The Patriot Missile

When it comes to missiles the Patriot Missile is always the one to springs to mind. It is a very destructive surface to air missile. This hub has more information about the Patriot Missile.

The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules System as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) platform, and replaced the HAWK System as the U.S. Army's medium tactical air defense platform. In addition to these roles, Patriot has assumed the role as the U.S. Army's anti-ballistic missile (ABM) platform, which today is Patriot's primary mission.

Patriot uses an advanced aerial interceptor missile and high performance radar systems. Patriot was developed at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, which had previously developed the Safeguard ABM system and its component Spartan and Sprint missiles.

The name "Patriot" is an acronym of Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept Of Target. The other bacronym was Protection Against Threats, Real, Imagined, Or Theorized. The symbol for Patriot is a drawing of a Revolutionary War-era Minuteman.

Patriot systems have been sold to the Republic of China (Taiwan), Greece, Egypt, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Spain. The Republic of Korea is also in the process of purchasing several second-hand Patriot systems after the North Koreans test-launched several ballistic missiles to the Sea of Japan and went ahead with underground nuclear testing in 2006.

The Design of the Patriot Missile

The PAC-2 family of missiles all have a fairly standard design, the only differences between the variants being certain internal components. They consist of, from front to rear, the radome, guidance section, warhead section, propulsion section, and control actuator section.

The radome is made of slip cast fused silica approximately 16.5 millimeters (0.64 inch) thick, with nickel alloy tip, and a composite base attachment ring bonded to the slip cast fused silica and protected by a molded silicone rubber ring. The radome provides an aerodynamic shape for the missile and microwave window and thermal protection for the RF seeker and electronic components.

The Patriot guidance section consists primarily of the modular digital airborne guidance system (MDAGS). The MDAGS consists of a modular midcourse package which performs all of the required guidance functions from launch through midcourse and a terminal guidance section. The track-via-missile seeker is mounted on the guidance section, extending into the radome. The seeker consists of an antenna mounted on an inertial platform, antenna control electronics, a receiver, and a transmitter. The Modular Midcourse Package (MMP), which is located in the forward portion of the warhead section, consists of the navigational electronics and a missile borne computer which computes the guidance and autopilot algorithms and provides steering commands according to a resident computer program.

The warhead section, just aft of the guidance section, contains the proximity fused warhead, safety-and-arming device, fuzing circuits and antennas, link antenna switching circuits, auxiliary electronics, inertial sensor assembly, and signal data converter.

The propulsion section consists of the rocket motor, external heat shield, and two external conduits. The rocket motor includes the case, nozzle assembly, propellant, liner and insulation, pyrogen igniter, and propulsion arming and firing unit. The casing of the motor is an integral structural element of the missile airframe. It contains a conventional, casebonded solid rocket propellant.

The Control Actuator Section (CAS) is at the aft end of the missile. It receives commands from the missile autopilot and positions the fins. The missile fins steer and stabilize the missile in flight. A fin servo system positions the fins. The fin servo system consists of hydraulic actuators and valves and an electrohydraulic power supply. The electrohydraulic power consists of battery, motor pump, oil reservoir, gas pressure bottle, and accumulator.