Accession Number ADA560833
Title PAC-3: The Evolution of a System from Concept to Deployment.
Publication Date 2011
Media Count 3p
Personal Author S. W. Lang
Abstract As we mark the 20th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, it is fitting to focus upon the theater and one of USASMDC/ARSTRAT's contributions to the fight. As the nation prepared for war in 1990, no systems specifically designed for TMD were available. The nearest solution was the Patriot anti- tactical ballistic missile capability 2, designed by the U.S. Army Missile Command. Developed to counter the growing threat of tactical ballistic missiles, however, the Patriot Advanced Capability 2, or PAC-2, was not yet scheduled to begin production, In the fall of 1990, the PAC-2 was rushed into production. Deployed to provide air defense for ports, airfields, logistical bases, and C2 centers, 3000+ Patriot missiles (Patriot, PAC-1 and PAC-2) were transferred to the battlefield. During the war, 158 PAC-2s were launched against Scud targets. Following the Persian Gulf War, there was an increased interest in the R&D and T&E of TMD systems. The Extended Range Interceptor, or ERINT, a follow-on to the FLAGE, incorporated such component upgrades as miniaturized components, aerodynamic fins, and attitude control motors which extended its range. Following a 1989 final design review, officials concluded that this high velocity hit-to-kill missile would be used primarily against maneuvering tactical missiles and secondly against air-breathing aircraft and cruise missiles. Elevated to project status in 1992, the ERINT successfully completed intercepts of theater ballistic missile targets and an air-breathing drone in 1994. At this point the ERINT was pitted against a proposed upgraded Patriot/PAC-2. The Acquisition Review Council subsequently concluded in favor of the ERINT as the new PAC-3 interceptor. The Army ultimately pursued a three- phased deployment for the PAC-3. The PAC-3 Configuration 3 was deployed in March 2000. The Pentagon declared the PAC-3 combat ready in August 2002, and it was first used 5 years later against Iraqi short-range SSMs during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Keywords Air breathing aircraft targets
Army research
Cruise missile targets
Desert storm operation
Erint(Extended range interceptor)
Evolution(General)
Fragmentation warheads
Guided missile targets
History
Hit to kill missiles
Interceptors
Iraqi war
Nato
Pac-2 interceptor
Pac-2(Patriot advanced capability-2)
Pac-3 interceptor
Pac-3(Patriot advanced capability-3)
Persian gulf war
Radar tracking
Reprints
Scud missile targets
Short-range surface-to- surface missile targets
Surface to air missiles
Surface to surface missiles
Tactical ballistic missile targets
Test and evaluation
Theater missile defense
Threats
Us army strategic defense command
Ussr

 
Source Agency Non Paid ADAS
NTIS Subject Category 74B - Antimissile Defense Systems
74G - Military Operations, Strategy, & Tactics
75G - Surface-Launched Missiles
63H - Radiofrequency Detection
Corporate Author Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Colorado Springs, CO. Army Strategic Forces Command, Future Warfare Center.
Document Type Journal article
Title Note Journal article.
NTIS Issue Number 1222
Contract Number N/A

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