American Patriot in Israel

[UoUo]

:D


http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Good%20Humvee%20with%20Patriots.jpg


http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Fashon%20Photography%20with%20Patriot%20Tel%20Aviv.jpg


http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Israeli%20Plane%20Lands%20Behind%20Patriot%20in%20Tel%20Aviv.jpg


http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Israel%20Mother%20With%20Patriot%20in%20Jaffa.jpg

http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Patriot%20Beach.jpg

http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Patriot%20Group%20in%20Jaffa.jpg


http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Soldiers%20Check%20Patriot%20in%20Israel.jpg



http://airdefense.bliss.army.mil/adamag/April%202003/Israel%20Patriot%20Drive%20thorugh%20Haifa.jpg

:D


All the pics from the Seccend war in Iraq.

[MEGR]

So they are Patriot twos then?

[UoUo]

So they are Patriot twos then?

?

[MEGR]

Ok. You said that the pics were from GW2. They probably are Patriot 2 then.

[UoUo]

Ok. You said that the pics were from GW2. They probably are Patriot 2 then.

Oh...i got you....but i don't know....the American here should know better Then me.... :D

[MEGR]

Ok. You said that the pics were from GW2. They probably are Patriot 2 then.

Oh...i got you....but i don't know....the American here should know better Then me.... :D

I'm saying this off the top of my head. GW1 saw the Patriot One, which was used to shoot down scuds aimed at Israel and other targets. It wasn't very successful from what i hear. GW2 saw the more advance Patriot, the Patriot Two, which as far as I know has done better than its predecessor.

[Hiroshima]

Actually they'd probably be Patriot, Block 2 models...Block 3 is still the buying phase by the US Military.

[Midav]

Nice pics!

Yeah, they're block Two's. Only few Block three systems were available by the time GW II broke out.

[Secret Squirrel]

Ok. You said that the pics were from GW2. They probably are Patriot 2 then.

Oh...i got you....but i don't know....the American here should know better Then me.... :D

I'm saying this off the top of my head. GW1 saw the Patriot One, which was used to shoot down scuds aimed at Israel and other targets. It wasn't very successful from what i hear. GW2 saw the more advance Patriot, the Patriot Two, which as far as I know has done better than its predecessor.

During GWII, patriots, if IIRC, out of 12 engagements, had 2 friendly fire incidents and one case where an American aircraft was forced to destroy a battery before it destroyed his aircraft.

[He219]

Secret Squirrel, from what I've heard, the newer Patriot proved to be a potent air-defense weapon and that human error was responsible for blue-on-blue engagements.


Related:

U.S.-Israel Exercise Links Arrow and Patriot into Multi-Tier Missile Defense System (http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/151/documentid/1910/history/3,2360,646,2516,151,1910)

On January 4, 2003, Israel test-fired four Arrow 2 ballistic missile interceptors from a military base south of Tel Aviv, marking the beginning of the latest round of joint exercises with the United States. The Arrow test was the tenth by Israel and the first time the $2 billion system was operated in conjunction with the U.S. Army's Patriot air defense system specifically to prove integration of the Arrow 2 and the upgraded Patriot Advanced Capability system, or PAC-3.

Patriot PAC-3 is a much more capable derivative of the PAC-2/GEM system in terms of both coverage and lethality and is currently in LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) status. Selected Patriot launching stations will be modified to accept PAC-3 canisters. Jerusalem plans further tests where Arrow interceptors will attempt to destroy multiple targets arriving from different altitudes and directions.

Hundreds of American soldiers arrived in Tel Aviv within a week of the January test for joint land and sea air defense exercises, dubbed "Juniper Cobra". During the 1991 Gulf War, earlier versions of the Patriot batteries (PAC-2) proved to be less capable of providing defense against Iraqi ballistic missiles, failing to prevent 39 Scuds from striking Israel.

On February 10, Israel's Ministry of Defense announced the receipt of two upgraded Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) batteries from Germany. In addition, Israel has acquired three batteries of the U.S. Army's most updated Patriot system in the field, the PAC-2 Guided Enhanced Missile (GEM) Plus. While the original Patriot PAC-2 knocked down missiles by exploding in their flight paths, the PAC-3 is designed to destroy enemy missiles by colliding with them - a method known as "hit to kill." As Brig. Gen. Shimon Sarid, director of the Israeli Air Force's Material Directorate declared in a February 6 announcement, "We know the PAC-3 is the next generation of lower-tier missile defense. The question is not if we'll go in this direction, but when and how many we'll be able to buy."

The progress of the PAC-3 is an important aspect of the Bush Administration's vision of a national missile defense system, as the U.S. has tested "hit to kill" technology for decades in an attempt to come up with a system that works consistently. Thus far, the PAC-3 have performed well in controlled tests against missiles and target aircraft.

With the more evolved and upgraded Patriot system integrated with the Arrow 2, Israel now fields the most sophisticated missile defense system in the world that includes its own reconnaissance satellite, radar warning system, and Home Front Command to prepare citizens and medical services for attacks.

The Arrow Weapons System (AWS) is a terminal-phase missile defense program, providing defense against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The semi-permanent batteries are composed of mobile launchers, each containing six interceptors, "Green Pine" fire control radar, "Citron Tree" radar control center, and "Hazelnut Tree" launch center. The L-band radar can distinguish between warheads, debris, and decoys, while the fire control system is able to manage up to 14 intercepts at one time. The Arrow's intercept altitude ranges between 25 miles to 62 miles, a maximum altitude three times higher than the Patriot and is more suited to the high-speed descent of a ballistic missile. The interceptor destroys the inbound missile via a two-stage, blast-fragmentation warhead with a proximity fuse.

Satellites alert the missile warning system to the launch of an enemy missile, which cues the Israeli radar system to search for the inbound missile. The radar tracks the missile as it continues its ascent and reaches its maximum altitude before arcing towards Israel - a process that is expected to take between six to eight minutes. The Arrow interceptor is designed to destroy the enemy ballistic missile high enough so that weapons of mass destruction they may carry will be immediately dissipated upon contact, rendering them incapable of detonating or dispersing over Israel.

According to Defense Ministry spokeswoman Rachel Naidek-Ashkenazi, "all the system components performed in their operational configuration," throughout the test. One Arrow missile was designed to maneuver in accordance with commands from the ground, while the other three, equipped with special short burning time motors, were fired in order to check the effects of the burning rocket motors on the interceptors that remain in the launcher, and to regulate the multi phase launch process. As previously noted, each launcher carries six missiles.

While the Arrow system currently contains Block 2 software in the radar and the interceptor's sensors, Israeli officials recently announced the completion of the development of Block 3 software modifications, soon to be integrated within the system. Block 3 improvements focus on ensuring the Arrow missile and its radar can defend against future threats of longer-range, more sophisticated ballistic missiles. As Arieh Herzog, Director of the Israel Missile Defense Office, commented to Defense News in the Feb. 17 issue, "We deployed the first [Arrow] battery in 2000, we've recently deployed the second, and now we are confident of the ability of the Arrow to defend against the threat to interoperate with other systems [Patriot batteries] in the field. We shall test the new Block software in the near future, and we hope to integrate completely in the system before 2004."

The AWS, which differs from other terminal-phase missile defense programs under development by the U.S., is a jointly funded cooperative research and development program conducted by the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and Israel Defense Ministry, in an effort to develop a ballistic missile defense system for Israel while gaining information for U.S. missile defense programs.

In order to better prepare themselves for potential attacks, it has been reported that Israeli special forces belonging to a unit called Shaldag, meaning "Kingfisher" in Hebrew, have already conducted reconnaissance missions in western Iraq, looking for likely launch sites. Israeli intelligence has identified these possible launch areas for the U.S., as well as the optimal elevated positions from which to keep track of them.

Israeli officials say the chances that Iraq would fire missiles at Israel are slim, but they expect their two operational Arrow batteries to intercept any missiles - should they be deployed - as well as U.S. cruisers and destroyers equipped with the Aegis radar system, which will be integrated as a third line of defense.

[MEGR]

I only recall the one patriot killing the British fighter. I'm not calling you a liar, but i don't remember the other ones. I also recall the Patriot 2 hiting a scud heading towards the US comand center. That woulda been bad.

[Secret Squirrel]

I only recall the one patriot killing the British fighter. I'm not calling you a liar, but i don't remember the other ones. I also recall the Patriot 2 hiting a scud heading towards the US comand center. That woulda been bad.

British Tornado fighter aircraft on March 24, killing two pilots, and a U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet fighter on April 2, killing the pilot. The Tornado reportedly failed to re-enter Kuwaiti airspace from Iraq in a predetermined zone cleared for friendly aircraft and reportedly carried an identification beacon that could not communicate with the air-defense system. I'm cant find the circumstances surrounding the American aircraft. And the 3rd incident involved a U.S. F-16 which was targeted by a Patriot system left by its crew to operate automatically so they could take cover, and the radar mistakenly identified the aircraft as a foe.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0703/072903gsn1.htm

[He219]

Patriot: how did it perform? (http://www.janes.com/regional_news/africa_middle_east/news/jdw/jdw030502_1_n.shtml)

By Duncan Lennox, Editor of Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems

The Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems deployed to the Gulf in January and February this year were in the media spotlight, particularly due to the controversies associated with the Patriot's performance in 1991. It is too soon to know the precise results from the engagements during the recent war in Iraq, but sufficient information has been made available to describe in outline what happened.

According to media reports, Iraq launched around 18 missiles at the coalition forces between 20 March 20 and 4 April. The US Army states that 13 of these were short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) or large surface-to-surface unguided rockets. The remaining five were probably cruise missiles. Of the 13 ballistic missiles and rockets launched, nine were successfully intercepted by a mix of older Patriot Advanced Capability 2 (PAC-2) missiles, including the PAC-2 Guidance Enhanced Missile (GEM) and Guidance Enhanced Missile Plus (GEM+) derivatives, and newer PAC-3 missiles. Of the remaining Iraqi missiles, three were not intercepted, since they were going towards empty desert or the sea, and one exploded at launch. It is believed that the majority of these Iraqi missiles were Ababil-100 (or Al Fatah) and Al Samoud 1/2 ballistic missiles fired at ranges of between 100 and 150km.

Tragically, two allied aircraft were destroyed by Patriot missiles during the conflict: a UK Tornado GR Mk 4 and a US F/A-18 Hornet. In addition, a USAF F-16 aircraft was locked onto by a Patriot radar, but the aircraft (reportedly assuming it was being targeted by an Iraqi SAM battery) responded by firing an AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile at the radar, destroying the antenna.

The results of detailed investigations are not available, but some comparisons can be drawn. The ballistic missile and rocket targets were travelling much faster than any aircraft and had trajectories outside the atmosphere. The cruise missile targets were similar to small aircraft and were flying at a similar speed to manned aircraft. Allied aircraft were fitted with an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system, which should have identified them as friendly aircraft, and the aircraft would presumably have been allocated safe lanes to return down from their missions. Patriot systems can operate in automatic (software-controlled) or manual (human operator-controlled) modes. The detailed investigations will have to examine all the tape recordings and establish what did or did not work, including the possibilities of human error, hardware or software faults and, of course, the general 'fog of war'.