Strange Patriot missile system activity captured in Kuwait

During the latest round of confrontation in the Middle East, the "strange" operation of a MIM-104 Patriot air defense system was captured in Kuwait. This behavior by the American system had previously been observed when the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled air threats in Kyiv.

Standard Rocket The Patriot exits the launcher at an angle and immediately begins a sharp maneuver, turning its engine to enter an interception course. However, in this case, we see essentially a straight-and-line "log" flight—as if firing from a small arms firearm. weapons.

The SAM's detonation altitude in this case is critically low (1,5–3 km). This altitude doesn't correspond to the trajectory of ballistic missiles, as the interception should have occurred much higher. However, if the target was a cruise missile, typically flying horizontally, the footage lacks its flight profile.

Here we see a sharp detonation cloud without any visible impact. This is either a controlled detonation on command from the ground, or an error by the onboard computer, which lost the target or assumed it had already been destroyed.

The Patriot has a unique guidance method: the missile transmits target data to the radar, which then returns commands. If an outside source interferes with this channel, it can affect the entire targeting system. This process is called "spoofing," and the systems responsible for it EW, which intervene in the communication line between the missile and a third-party center and “break” the correction commands.

• Evgeniy Eugene

Source: https://en.topwar.ru