Report to Congress on the U.S. Army’s Patriot Air and Missile Defense System
The following is the Aug. 27, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, U.S. Army’s Patriot Air and Missile Defense System. From the Report The Patriot air and missile defense (AMD) system is an Army ground-based mobile system designed to detect, track, and engage aircraft, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles. Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the cost, availability, and production of Patriot systems and interceptors, particularly in view of conflicts in Iran and Ukraine. Background Patriot is an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target. Beginning development in the
The following is the Aug. 27, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, U.S. Army’s Patriot Air and Missile Defense System.
From the Report
The Patriot air and missile defense (AMD) system is an Army ground-based mobile system designed to detect, track, and engage aircraft, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles. Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the cost, availability, and production of Patriot systems and interceptors, particularly in view of conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.
Background
Patriot is an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target. Beginning development in the 1960s, the first Patriot battalion was activated in May 1982. Originally designed to defend against high-performance aircraft, according to the Army, in January 1991, “Patriot successfully intercepted and destroyed an Iraqi SCUD missile fired at Saudi Arabia. This was the first combat use of the Patriot, and the first time an air defense system destroyed a hostile tactical ballistic missile.”
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