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. A more fanciful acronym 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 Patriot Battalion
In the United States Army, the Patriot System is designed around the battalion echelon. A Patriot Battalion consists of a headquarters battery (which includes the Patriot ICC and its operators), a maintenance company, and between four and six "line batteries", which are the actual firing batteries that employ the Patriot systems. Each line battery consists three or four platoons: Fire Control platoon, Launcher platoon, and Headquarters/Maintenance platoon (either a single platoon or separated into two separate units, at the battery commanders discretion). The Fire Control platoon is responsible for operating and maintaining the "big 4". Launcher platoon operates and maintains the launchers, and Headquarters/Maintenance platoon(s) provides the battery with maintenance support and a headquarters section. The Patriot line battery is commanded by a captain and usually consists of between 70 and 90 soldiers. The Patriot battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and can include as many as 600 soldiers.
Once emplaced, the system requires a crew of only three individuals to operate. The Tactical Control Officer (TCO), usually a lieutenant, is responsible for the operation of the system. The TCO is assisted by the Tactical Control Assistant (TCA). Communications are handled by the third crewmember, the communications system specialist. A 'Hot-crew' composed of an NCOIC (usually a Sergeant) and 1 or more additional launcher crew members is on-hand to repair/refuel launching stations, and a reload crew is on standby to replace spent canisters after missiles are fired. The ICC crew is similar to the ECS crew at the battery level, except its operators are designated as the Tactical Director (TD) and the Tactical Director Assistant (TDA).
Patriot battalions prefer to operate in a centralized fashion, with the ICC controlling the fires of all of its subordinate firing batteries through the secure UHF PADIL communications network.
The US Army operates several Patriot battalions:
* 1-1 ADA, assigned to the 94th AAMDC, PACOM, based in Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Japan.
* 4-5 ADA, 6-52 ADA and 3-2 ADA of the 31st ADA Brigade (assigned to the 32nd AAMDC, formerly with III Armored Corps), Ft. Hood
* 1-7 ADA (Korea) and 3-4 ADA of the 108th ADA Brigade (assigned to XVIII Airborne Corps),
* 5-7 ADA of the 69th ADA Brigade (assigned to V Armored Corps, Germany),
* 1-43 ADA and 1-44 ADA assigned to the 35th ADA Brigade (Korea),
* 3-43 ADA, 2-43 ADA and 5-52 ADA of the 11th ADA Brigade (assigned to the 32nd AAMDC).
* 3rd Battalion, 6th ADA Brigade, (part of the Air Defense Artillery School), trains Patriot operators.
Operation
Following is the process a PAC-2 firing battery uses to engage a single target (an aircraft) with a single missile:
1. A hostile aircraft is detected by the AN/MPQ-53 Radar. The radar examines the track's size, speed, altitude, and heading, and decides whether or not it is a legitimate track or "clutter" created by RF interference.
2. If the track is classified by the radar as an aircraft, in the AN/MSQ-104 Engagement Control Station, an unidentified track appears on the screen of the Patriot operators. The operators examine the speed, altitude and heading of the track. Additionally, the IFF subsystem "pings" the track to determine if it has any IFF response.
3. Based on many factors, including the track's speed, altitude, heading, IFF response, or its presence in "safe passage corridors" or "missile engagement zones", the ECS operator, the TCO (tactical control officer), makes an ID recommendation to the ICC operator, the TD (tactical director).
4. The TD examines the track and decides to certify that it is hostile. Typically, the engagement authority for Patriot units rests with the Regional or Sector Air Defense Commander (RADC/SADC), who will be located either on a US Navy guided missile cruiser or on a USAF AWACS aircraft. A Patriot operator (called the "ADAFCO" or Air Defense Artillery Fire Control Officer) is colocated with the RADC/SADC to facilitate communication to the Patriot battalions.
5. The TD contacts the ADAFCO and correlates the track, ensuring that it is not a friendly aircraft.
6. The ADAFCO obtains the engagement command from RADC/SADC, and delegates the engagement back down to the Patriot battalion.
7. Once the engagement command is received, the TD selects a firing battery to take the shot and orders them to engage.
8. The TCO instructs the TCA to engage the track. The TCA brings the system's launchers from "standby" into "operate".
9. The TCA presses the "engage" switch indicator. This sends a signal to the selected launcher and fires a missile selected automatically by the system.
10. The AN/MPQ-53 Radar, which has been continuously tracking the hostile aircraft, "acquires" the just-fired missile and begins feeding it interception data. The Radar also "illuminates" the target for the missile's semi-active radar seeker.
11. The monopulse receiver in the missile's nose receives the reflection of illumination energy from the target. The track via missile uplink sends this data through an antenna in the missile's tail back to the AN/MPQ-53 set. In the ECS, computers calculate the maneuvers that the missile should perform in order to maintain a trajectory to the target and the TVM uplink sends these to the missile.
12. Once in the vicinity of the target, the missile detonates its proximity fused warhead.
Following is the process a PAC-3 firing battery uses to engage a single tactical ballistic missile with two PAC-3 missiles:
1. A missile is detected by the AN/MPQ-65 radar. The radar reviews the speed, altitude, behavior, and radar cross section of the target. If this data lines up with the discrimination parameters set into the system, the missile is presented on the screen of the operator as a ballistic missile target.
2. In the AN/MSQ-104 Engagement Control Station, the TCO reviews the speed, altitude, and trajectory of the track and then authorizes engagement. Upon authorizing engagement, the TCO instructs his TCA to bring the system's launchers into "operate" mode from "standby" mode. The engagement will take place automatically at the moment the computer determines will provide the highest probability of kill.
3. The system computer determines which of the battery's launchers have the highest probability of kill and selects them to fire. Two missiles are launched 4.2 seconds apart in a "ripple".
4. The AN/MPQ-65 radar continues tracking the target and uploads intercept information to the PAC-3 missiles which are now outbound to intercept.
5. Upon reaching its terminal homing phase, the Ka band active radar seeker in the nose of the PAC-3 missile acquires the inbound ballistic missile. This radar selects the radar return most likely to be the warhead of the incoming missile and directs the interceptor towards it.
6. The ACMs (attitude control motors) of the PAC-3 missile fire to precisely align the missile on the interception trajectory.
7. The interceptor flies straight through the warhead of the inbound ballistic missile, detonating it and destroying the missile.
8. The second missile locates any debris which may be a warhead and attacks in a similar manner.
No comments:
Post a Comment