ARMY P ROGRAMS
Patriot / Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS)
Executive Summary
• The Army conducted five major developmental Patriot flight
test missions and a Post-Deployment Build (PDB)-6.5 Limited
User Test (LUT) operational test in FY10.
• The second guided flight of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3
(PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor
achieved a successful intercept of a ballistic missile target with
the second of two interceptors ordered to launch.
• PDB-6.5 flight tests with PAC-2 missiles conducted in
December 2009 and March 2010 were successful.
• A PAC-2 missile flight test in October 2009 and a PAC-3
missile flight test in December 2009 were successful.
System
• The Patriot is a mobile air and missile defense system that
counters missile and aircraft threats. The system includes the
following:
- C-band phased-array radars for detecting, tracking,
classifying, identifying, and discriminating targets Frequency-band 360-degree surveillance radars; X-band
- Battalion and battery battle management elements 360-degree multi-function fire control radars; and missile
- Communications Relay Groups and Antenna Mast Groups launchers and reloaders
for communicating between battery and battalion assets - MSE missiles developed under the Patriot program
- A mix of PAC-3 hit-to-kill missiles and PAC-2 blast
fragmentation warhead missiles for negating missile and Mission
aircraft threats Combatant Commanders using Patriot have the capability to
▪▪ The newest version of the PAC-3 interceptor is the Cost defend deployed forces and critical assets from missile and
Reduction Initiative (CRI) missile. In addition, the Army aircraft attack and to defeat enemy surveillance air assets (such
is developing the PAC-3 MSE missile with increased as unmanned aerial vehicles) in all weather conditions, clutter,
battlespace defense capabilities and an improved lethality and electronic countermeasure environments. Combatant
enhancer. Commanders will use MEADS to provide maneuver forces with
▪▪ Earlier versions of Patriot interceptors include the continuous 360-degree protection against missile and aircraft
Patriot Standard missile, the PAC-2 Anti-Tactical threats.
Missile (ATM), and the Guidance Enhanced Missile
(GEM) family (includes the GEM-T and GEM-C missile Major Contractors
variants). • Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control – Dallas, Texas
• The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) is • MEADS International, Inc. – Orlando, Florida
intended to be a more deployable, mobile, and capable air • Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems – Tewksbury,
and missile defense system than Patriot. Planned MEADS Massachusetts
developments include the following:
- Battle management, command, control, communications,
computers, and intelligence elements; Ultra High
Activity
• The Army conducted the PDB-6.5 LUT at White Sands PDB-6.5 LUT did not include a sustained operations phase
Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, from November or an interoperability phase and the PDB-6.5 testing included
2009 to July 2010. DOT&E approved deviations from four developmental/operational test flight tests instead of
the 2004 Patriot Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) four developmental test flight tests and three operational test
because the software changes between PDB-6 and PDB-6.5 flight tests. These deviations were documented in a 2009
were less extensive than had been anticipated in 2004. The Memorandum of Understanding.
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• During the ATM-48 flight test at WSMR in October 2009, to a larger miss distance than had been expected for the first
Patriot fired two GEM-T interceptors and killed a high-speed interceptor. However, while the fuze exhibited anomalous
tactical ballistic missile with the second interceptor. behavior, the first GEM-T still intercepted the ATM-48 target.
• During production configuration flight test PC-08 at WSMR The second GEM-T interceptor killed the target, achieving
in December 2009, Patriot fired two PAC-3 CRI missiles and a successful miss distance and exhibiting the expected fuze
intercepted a short-range ballistic missile target with the first geometry.
interceptor. • During flight test PC-08, both PAC-3 CRI missiles performed
• During PDB-6.5 flight test P6.5-3A at WSMR in in good agreement with preflight predictions. The first CRI
December 2009, Patriot fired a Standard missile and two missile intercepted and destroyed the target.
PAC‑2 missiles against a low-altitude cruise missile target • During PDB-6.5 flight test P6.5-3A, the Army was not able
using miss bias and maximum fuze delay to prevent the to address the objective of fully exercising post-intercept
interceptors from killing the target. engagement decision and weapons assignment logic because
• During the second intercept attempt for the MSE missile the Patriot system dropped track on the target just after the first
(Flight Test 7-2A) at WSMR in February 2010, Patriot planned intercept event. Aside from this problem, all three
attempted to fire two MSE interceptors at a ballistic missile engagements were successfully accomplished as planned.
target. The second MSE intercepted the target; the first • During flight test 7-2A, Patriot demonstrated the capability to
interceptor failed to launch. kill a tactical ballistic missile target with an MSE interceptor
• During PDB-6.5 flight test P6.5-2 at WSMR in March 2010, in the extended MSE battlespace. The in-flight interceptor
Patriot fired a GEM and a PAC-2 missile at one ballistic performance was consistent with preflight predictions and
missile target and then fired a GEM-C and PAC-2 missile at a body-to-body impact was achieved, resulting in the destruction
second ballistic missile target, intercepting and killing the first of the target. Patriot was to have fired two MSE missiles
target with a GEM and killing the second target with a PAC-2 during this flight test, but the first MSE suffered a seeker reset
missile. and failed to launch. The cause of this seeker reset is still
• The next Patriot operational test, the PDB-7 LUT, is scheduled under investigation.
to begin in 4QFY11. • During PDB-6.5 flight test P6.5-2, Patriot demonstrated the
capability to kill a tactical ballistic missile target with a GEM
Assessment interceptor and then engage and kill a second tactical ballistic
• The PDB-6.5 LUT was the first operational test to use two missile target in the presence of the debris cloud from the first
synchronized hardware-in-the-loop systems, which allowed the intercept. Three of the four interceptors behaved nominally,
integrated air picture from two batteries to be presented to the but the GEM-C fired against the second target exhibited a fuze
battalion. The Patriot PDB-6.5 system showed improvements anomaly that resulted in a missile self-destruct prior to target
in performance against some threat types but degradations in intercept. The PAC-2 missile fired against the second tactical
performance against other threat types. ballistic missile target did successfully destroy the target.
- The total Patriot system performance against anti- • The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to conduct the
radiation missiles and air-to-surface missiles could not be first Ballistic Missile Defense System operational flight test
determined because Patriot interceptor lethality data does (FTO-01) in FY12. FTO-01 will include Aegis, Terminal
not yet exist for these threats. High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and Patriot intercept
- The total Patriot system performance against cruise attempts against three ballistic missiles. Although Patriot and
missiles, fixed-wing aircraft, or unmanned aerial vehicles THAAD can together provide a robust defense if Patriot is able
could not be determined because the Lower Tier Project to intercept threats that THAAD does not kill, MDA and the
Office has not performed the simulation runs necessary Army are not currently planning to demonstrate this capability
to characterize Patriot interceptor lethality against these in FTO-01.
threats.
- Patriot failed to meet the firing battery reliability Recommendations
requirement and PDB-6.5 testing was not adequate • Status of Previous Recommendations. The Army satisfactorily
to determine Patriot maintainability or operational addressed two of the previous ten open recommendations.
availability. Recommendations concerning conducting Patriot testing
- Patriot system complexity has exceeded the current during Joint and coalition exercises; upgrading the
operator capabilities and training. Patriot hardware-in-the-loop systems to model electronic
- Information assurance testing revealed some countermeasures and identification, friend or foe systems;
improvements, but the crew had pre-knowledge of the updating the Patriot Test and Evaluation Master Plan;
penetration test. Testing, therefore, provided biased data conducting a Patriot flight test against an anti-radiation missile
with regard to operator responses to cyber attacks. target; providing probability of kill tables for all required
• During the ATM-48 missile flight test, a transmitter arc threats prior to the start of operational tests; reviewing the
experienced in the Patriot ground radar during the engagement risks of not conducting all flight tests against ballistic missiles
of the ATM-48 target with the first GEM-T interceptor led using two interceptors; planning to conduct an IOT&E prior to
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the MSE full-rate production decision; and conducting a robust 2. Conduct future Patriot information assurance testing as
Force Development Experiment prior to PDB-7 operational an integrated part of operational testing rather than as a
testing still remain. dedicated information assurance test so the crews will not
• FY10 Recommendations. In addition to addressing the above know when to expect cyber attacks.
recommendations, the Army should: 3. Have Patriot participate with live interceptors in THAAD
1. Improve Patriot training to provide the level of expertise flight testing to demonstrate that Patriot can intercept targets
required for PDB-6.5 operations. not killed by THAAD.
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