The Patriot air and missile defense system and the Soldiers

1.

The Patriot air and missile defense system and the Soldiers who
operate it have become a worldwide symbol of American resolve
and commitment to democracy. Patriot is the world's last and
only line of defense against theater ballistic missiles.
ADA lieutenants may command a
Patriot launcher, fire control, or
maintenance platoon. They will all
serve as tactical control officers
inside the engagement control
station. Platoon leaders train their
crews in emplacement and reload
procedures. They monitor the
Patriot display screen, identifying
and tracking friendly as well as
hostile aircraft. Alerted by satellite
broadcast warnings of a hostile
tactical ballistic launch by satellite,
they watch the screen for the
sinister, pyramid-shaped icons that
represent incoming tactical ballistic
missiles. They issue the launch
command that sends salvos of
Patriot missiles streaking toward
their intercept points.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Patriot
batteries engaged and destroyed every Iraqi
missile fired at Kuwait and at coalition maneuver forces, except those that fell outside of the
engagement envelope or crashed harmlessly
into the desert or ocean.
ADA Patriot officers shoulder a tremendous responsibility. Mission success, the
lives of fellow Soldiers throughout the combined arms team, and the welfare of
civilians in theater population centers depend on their performance.

2.

The Avenger provides shoot-on-the-move air and
missile defense protection to brigade combat
teams, armored cavalry regiments, troops, and
critical assets. This HMMWV-mounted weapon
system tracks and destroys low-flying
helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise
missiles, and fixed-wing aircraft. The Avenger
has a forward-looking infrared sensor, an eyesafe laser rangefinder, a heads-up optical
display, and a remote control unit . This easily
transportable surface-to-air missile fire unit
carries eight Stinger missiles in two missile pods
(one on each side of an all-electric turret) plus an
MP-3 .50-caliber machine gun.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, highly mobile Avenger fire units shielded U.S. maneuver
forces from aerial attack and aerial surveillance as they crashed through Iraqi defenses
on the way to Baghdad. Avenger units also provided escort security for supply convoys
headed north along treacherous Iraqi highways. When the national threat level hits
Orange, Avenger fire units deploy with Sentinel radars to protect the National Capital
Region and other vital assets from terrorist air attacks. In what might be considered plum
assignments, Avengers routinely deploy to provide protection for both the Winter and
Summer Olympics.
Women may serve in all Avenger positions. ADA lieutenants will lead an Avenger
platoon, shadowing maneuver columns to protect battle tanks and fighting vehicles
against attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and fixed-wing aircraft, or they may
deploy fire units to protect airfields, tactical operations centers, and other vital assets.

3.

The Sentinel alerts or cues Avenger and dismounted Stinger teams to hostile and
unknown aircraft, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. It also provides air
situational data to command and control centers.
The Sentinel is the key air surveillance and target acquisition/tracking sensor for shortrange air defense weapons in brigade combat teams and corps. The system consists of
a state-of-the-art three-dimensional battlefield radar that uses modern phased-array
antenna technology and a prime mover with a tactical quiet generator and radios. The
integrated identification, friend or foe system protects against fratricide. The accurate
Sentinel acquires targets sufficiently beyond the forward line of own troops to reduce
short-range air defense reaction time, allowing for engagement at optimum ranges.
Sentinels were an integral part of the air defense structure in Kosovo, Bosnia,
Afghanistan, and Iraq. They routinely deploy to provide air and missile defense in the
National Capital Region and for the Olympics.
Sentinel platoon leaders are responsible for the platoon headquarters, a sensor
maintenance section, and three 10-soldier sensor sections (approximately 36 soldiers).

4.

The Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense
(THAAD) system is a vital part of the
ballistic missile defense system. It will
serve as the upper tier of missile defense
against short- and medium-range ballistic
missiles and is potentially the lower tier of
defense against intermediate ballistic
missiles.
THAAD engages ballistic missiles at longer
ranges, higher altitudes, and over a much
greater area than existing or planned lower
tier systems. Its long range allows THAAD
to engage, assess results, and if necessary,
re-engage ballistic missiles. State-of-theart hit-to-kill intercepts ensure a high
probability of kill and help preclude the
effects of weapons of mass destruction.
The proposed THAAD battery will
consist of two radars, a command
and control element, and nine
launchers with a basic load of eight
missiles each. One THAAD flight
test platoon has already been
fielded.
The tactically mobile THAAD is strategically
deployable by air, rail and ship.

5.

The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile
Defense Elevated Netted Sensor
(JLENS) System is an advanced
sensor system elevated by aerostats.
This system improves the battlefield
commander’s ability to provide wide
area protection against land attack
cruise missiles. JLENS provides the
combatant commander with the
cost-effective, long endurance (up to
30 days), over-the-horizon (OTH)
detection and tracking capability
required to defeat the proliferating
land attack cruise missile threat.
JLENS complements existing fixed-wing surveillance assets by providing longrange wide-area surveillance, precision tracking of airborne and surface targets,
combat identification, and communications interoperability.
JLENS’ 360-degree unobstructed
coverage, high resolution, and day
and night surveillance capabilities
provide enhanced force protection
through better target recognition,
communications relay, and
targeting illumination. Intelligence
dissemination to ground stations
supports ground patrols and
convoys as well as targeting for
fires via voice. JLENS may operate
in either a tethered or untethered
configuration, giving commanders
options such as larger payloads
and increased battlespace.

6.

The Surface-Launched Advanced Range
Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) provides
the warfighter with a tailorable, state-ofthe-art air defense system that can defeat
current and emerging cruise missiles and
a wide range of air breathing threats.
SLAMRAAM combines combat-proven air
superiority credentials with advanced fire
control and battle management,
unparalleled surveillance radar, and
launcher / missile performance.
SLAMRAAM is an open system
architecture that provides fully netted
and distributed operations. Modular
components combine to form a fully
integrated air defense system of
systems. SLAMRAAM maximizes the
warfighter’s capability of early
identification, engagement, and
destruction of the current and
evolving low-altitude cruise missile
threats while improving system
survivability.
SLAMRAAM is essential to the Army’s
overall plan to address the growing
cruise missile and unmanned aerial
vehicle threat. The system should be
organic to every unit of employment
and support units of action. The Army
expects to field the first SLAMRAAM
battalion of 24 fire units by 2008.
The SLAMRAAM is currently operational
and available, combining the fire-andforget AMRAAM missile, the AN/MPQ-64
Sentinel surveillance radar, multiple
launcher options, and a modern, advanced
fire distribution center (FDC) that provides
full control of all missile launcher
functions, to include cueing short-range
air defense units.

7.

The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS)
will protect maneuvering forces and fixed
installations against attack by current and nextgeneration tactical ballistic missiles, low- and highaltitude cruise missiles, remotely piloted vehicles,
maneuvering fixed-wing aircraft, and rotary-wing
aircraft. The total system is designed for rapid
deployment and tactical mobility. Transportable by C130 and A400M aircraft, the MEADS will quickly
deploy to theaters of operation. Once in the forward
zone, the MEADS will be able to move quickly and
keep pace with fast-moving maneuver forces.
MEADS’ multi-canister launcher is mounted on a fiveton wheeled vehicle. Radars provide 360-degree
coverage and operation in jamming environments.
MEADS’ “plug and
fight” flexibility allows
the system to move
with ground forces and
interoperate with allied
forces. The system can
command a fleet of
distributed missile
launchers while
simultaneously
detecting and tracking
hostile forces and targets. MEADS achieves
target destruction
through kinetic energy
released by hitting
targets head-on.