Instant Alert: This is the Patriot missile defense system that just 'failed catastrophically' in Saudi Arabia

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   This is the Patriot missile defense system that just 'failed catastrophically' in Saudi Arabia by Daniel Brown on Mar 28, 2018, 1:35 PM Advertisement FORT BLISS, Texas — Houthi rebels in Yemen fired at least seven Burqan 2H ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia on Sunday.  The Saudis attempted to intercept the missiles with five US-made Patriot missile defense systems, but the intercepts appear to have failed.  We recently got a chance to see a Patriot system at Fort Bliss, although the artilleryman there declined to comment on its success rate. One person was killed and two more were injured by shrapnel in Sunday's incident, possibly the result of the Patriot Advanced Capability-2, or Pac-2, missiles that the Saudis fired themselves. This is not the first such incident between the Saudis and Iranian-backed Houthis who have been locked in a deadly war in Yemen since early 2015. The Saudi's Patriot system has failed in other Houthi attacks too, but it has also been successful in other ones. Between June 2015 and July 2015, Houthis fired at least 19 missiles at Saudi Arabia, 17 of which were intercepted most likely by Patriot batteries. Here's what we saw at Fort Bliss: SEE ALSO: This is the huge M777 howitzer that US Marines burned out while fighting ISIS in Syria Developed by Raytheon, the MIM-104 Patriot became operational in 1985 and is now the US Army's main missile defense system. The missiles are fired from the M901 Launching station mounted on the back of the M983 Heavy Expanded Mobility Truck. Source: CSIS Each Patriot launcher holds four missile canisters. The Patriot fires two kinds of missiles: the Pac-2s and Pac-3s. The main difference between the Pac-2 and the Pac-3 is that the Pac-3 has a radar transmitter and guidance computer and uses hit-to-kill technology, directly hitting the targeted missile with a small warhead. The Pac-2s, on the other hand, explode near the target to either knock it off its course or explode it.  The Pac-2 replaced the older Pac-1. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network:    Email sent to: nguyenvu1187.love5@blogger.com   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011