MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In 2013, following a request by Turkey for NATO military aid, US Patriot missile systems were deployed in the country under Operation Active Fence.
The MIM-104 Patriot mobile medium/long-range SAM system with anti-ballistic missile capability was developed in the early 1970s, first entering service in 1984.
US defense contractor Raytheon has produced over 1,200 launchers and over 8,600 missiles in the last 30 years.
Both Patriot launchers and missiles have seen numerous upgrades and redesigns, including anti-ballistic missile capability.
Apart from the United States, MIM-104s are currently in use by the armed forces of Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
Patriot systems were used by US Armed Forces in the Persian Gulf War and the War in Iraq.
The backronym PATRIOT stands for "Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept On Target."
