The Patriot air defense system will probably be used to shoot down the missiles Iran fires in retaliation for strikes on its territory.
The drums of war continue to beat around Iran. On Friday, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group left the Souda Bay Naval Base in Crete and is heading toward Israel. This is the second US Navy aircraft carrier ready to support a military strike against Tehran. It is part of an air and naval armada not seen in the region since 2003 and the US invasion of Iraq. Hundreds of aircraft and dozens of warships are positioned around Iran, ready to pounce if diplomacy fails.
But what if Iran strikes first? Or what if it unleashes its large missile and drone arsenal in response to an attack?
The Pentagon has positioned several air defense systems in the region to deal with such a possibility. The famous Patriot stands out.
The MIM-104 Patriot Air Defense System’s Specifications
- Year Introduced: 1981 (formally 1984)
- Number Built: ~1,300
- Price: $1 billion per battery
- Armament: PAC-2 or PAC-3 Missiles
- Missile Speed:
- PAC-2 GEM+: 5,630 km/h (3,500 mph)
- PAC-3: 6,170 km/h (3,830 mph)
- Radar Range: 60+ miles (+100 km)
- Altitude Ceiling: 75,000 feet
- Crew: 3
The last time the MIM-104 Patriot showed extensive operational action in a conventional war scenario was during the Gulf War in 1991, when Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi military fired ballistic and cruise missiles against the US-led coalition. The air defense weapon system has also seen extensive action in Ukraine. The US and other NATO countries have transferred several Patriot batteries to the Ukrainian Air Force, and they play a daily, integral role in intercepting Russian missiles and kamikaze drones.
In a potential conflict with Iran, MIM-104 Patriot batteries would be responsible for shooting down the thousands of Iranian missiles and drones heading towards US and allied forces.
How the Patriot System Works
The Patriot air defense system is broken down into three essential components: the radar set, control station, and missile launcher. These components do not have to be right next to one another. In fact, units on the ground often disperse them to increase survivability against aerial threats.
- The radar set acts as the eyes and ears of the Patriot, sweeping the air battlefield for incoming aircraft, missiles, and drones.
- The control station, where the crew is located, monitors the radar’s findings, communicating with friendly assets in the area and prioritizing incoming targets depending on their threat level. This is an important aspect of the mission as adversary forces will often try to saturate the air defense umbrella by firing hundreds of one-way attack unmanned aerial systems to hide the important ballistic and cruise munitions.
- Finally, the missile launcher fires the actual PAC-2 or PAC-3 interceptor. The interceptor uses hit-to-kill technology to take down its target. It can take as little as nine seconds between spotting a target, locking it, and firing an interceptor.
“The Patriot is by far the most lethal SAM system in the world, and there is no aeroplane in existence that is going to get away from it,” a Navy aviator who flew combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom said about the air defense system. “The missile itself is also designed to bias its impact on the nose of the aircraft so as to kill the pilot. If a Patriot is fired at your aircraft, you might as well eject, as there is nothing you can do to get away from it.”
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglouis a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operationsand a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
