Scout:
The Army recently completed another operational test of its upgraded PATRIOT missile, engineered with next-generation radar, electronics, software and fire control technology to enable the weapon to destroy a wider range of enemy attacks, service leaders said.
“This enables us to reach higher altitudes and increase range,” Brig. Gen. Robert Rasch, Deputy Program Executive Officer, Missiles and Space, told Warrior in an interview. While the Army has of course been upgrading its Patriot missile for quite some time, the enhanced target range and accuracy of these most recent versions seem quite relevant to a pressing need to bolster South Korean ballistic missile defenses in light of the threat of attack from North Korea.
The recent test marked the latest development in a series of radar and targeting upgrades to the Patriot missile designed to increase the range of threats it can destroy — to include more of drones, rotary wing aircraft, cruise missiles, extended range tactical ballistic missiles and high-speed aircraft. Army efforts to upgrade the radar, fire control technology and flight software for the PATRIOT missile are, among other things, designed to sharpen its target tracking ability against approaching enemy attacks.
