us patriot missiles may have failed in saudi arabia
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

US Patriot missiles may have failed in Saudi Arabia

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today US Patriot missiles may have failed in Saudi Arabia

The Scud was "almost certainly" designed to split into two pieces
Washington - Arab Today

When Shiite rebels blasted a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the Saudi capital last month, Riyadh officials said they had intercepted and destroyed the incoming rocket.

But in an analysis published Monday by the New York Times, an arms expert and a research team examined photo and video evidence and found that Saudi Arabia may actually have missed the missile with interceptors from a US-made Patriot defense system.

The November 4 attack was the first missile Shiite rebels had aimed at the heart of the Saudi capital, underscoring the growing threat posed by the raging conflict in Yemen.

As the missile flew over Riyadh, Patriot interceptors blasted into the sky toward the rocket.

Soon after, large parts of the missile fell to the ground, and officials said this was evidence of a successful shootdown.

But around the same time, a large explosion was felt near the Riyadh airport, which was the intended target of the strike.

The Times and researchers, mainly from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, said the bits of missile Saudi officials collected and put on display were all from the back end of the rocket, believed to be a Scud variant, raising the question that the Patriot system may not have worked.

According to the Times, the Scud was "almost certainly" designed to split into two pieces as it neared the end of its 600-mile (965-kilometer) journey from Yemen.

The missile engine and tube are designed to carry the warhead for most of the flight, allowing the smaller and harder to hit warhead to complete the journey to its target.

The Times said evidence suggests either the Patriot missiles missed their target or only hit the back end of the Yemeni missile after the warhead was unleashed.

"Governments lie about the effectiveness of these systems. Or they're misinformed," Jeffrey Lewis, an analyst who led the research team, told the Times.

"And that should worry the hell out of us."

The Pentagon referred questions to Saudi Arabia, which declined to comment to the Times.

The question of missile defenses and their effectiveness has taken on renewed urgency after North Korea tested a missile with the potential ability to strike anywhere in the United States.

The Pentagon says it is confident it could stop such a missile with a "layered" missile defense system, but the system is not infallible and critics fear it would fail in a real-world setting.

Source:AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

us patriot missiles may have failed in saudi arabia us patriot missiles may have failed in saudi arabia

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

us patriot missiles may have failed in saudi arabia us patriot missiles may have failed in saudi arabia

 



GMT 12:11 2017 Thursday ,27 July

Tony Baroud to present new TV show

GMT 23:00 2017 Monday ,16 October

Egypt FM to head for Slovenia on Monday

GMT 20:06 2017 Friday ,20 January

Daesh in new demolitions at Syria’s Palmyra

GMT 21:06 2017 Friday ,24 November

Marriyum condemns Hayatabad terrorists attack

GMT 01:00 2017 Saturday ,25 November

Cabinet Affairs Minister Meets Indonesian Ambassador

GMT 02:34 2018 Thursday ,04 January

Merger creates state-owned gas giant

GMT 10:08 2017 Tuesday ,07 March

Geneva farce: The regime is the opposition

GMT 10:19 2017 Saturday ,18 November

AJK Prime Minister condemns across LoC shelling

GMT 11:34 2017 Wednesday ,22 March

33 Syrians killed in Air raid on Raqqa’s school

GMT 11:03 2017 Wednesday ,01 March

Asala declares her solidarity with George Wassouf

GMT 17:57 2017 Wednesday ,11 October

Mideast nations turn to private sector

GMT 14:11 2016 Wednesday ,30 November

Tunisia wins billion-dollar pledges to boost economy

GMT 23:41 2017 Tuesday ,26 September

Qatar laborer ‘sacked’ after speaking to UN team

GMT 04:28 2017 Tuesday ,21 March

Enrique Iglesias to headline Bahrain F1
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday