e system also has the MSQ-104 engagement control station, which is mounted on an M-818 tractor. The Track Via Missile (TVM) guidance system is the heart of the system, (Boyne, Press, 1991, p.163).The Patriot is built around a phased array of radar and fast computers. The missile is launched and guided to the target in three phases. First, the missiles guidance system turns the Patriot toward the target as it flies into the radar beam. Then the computer directs the missile to the target. In the third phase, the missile becomes semi-active as its internal radar receiver guides it to the interception.Typically two missiles are fired at a target, but four would have to be fired at a broken up Scud to insure that at least two attacked the warhead section. The fire units radars generally detected Scuds at about 70 miles, and the unit engaged at 10-20 miles. Alerts were often provided by satellites (DSPs) originally launched to detect Soviet missiles, and the time from alert to engagement was typically 6-7 minutes. The time from engagement to the destruction of the missile was typically 15-18 seconds; the Patriots and the Scud closed on each other at 2,000 to 4,000 ft/sec, (Friedman, Naval Institute Press, 1991, p.327).8Throughout the Gulf War there were continuing military and news reports of the Patriots success in intercepting Scuds. The Army initially said the Patriot achieved an 80 percent success rate in Saudi Arabia and 50 percent in Israel. Those claims later scaled back to 70 and 40 percent respectively.However, not long after the Wars end, analysts began to question the Patriots performance. The Army and Patriots manufacturer, Raytheon Company, vigorously defended the system and said it was a Gulf War success story. And that is why the Patriot missile was one of the most successful and life saving weapons of the Gulf War.DRONES (RVPs)This small, remote-controlled, pilotless plane emerged as a valuable asset in the Gulf War. These rem...
