How Patriot Missiles Work

The Patriot missile system has a remarkable goal:

It is designed to detect, target and then hit an incoming missile that may be no more than 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 meters) long and is typically flying at three to five times the speed of sound. The upgraded Patriot system can also destroy incoming aircraft and cruise missiles.

The Patriot missile system has been in the news recently for two different reasons:
It is able to shoot down enemy missiles like Iraqi Scud missiles and protect soldiers and civilians from a missile attack. Patriot missile batteries have been activated several times in the current war, and were used extensively in the 1991 Gulf war.

It has shot down one British aircraft and targeted an American F-16. The F-16 fired a missile that destroyed the Patriot missile radar.