Carl Angelo C.

Magbuo
BSIT 4-1
Topic: Computer Reliability
Sub-Topic: Patriot Missile or MIM-104 Patriot
Opinion Paper No.: 1

Patriot is a mobile, ground-based missile defense interceptor employed by the

United States and several other countries. The Patriot system detects, tracks, and
engages UAVs, cruise missiles, and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles. Patriot
missile systems were used in combat actions in the Middle East during Desert Storm
and Operation Iraqi Freedom to destroy more than 100 tactical ballistic missiles. The
Patriot integrated air and missile defense system is presently in operation by the United
States and its partners and allies worldwide. The Patriot system's five major
components are a radar set, an engagement control center, missile launchers, and
Patriot missiles.

The radar system is made up of an AN/MPQ-53 C-band multifunction phased

array radar system that is controlled remotely by the MSQ-104 control station. The radar
has a range of more than 100 kilometers and can identify and track more than 100
potential targets. The AN/MSQ-104 engagement control station, a single human
component of a Patriot unit, is designed to communicate with launching stations, other
Patriot batteries, and headquarters, as well as track and prioritize targets. The control
station is normally operated by three operators who are in charge of two consoles as
well as a communications station with three radio relay terminals. Each Patriot unit also
includes a power plant truck with two 150-KW generators to power the radar equipment
and engagement control system.

Patriot missiles and missile launchers round up the Patriot system. Each missile
launcher has four canisters that transport, target, and unleash the missiles. In less than
9 seconds, the missile launcher, which may be placed independently of the radar and
control station, can be ready to fire a missile. When the missile is launched, it transmits
data to the radar station, which tracks and aids in guiding the missile to its target. The
Patriot missile has been modified since its first deployment, and variants include the
PAC-2, PAC-3, GEM-T, and PAC-3 MSE missiles.

This is one of the Patriot missile's key system failures. On February 25, 1991,
during Operation Desert Storm, a Patriot missile defense system stationed in Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia, failed to identify and intercept an oncoming Scud. This Scud then hit an
Army barracks, killing 28 people. The purpose of this research is to answer to Rep.
Wolpe's request that the General Accounting Office (GAO) analyze the facts
surrounding this incident and determine whether a computer program flaw was involved.
If this was the case, the Representative requested that GAO provide specifics on the
software flaw and the efforts taken to rectify it. Appendix I details our objectives, scope,
and methodologies.

The Patriot battery in Dhahran was unable to track and intercept the Scud missile
due to a software flaw in the system's weapons control computer. This problem caused
an incorrect tracking calculation, which deteriorated as the system operated longer. At
the time of the catastrophe, the battery had been operating nonstop for more than 100
hours. The problem had progressed to the point that the system was looking in the
wrong place for the oncoming Scud. The Patriot had never previously been used to
defend against Scud missiles, nor was it designed to operate continuously for lengthy
periods of time. Two weeks before to the event, Army officials got Israeli data indicating
a decline in accuracy after the system had been running for eight hours straight. As a
consequence, Army officials modified the software to improve the system's accuracy.
However, the updated software did not arrive in Dhahran until February 26, 1991, the
day after the Scud strike.

The Patriot missile, in general, I believe has fulfilled its primary mission of being
an anti-hostile projectile for defensive purposes; yet such an occurrence as described
above is unlikely to occur due to a tiny human interface error that resulted in system
failure.