White Sands Team Tests Upgraded Patriot Missile

  A Patriot Advanced Capability Three Missile Segment Enhancement missile
fired from White Sands Missile Range in the early morning Dec. 10
intercepted a Juno target fired from Fort Wingate, New Mexico, outside of
Gallup, New Mexico.
The firings were conducted to test the capability of the Patriot system
using PDB-8 battle command system software to detect, classify, engage and
kill a threat representative tactical ballistic missile with a PAC-3 MSE
missile.
The target was a 50-foot, two-stage ballistic missile. The first and second
stages were provided by Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and the re-entry vehicle
was provided by Orbital Corporation. The build-up and integration of the
missile and re-entry vehicle was also done by Orbital. The Juno was launched
straight up into the sky and left the Earth's atmosphere before curving down
into WSMR's expansive range. The Juno dropped its first-stage booster in a
designated booster drop zone located in the Cibola National Forest near
Datil, New Mexico, where a WSMR Army Air Detachment helicopter was waiting
to recover the booster.
Cities hundreds of miles away saw the corkscrew-shaped contrail that was lit
up by the early-morning sun due to crystallized water vapor in the
atmosphere. The WSMR Public Affairs Office received several media calls from
Los Angeles to Albuquerque where the contrail was visible.
The off-site launch was the fifteenth target launch conducted in support of
the Patriot Program, and the first off-site launch since September of 2012.
WSMR began using Fort Wingate in 1997 to conduct target launches in support
of Patriot, according to Target Test Officer James Fernandez.
"The successful test was one in a series and was the culmination of more
than a year's worth of work for several of our team members," said Material
Test Directorate Director Jerry Tyree. "This test was only possible because
of their dedication, passion and expertise. These are very complex and
highly-technical tests focused on collecting data to ensure the Patriot
System upgrades are effective, suitable and survivable before they are
fielded to the Soldiers charged with utilizing them to protect our Nation."
Approximately 500 WSMR employees worked on everything from ammunition, site
prep, communications, test conduct, instrumentation, data collection and
transport, test engineering and analysis for the execution of the test with
several employees spending months at Fort Wingate, an old military depot
approximately 300 miles to the northwest of WSMR.
"Fort Wingate is not operational daily, only when tests are scheduled,"
Tyree said.
Todd Harris, a test conductor for the Patriot test said that he came out six
months prior to the test to start cutting bushes, conducting pest control,
fixing fences and repairing roads.
"It may sound like little jobs, but you have to take care of these types of
things to get ready for this kind of test," Harris said. "We have to ensure
Fort Wingate is in perfect condition to receive and launch the target
missile."
Two months prior to the launch, the Juno missile was delivered in seven big
pieces. Orbital engineers spent the eight weeks assembling the missile,
ensuring every detail was triple or quadruple checked.
During the summer when Fort Wingate was being spun up for the Dec. 10
launch, Darren Halterman, a telecommunication specialist in the Information
Management Directorate, was told that there had been a fire inside the
communications bunker which destroyed critical communications systems within
the bunker that affected communication from Fort Wingate to WSMR. Halterman
and Telecommunication Specialist Ricardo Vigil spent several weeks repairing
and installing miles of wires to restore internet, phone lines, voice
networks and other communication necessities for a launch in concert with
WSMR.
On launch day there were two command and control centers operating; one at
Cox Range Control Center on WSMR and one Transportable Range Augmentation
and Control System at Fort Wingate. Both teams reported to work eight hours
prior to the launch and worked tirelessly through the night and early
morning to T-time. WSMR meteorologists released several weather balloons and
analyzed the data to determine if the conditions were right for the launch.
Dozens of radar, telemetry and optics specialists sat in their seats as they
anxiously stared at their screens. Safety personnel were focused on watching
the path of the missile to ensure public safety as their hand hovered by the
destruct button they could press if anything went wrong. Hundreds of other
WSMR personnel were at their posts, ready to support the test which would be
seen by millions.
At approximately 7 a.m. all systems were green and the launch occurred
flawlessly, culminating in the successful completion of this highly
technical and complex test.
"This test was conducted to prove that the Patriot can do everything we
upgraded it to do," said Patriot Test Officer Bill Elowitz. "We have made
the Patriot into an even more capable missile, which will continue to save
lives and bring our troops home to their families."
WSMR and the project office will spend the next several weeks analyzing all
of the data collected from the missile and booster.
"The analysis will provide invaluable feedback to us on the inner workings
of both the Juno and Patriot so that we can continue to improve the
capabilities of both the target system and the weapon system," Tyree said.