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1994-11-02
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The MIM-104 Patriot grew out of a 1964 U.S. Army requirement for a new
missile system that could defend against medium-to-high altitude high-
performance aircraft and ballistic missiles. The Patriot's single command
and control system was to replace the nine separate systems used by the
Nike Hercules and Hawk missiles.
Four Patriot missiles in their containers are mounted on a wheeled launcher
unit that is towed by the M818 six-wheeled tractor. The engagement control
station is mounted on the M818 and contains all the necessary command
and control equipment. Another trailer, parked a short distance away, houses
subsidiary ground control radar. The Track Via Missile (TVM) guidance
system is the heart of the Patriot system and accounts for its great accuracy.
The missile control operator acquires a target and verifies it as hostile on a
multifunction phased-array radar that can track more than 100 targets at the
same time.
The Patriot missile system is so versatile that it can track and steer eight
missiles to different targets at the same time, with any three in the TVM
stage of flight. A single computer performs all search, acquisition, track-
ing, and guidance functions. This missile was used as the primary defense
system for Saudi Arabia and Israel against Iraqi SCUD missile attacks during
the Persian Gulf War.