U.S. Army Plans to Boost Patriot Systems by 25%
The U.S. Army plans to deploy four new battalions equipped with Patriot missile defense systems over the next few years to alleviate the strain on existing air defense units.
General James Mingus, Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, revealed this during a conversation with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), as reported by The War Zone.
Army leadership believes that current units operating Patriot systems have become increasingly overburdened and are struggling to meet operational demands due to their limited numbers.
“Patriot is our most stressed force element. We have 15 Patriot battalions in the Army, one of which is going through a major kind of redo. So, really, 14 are available. We have three that are assigned in the Indo-Pacific, one that’s assigned at EUCOM [U.S. European Command], and the rest are service retained,” Mingus said.
In his calculations, the Deputy Chief of Staff did not include two additional Patriot battalions located within the United States, which are solely dedicated to personnel training and are not deployed units.
A typical Patriot battalion consists of a headquarters and 3 to 5 air defense batteries. Each battery includes up to eight launchers, a command post, an AN/MPQ-65 radar, as well as communications and support equipment.
“We know we have to grow that. We have plans on the table to build a 16th, 17th, and 18th,” Mingus continued. “And that’s not to include the Patriot battalion that we’re going to put in Guam as part of the Guam defense system.”
During his speech, Mingus also stated that the effectiveness of each individual battalion will significantly increase with the introduction of the new LTAMDS air and missile defense radar and the integrated battle management system, IBCS.
“So, if you’ve heard the term IBCS and LTAMDS, LTAMDS is the new radar. So instead of what we have today, with our Q-series [AN/MPQ-65] radars that have about a 270-view look, which grows, or kind of negates how much coverage that you can have, the new LTAMDS is 360 [degrees].”
“It also goes from about 85 kilometers [close to 53 miles] up and 85 kilometers out to 300 by 300 [kilometers; around 186 miles]. So [it] greatly expands the range, the altitude, and it’s a 360,” the general continued. “So you could take those same 15 Patriot battalions we have today, give it [sic] IBCS and LTAMDS, and fundamentally when you operationally employ it, it’s, like, immediately doubling that capability. You would have the equivalent of about 30 Patriot battalions, because instead of having to deploy as batteries, you can break them up and disperse them in a much more tactical way.”
During his appearance at CSIS, Mingus also explained that the U.S. Army plans to enhance Patriot systems with new IFPC medium-range systems, which will enable a layered air defense. The primary missile for the IFPC initially will be the AIM-9X Sidewinder. The Army is also seeking a second missile option optimized against cruise missiles, with capabilities similar to the AIM-120D AMRAAM but sized like the AIM-9X.
“The IFPC battalions that are coming online will help offset that [demand for Patriot] as well, even though it’s not quite the same capability,” the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army said. “In some environments, that [IFPC] actually is more appropriate to apply than a full-up Patriot battalion.”
Mingus also raised the possibility of future Army air defense battalions with a mix of Patriot and IFPC systems. This is all notably in line with comments from last year from Army Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, head of that service’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC).
