MIM-104 Patriot

The MIM-104 Patriot is a mobile interceptor missile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary such system used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar component of the weapon system. The AN/MPQ-53 at the heart of the system is known as the "Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target", which is a backronym for "Patriot". In 1984, the Patriot system began to replace the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary high to medium air defense (HIMAD) system and the MIM-23 Hawk system as the U.S. Army's medium tactical air defense system. In addition to defending against aircraft, Patriot is the U.S. Army's primary terminal-phase anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system. As of 2016, the system is expected to stay fielded until at least 2040.

Patriot uses an advanced aerial interceptor missile and high-performance radar systems. Patriot was developed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, which had previously developed the Safeguard ABM system and its component Spartan and hypersonic Sprint missiles. The symbol for Patriot is a drawing of a Revolutionary War–era minuteman.

The MIM-104 Patriot has been widely exported. Patriot was one of the first tactical systems in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to employ lethal autonomy in combat. The system saw poor performance in the 1991 Gulf War, without any confirmed interceptions of Iraqi Scud missiles, but made successful intercepts in the 2003 Iraq War. In August 2014 batteries first downed UAVs when Israeli Air Defense Command engaged two Hamas drones during the 2014 Gaza War. Patriot systems have been used since 2015 by the Saudi and Emirati air forces in the Yemeni civil war, against Houthi missiles. Since 2023, Ukraine has operated Patriot systems in the Russo-Ukrainian war, downing Russian Su-34 and Su-35 fighters, Mi-8 helicopters, and Kinzhal ballistic missiles.