August 28,
2008: As part of the recent agreement to
allow U.S. GBI anti-missile missiles to be based in Poland, is the stationing
of an American Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery in Poland. Originally,
Poland wanted to receive Patriot missile systems, with Polish crews running
them. Sending an American battery instead was a compromise. That unit will
arrive within the next four years.
The U.S.
Army has ten of its Patriot anti-aircraft missile battalions. Each Patriot
battalion has 12-24 launchers (3-6 batteries). Each battery is manned by about
a hundred troops, and contains a radar, plus four launchers. A battery can fire
two types of Patriot missile. The $3.3 million PAC 3 missile is smaller than
the anti-aircraft version (PAC 2), thus a Patriot launcher can hold sixteen PAC
3 missiles, versus four PAC 2s. A PAC 2
missile weighs about a ton, a PAC 3 weighs about a third of that. The PAC 3 has
a shorter range (about 20 kilometers) versus 70 kilometers for the
anti-aircraft version.
While each
Patriot launcher, loaded with PAC 3 missiles, can only defend against ballistic
missiles approaching within 20 kilometers, the Patriot radar can detect targets
out to a hundred kilometers. Two PAC 3 missiles are fired at each incoming
ballistic missile, to increase the probability of a hit. The PAC 3 missile has
its own radar, and uses it to track the incoming warhead, and execute a
collision course.
