Patriot PAC-3 Hit-To-Kill Interceptors Also Pack A Little-Known Explosive Warhead
Patriot PAC-3 interceptors are touted as hit-to-kill weapons that destroy targets by smashing JUN 2, 2023

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...plosive-warhead

While PAC-3-series interceptors for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system, like those now being used in Ukraine, are often described as purely hit-to-kill weapons, that really isn't the whole story. In actuality, they have a hybrid design that includes a so-called "lethality enhancer" that contains an explosive charge. This component is designed to create a cloud of metal fragments around the missile's body specifically to improve the chance of scoring a hit against an air-breathing target like a cruise missile.

The lethality enhancer came up in discussions after the tail end of a PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI) interceptor fell on a highway in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday. The PAC-3 CRI had been fired at incoming Russian missiles.

The lethality enhancer has been a feature on all PAC-3 interceptors since the baseline version first entered U.S. Army service in 1995. The PAC-3 missile, first developed under the Army's Extended Range Interceptor (ERINT) program, represented a significant departure from earlier missiles for the Patriot system.

Most immediately noticeable is the fact that PAC-3s are significantly smaller than PAC-1 and PAC-2-series missiles. This is due to it being designed primarily as a hit-to-kill interceptor. The general definition of a hit-to-kill weapon is one that destroys its target through the sheer force of impact, rather than using a typical explosive fragmentation warhead. When it comes to surface-to-air missiles, this method of operation requires a highly agile platform. It also means the interceptor doesn't need to have room and weight set aside for a more traditional warhead.

https://www.thedrive.com/uploads/20...-comparison.jpg

https://www.thedrive.com/uploads/20...c-3-targets.jpg

PAC-3 Missile: How The System Works

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU9C2iLm764

Why the above subject came up:

Ukraine Situation Report: Spent Patriot Missile Narrowly Misses Kyiv Motorists
New video shows the air defense munition falling between cars during Monday’s Russian cruise and ballistic missile barrage on Kyiv.
MAY 31, 2023

Photos of the large debris on the ground:

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...-kyiv-motorists

Footage of Patriot missile debris falling onto a busy highway in Kyiv on May 29, narrowly missing the driver's side of a car:

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1663840894980694017

__________________
The other day I sat next to a woman who has a profound fear of flying. I wanted to comfort her, so I said, "Don't worry, we're not gonna' crash. Statistically, we got a better chance of being bitten by a shark." Then I showed her the scar on my elbow from a shark attack. I said, "I got this when my plane went down off of Florida." - Dennis Regan