America’s missile defence umbrella

Subject: Science and Technology

Context:

Military and financial support from the West, particularly the United States, has been critical in Ukraine’s successful counter-offensive in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Details:

Months later, after Ukraine lost territories along the border region, including Mariupol, Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, the U.S. decided to send medium-range rocket systems such as HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) and MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems), which helped Ukraine turn around the battlefield momentum.

Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target):

USA’s most advanced ground-based air defence system.
It has been deployed in 18 countries, including the U.S., NATO geography, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel and now in Ukraine.
Initially developed as a system to intercept high-flying aircraft, by U.S. aerospace and defence giant Raytheon Technologies Corp.
It was modified in the 1980s to focus on other threats such as ballistic missiles.
It was intended to replace HAWK and Nike-Hercules air defence systems.
Currently, Patriot batteries can defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, jets and “other threats”, but it doesn’t offer protection against low-flying small drones.

Specifications:

A mobile Patriot system includes a control centre, a radar station to detect threats, missile launchers to take out those threats and other support vehicles.
It can launch different types of interceptor missiles: The older PAC-1 and PAC-2 interceptors used a blast-fragmentation warhead, while the newer PAC-3 missile has more advanced hit-to-kill technology.
The Patriot system’s radar has a range of over 150 km and it can track over 50 potential targets at the same time.
One system typically has eight launchers with each holding between four and 16 ready-to-fire missiles.
The radar is set to be replaced with the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), which has 360-degree coverage and multimission applications.

Trial of the Patriot:

The system was tested in combat for the first time in the First Gulf war (1990-91.), and by Isreal in 2003.