A November 4 incident in which Yemen fired a ballistic missile at a site near the airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh was presented at the time as having been foiled by US Patriot missiles fired to intercept the missile. Experts are expressing growing doubts about that.
Researchers analyzing the remnants of the Yemeni missile, which actually did hit its intended target, say that the missile having split into two pieces was not a sign that the interceptors actually worked, but rather something the missile was built specifically to do.
Rather, the evidence suggests the Patriot missiles either missed their target entirely, or only hit the back half of the missile after the warhead was already split off of it, and either way it didn’t do any real good.
Missile defense systems, especially interceptors, are massively expensive, but their effectiveness has long been in serious doubt among scientists, who note that stated effectiveness rates for such defensive weapons are not only highly unlikely, but in many cases physically impossible give the nature of interception.
Patriot missiles are among the most wildly sold such missiles in the US arsenal, however, and if they really did have such a high-profile failure, it’s likely to damage the brand’s popularity as a weapon of export.
Of course it failed. The only surprising thing is that it’s been admitted to have failed.
The Saudis – and the US – have not “admitted” anything as yet. The belief that the system “failed” was made by “an arms expert and researchers” who were not a part of the Saudi or US government.
It depends on your definition of “failed.” The arms merchants got their millions, the congresscum got their campaign donations, the worthless government maintains its power structure, freedom took the required beating as always…..Sounds like a total and complete success from the perspective of the government and its friends.
The Israelis said they’re worthless.
If Yemen and the Houthis had 5,000 of these missiles the Saudis would be forced to stop their war now but they have only been able to fire about 30 – 50 of these longer range missiles over 2yrs.
This shows the strategic value of conventional, ballistic missiles. So the next time people in the U.S. bray about how Iran’s ballistic missile program is about carrying nuclear warheads, you can laugh in their face, especially if they lie and claim that they are ICBM’s.
That’s the beauty of being able to steal all the money you need, print all the money you need, or sell debt obligations to cover your costs…..you NEVER have to answer to the America people for your never-ending abject failure as a defense department or military contractor. Permanent war for permanent profits – always the American way!!
“wildly sold” is probably right! but there is plenty of failure in the US “defense” system, as the whole arrangement is for offense and to make money for corporations. No wonder the USA is terrified of N. Korean ICBMs and nukes-there is no real defense from them either.