently, Raytheon is evaluating its supplier base to determine requirements for the new-build design as well as the role of international partners. Raytheon is looking to establish long-term supplier relationships and strategic partnerships to support Patriot today and in the future.
In April 2009, Roketsan became Raytheon’s first major trans-Atlantic supplier. With its facility in Ankara, Turkey, Roketsan is strategically located to support many Raytheon customers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Raytheon continually works with the U.S. Army to improve the reliability and maintainability of its systems and develop counters to new and evolving threats. “Enhancements are made based on combat experience as well as by working with U.S. government intelligence communities. Our systems are tested against threats by simulation and/or actual live-fire exercises to determine their effectiveness,” added Kapoor. “We’re focused on delivering NoDoubt Mission Assurance. With Raytheon, troops can be confident that our weapon systems will operate as designed in the warfighter’s environment, every time.”
Patriot is the world’s only combat-proven air and missile defense system, Kapoor concluded. Countries with existing Patriot systems can upgrade to the latest Configuration-3 and/ or purchase new build production systems. The new systems have the latest full functionality of Configuration-3 as well as enhanced reliability, maintainability and system availability.
PAC-3 MISSILE INCREASES FIREPOWER
The PAC-3 missile is a high-velocity interceptor that defeats incoming targets by direct, body-to-body impact. “PAC-3 missiles, when deployed in a Patriot battery, will significantly increase the Patriot system’s firepower, since 16 PAC-3s load-out on a Patriot launcher, compared with four of the older Patriot PAC-2 missiles,” said Dennis Cavin, vice president, International Air and Missile Defense Strategic Initiatives, Lockheed Martin. One hundred percent effective in Operation Iraqi Freedom, PAC-3 missiles are now deployed with U.S. forces.
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the PAC-3 missile segment upgrade to the Patriot air defense system. “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 [ELES],” Cavin told MSMF. These elements are integrated into the Patriot system.
The PAC-3 missile uses a solid propellant rocket motor, aerodynamic controls, attitude control motors (ACMs) and inertial guidance to navigate. The missile flies to an intercept point specified prior to launch by its ground-based fire solution computer, which is embedded in the engagement control station. Target trajectory data can be updated during missile flyout by means of a radio frequency uplink/downlink, said Cavin.
Shortly before arrival at the intercept point, the PAC-3 missile’s onboard Ka-band seeker acquires the target and selects the optimal aim point, and terminal guidance is initiated. “The ACMs, which are small, short-duration solid propellant rocket motors located in the missile forebody, fire explosively to refine the missile’s course to assure body-to-body impact,” said Cavin.
In 2008, the United Arab Emirates becomes the first Middle East customer and the fourth international customer for the PAC-3 missile, joining the Netherlands, Germany and Japan in fielding the system.
Lockheed Martin has received a contract for a missile segment enhancement (MSE) to the battle-proven PAC-3 missile. The PAC-3 MSE provides performance enhancements to the missile that will counter evolving threat advancements.
The PAC-3 MSE program includes flight software, flight testing, modification and qualification of subsystems, production planning and tooling, and support for full Patriot system integration.
Under the PAC-3 MSE initiative the company will incorporate a larger, more powerful motor into the missile for added thrust, along with larger fins and other structural modifications for more agility. Cavin said the modifications will extend the missile’s reach by up to 50 percent. The larger fins, which will collapse to allow the missile to fit into the current PAC-3 launcher, will give the interceptor more maneuverability against faster and more sophisticated ballistic and cruise missiles. The flight test p
rogram includes one controlled test flight and two guided intercept tests against threat representative TBMs. All testing will be conducted at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
These enhancements are the natural, pre-planned evolution of a system that was baselined in 1994. The MSE is a true spiral development that will enable a very capable interceptor to grow to the requirements of defeating new and evolving threats. These enhancements will assure that the PAC-3 missile segment of the Patriot Air Defense System will be capable of defeating these threats far into the future.
The PAC-3 MSE missile was selected as the initial interceptor for the multinational MEADS. Managed by the NATO MEADS Management Agency, MEADS is a model trans-Atlantic development program focused on the next generation of air and missile defense.
Subcontractors include Aerojet for propulsion (motor) and Boeing for the seeker (guidance package).
The hit-to-kill PAC-3 missile is the world’s most advanced, capable and powerful terminal air defense missile. It defeats the entire spectrum of threats: TBMs carrying weapons of mass destruction, advanced cruise missiles and aircraft. The PAC-3 missile is a quantum leap ahead of any other air defense missile when it comes to the ability to protect the warfighter in their defining moments.
Lockheed Martin achieved the first-ever hit-to-kill intercept in 1984 with the Homing Overlay Experiment, using force of impact alone to destroy a mock warhead outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. Further testing produced today’s PAC-3 missile, which won a competition in 1993 to become the first hit-to-kill interceptor produced by the U.S. government.
The PAC-3 missile has been the technology pathfinder for today’s modern missile defense systems. Currently, the Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis Weapon System, PAC-3 missile, the THAAD Weapon System, and MEADS utilize this proven advanced technology to deliver lethality against today’s most dangerous threats. ♦