PAF PERSONNEL BRIEFED ON AMERICAN PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEM

Dateline Kamuning:

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has been briefed on the operations and other specifications of the American-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

In a statement over the weekend, PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said it was made possible during the air and missile defense subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) conducted by the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade of the United States Army at Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command in San Antonio, Zambales on April 19.

(SMEs from 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade of the US Army providing an informative learning session about their tour of duty with the Patriot Missile Defense System to 960th AMDG personnel.)

"During the learning session, subject matter experts from the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade discussed the operations, role, various specifications, capabilities, and key parts of the Patriot missile defense system involving the radar set, engagement control station, missile launchers, and the Patriot missile," she said.

The Patriot is one of the premier missile systems of the United States and is classified as high to medium air defense system.

The SMEE is part of the ongoing "Balikatan" exercises which started April 11 and will end on the 28th.

PAF participants are from the 960th Air and Missile Defense Group (AMDG), the operator of the newly activated ground-based air defense system (GBADS) consisting of SPYDER medium-range missiles from Israel.

The first two GBADS batteries were commissioned and activated by the PAF on Nov. 8 last year.