Patriot PAC-3

Reference data current as of March 2026.

The Patriot system is the backbone of US Army air and missile defence, with a combat record stretching back to the 1991 Gulf War (though PAC-3 represents a fundamentally different capability from the original PAC-1). The PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment Enhancement) variant is a hit-to-kill interceptor with 180 small side-mounted attitude control motors for extreme terminal manoeuvrability, guided by a Ka-band active radar seeker. Its dual-pulse motor extends range over baseline PAC-3. Each launcher can carry 16 PAC-3 MSE rounds (vs 4 for the older PAC-2 GEM+), significantly increasing magazine depth. The PAC-2 GEM+ remains in service as a longer-range blast-fragmentation option for aircraft and cruise missile threats. Both interceptor types fire from the same launcher and use the same AN/MPQ-65 phased-array radar.

• PAC-3 MSE: hit-to-kill with 180 attitude control motors for extreme terminal agility
• 16 PAC-3 MSE per launcher vs 4 PAC-2 — quadrupled magazine depth
• PAC-2 GEM+ provides longer-range blast-fragmentation option
• AN/MPQ-65 phased-array radar for tracking and engagement
• Widely deployed at US Gulf bases and by Gulf state allies
• Combat-proven across multiple conflicts (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine)

PAC-3 has an extensive combat record: first used in the 2003 Iraq War, subsequently deployed across Saudi Arabia and the UAE for Houthi ballistic missile and drone defence, and critical to Ukrainian air defence since 2023. In the Iran-Israel conflict, Patriot batteries at US Gulf bases have defended against Iranian ballistic missiles targeting US installations. PAC-3 MSE's first combat use was in January 2024 against Houthi threats. The system provides the primary US-operated air defence layer for CENTCOM assets in the Gulf region.

• CSIS Missile Threat — Patriot
• Wikipedia — MIM-104 Patriot