United States Department of Defense - Medium Extended Air Defense System

Under development by Germany, Italy and the United States, MEADS is a mobile air defense system designed to replace Patriot systems in the United States and Germany and Nike Hercules systems in Italy. It also meets the requirements of Germany’s “capabilities oriented” air defense concept. MEADS incorporates the hit-to-kill PAC-3 missile in a system that includes 360-degree surveillance and fire control sensors, netted-distributed battle management/communication centers and the launchers themselves. The system is designed to protect maneuvering forces and fixed locations against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft.

MEADS will provide capabilities beyond any other fielded or planned air and missile defense system. It will be easily deployed to a theater of operations and once there, will keep pace with fast-moving maneuver forces. When completed, MEADS will be the only air and missile defense system able to roll off tactical transports with the troops and almost immediately begin operations. More importantly, its open architecture will provide for 21st century air and missile defense system-of-system integration capabilities that allow operational mission-tailoring for homeland defense or defense of maneuver forces. MEADS will also provide greater firepower with less manpower than current systems, producing dramatic operation and support cost savings.

In Germany the PAC-3 missile will also be supplemented by IRIS-T SL as secondary missile for ground-based medium range air defence. It is based on the very successful IRIS-T air-to-air missile. The shorter range IRIS-T SLS system uses unmodified IRIS-T air-to-air missiles launched from standard LAU-7 aircraft launchers four of which are mounted onto an all-terrain launch vehicle while the medium-range IRIS-T SL missile is equipped with an enlarged rocket motor, datalink and a jettisonable drag-reducing nosecone.
IRIS-T SL based on the IRIS-T air-to-air missile
IRIS-T SL based on the IRIS-T air-to-air missile
IRIS-T SL launch system
IRIS-T SL launch system

During the MEADS Design and Development Phase, MEADS International will finalize designs for equipment and complete their integration into the 21st century air and missile defense system. The system’s six major equipment items are as follows: Multifunction Fire Control Radar (MFCR); Surveillance Radar (SR); Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (BMC4I); Certified Missile Round (PAC-3 missile and canister); Launcher; and Reloader. The United States funds approximately 58 percent of the MEADS program and European partners Germany and Italy provide approximately 25 percent and 17 percent respectively.