The Patriot Air Defense System and the Search for an Antitactical Ballistic Missile Defense.

reportActive / Technical Report | Accession Number: ADA344827 | Open PDF

Abstract:

The Army developed the Patriot missile system to defend against high performance aircraft. In the mid-to-late 1980s the Army developed a modified version Patriot ATM of the system to defend against tactical missiles short-range ballistic, cruise, and air-to-surface. PAC-1 mods involved software changes and PAC-2, hardware changes new fuse and larger fragments for the warhead. Patriot ATM was used during the Persian Gulf War in early 1991 to defend cities and sites in Saudi Arabia and Israel. Patriots success against Iraqi Scuds spawned conflicting claims about who supported Patriot and who didnt. The legislative history of Patriot ATM is not that simple. It is linked to nearly-decade long congressional efforts to get DOD to respond to the tactical missile threat first, the Soviet threat to NATO forces now, the proliferating global threat. The public record reveals a congressional consensus for early deployment of an effective tactical ballistic missile defense TBMD.

Security Markings

DOCUMENT & CONTEXTUAL SUMMARY

Distribution:
Approved For Public Release

RECORD

Collection: TR
Identifying Numbers
Subject Terms