In News
- Recently, the U.S. finally announced that it would send the Patriot, its most advanced ground-based air defence system, to Ukraine.
Patriot Missile System
- The Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target).
- Initially developed as a system to intercept high-flying aircraft, by U.S. aerospace and defence giant Raytheon Technologies Corp.
- The Patriot system’s radar has a range of over 150 km and it can track over 50 potential targets at the same time.
- Usage:
- Currently, Patriot batteries can defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, jets and “other threats”.
- It has been deployed in 18 countries, including the U.S.
- It is operational across NATO geography.
- It is in high demand in West Asia, where America’s allies such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel have been using it.
- Limitation:
- It doesn’t offer protection against low-flying small drones.
Source: TH
