From: "Rich Gauszka" 

Much of the patriot missile doesn't work information comes from the Gulf war

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/cbc-f07.shtml

By the time the committee convened, the Army's official assessments of the
Patriot's success rate in the Gulf War had fallen from 100 percent to 25
percent. Generals admitted relying on intelligence reports of ground damage
that were unverified, contradictory, erroneous and misleading.

Interesting article on THEL

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2006/08/a_failure_of_technology.htm
l

....
Through 9/11, the THEL demonstrator detected, tracked and shot down 28
Katyusha rockets.  The MTHEL Test Bed, through changes to its acquisition
and tracking software, also successfully hit five artillery projectiles in
flight.  "We've just turned science-fiction into reality," an
Army general said. "This compelling demonstration of THEL's defensive
capabilities proves that directed-energy weapon systems have the potential
to play a significant role in defending U.S. national security interests
worldwide."  Army boosters spoke of a demonstration in 2004 against
rockets, artillery and mortars as part of the standard force structure of
future ground forces.


In the world of lasers, THEL still had to compete with other programs.  Not
only did the big boys at ballistic missile defense headquarters see a
potential "tactical" system encroaching on their
"strategic" dreams of a defense against the big stuff, but there
were other lasers as well, bigger ($$) lasers, particularly the Airborne
Laser (ABL), a multi-billion dollar program that was part of national
missile defense, the Republican Party favorite.


Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq did nothing for the THEL program, and
priorities in homeland security focused defense money elsewhere, even in
the ballistic missile defense program, which gobbled money for the domestic
U.S. deployments that George W. Bush wanted.  Stationary Mobile Tactical
High Energy Laser testing in New Mexico continued with small amounts of
funding, leading to delays in development.  In 2002, the Army said that a
"dynamic test" could result in battlefield use by 2005.


In late 2003, the Army and the Israeli Ministry of Defense agreed to
continue joint development of the MTHEL.  Northrop Grumman Space
Technology, which took over TRW, was selected in August 2003 to build a
weapon that would be able to shoot down Katyushas, artillery, mortars as
well as unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.  A
"prototype" would be ready by 2007.


"George Sherwood"  wrote in message
news:f9rrq3x887.ln2{at}athlon.p3pilot.gotdns.org...
> On Thu, 10 Aug 2006 13:22:35 +0200, Phil Payne wrote:
>
>>
>> There are some clever buggers out there, who are not - by and large - as
>> corrupt as the US defence industry.  After all, for all the public
>> funding
>> that's gone into Patriot, you would expect it to actually _work_,
>> wouldn't
>> you? And it bloody doesn't.
>>
>> IMO US grunts on the ground are not getting anything like the tools that
>> have been specced for them and promised to them - let down massively by
>> the
>> industrial/defence complex.
>>
>> The other side has a greater (life/death) incentive.
>
> Phil,
> You are completely speaking out your arse here.  Your knowledge that
> Patriot doesn't work is based on what? Gulf I?  Israel?  How many to you
> think have been fired there?
>
> I really don't understand Adam's fascination with Russian kit.  The only
> reason people buy it is because it will be sold to any one (talk about
> your corrupt industries, the entire gray market is made up of Russian kit)
> and it is cheap. I am around their stuff all the time and it sucks.  I
> would like to see what is your real world experience with any sort of
> military kit. Not your usual I had an uncle who once knew something about
> it.  What is your experience that you base these statements on?  I can lay
> mine out for sure and am gaining it on a day to basis.
>
> George

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