Patriot PAC-3 MSE Missile Fired from Mk70 VLS

The U.S. Army and Lockheed Martin test-fired a Patriot PAC-3 MSE air defence missile from a ground-based Mk70 vertical launch system. Lockheed Martin stated that a land-based Mk70 launcher integrated with the AEGIS system fired the missile at a cruise missile target. A test-firing from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will likely follow. The idea of integrating the PAC-3 MSE missile on vertical launch systems has been around for a while. The reasons include the missile’s higher agility compared to the Standard Missile family of air defence missiles thanks to thruster-supported control. This feature gives the missile higher interception rates against ballistic missiles with hit-to-kill capability as it will have 360-degree interception capability. This will also reduce the number of launchers required, as former technology allowed 120-degree coverage and three separate batteries to provide 360-degree full coverage. Repeated ballistic missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea might have led the U.S. to push the integration works to have a quick solution for reliably intercepting the missiles. The initial proposals for PAC-3 MSE included double-packing for vertical launch cells, which was later changed to one missile per cell. PAC-3 MSE is an evolution of the Patriot air defence system’s PAC-3 missile featuring a larger rocket motor to increase the range. PAC-3 MSE retains PAC-3’s main features, such as a thruster-based control system enhancing manoeuvrability at high altitudes where aerodynamic controls become less effective at manoeuvring. This is crucial as PAC-3 is mainly intended against high-altitude threats such as ballistic missiles.