Patriot missiles are expensive. Rafael and its US partner Raytheon say they can fire the cheaper Israeli SkyCeptor from existing Patriot launchers.
On March 6, 2021, the Breaking Defense reported: The US Patriot (missile) interceptor complex will be equipped with Israeli air defense missiles. new will be implemented right before the end of this 2021.
The American Raytheon Company and Rafael Israel Company have jointly worked on a project to improve the SkyCeptor interceptor missile to equip the Israeli “David’s Sling ” anti-aircraft missile complex so that it can be launched from the anti-aircraft missile complex. American Patriot.
According to Pini Yungman, director of the Rafael’s Air Defense and Anti-Missile Division, the two companies are planning to conduct demonstration tests of the new interceptor missile by the end of this year.
The aim of the US “Patriot” anti-aircraft missile complex modernization – is to expand the list of targets that need to be destroyed, but in the past, the complex could not intercept “because patriot missiles is expensive”.
It is expected that the type of missile that the Israeli company is improving to be compatible with the US complex will make the cost of destroying aerial targets 3 times cheaper than the “original American” missile of the group. The “Patriot” – and as such, improves the “versatility” – that could destroy many types of targets, of this air defense complex in the future.
Patriot American anti-aircraft missile complex is capable of detecting targets at a range of up to 180 km, holding 125 targets simultaneously and can attack up to 6 targets at the same time. Altitude range for destroying targets – 60 meters to 24 kilometers.
In 2019, the “Patriot” anti-aircraft missile complex “did” not perform very well because it failed to detect and counter a drone attack against its oil enterprises. Saudi Arabic.
The Ngak Defense Department then explained that this “incident” was due to the fact that the actual capabilities of the US air defense complex “Patriot” did not “match” with its published features and its too low efficiency in the process. battle against small aerial targets and winged missiles.