The Patriot Missile System: A Review and Analysis of its Acquisition Process.

Abstract

This purpose of this thesis is to research the history of the Patriot weapon system, focusing on the acquisition strategy used in the Project Office, the evolution/upgrades of the weapon system, and the successes, failures, and lessons learned from Desert Shield/Desert Storm. An ana!ysis is conducted to examine the effectiveness of the acquisition strategy in terms of cost, schedule, and performance, the ability of the Project Office to upgrade the system through the Patriot Advanced Capability Programs (PAC), and the performance of Patriot missiles against Scud missile attacks in Southwest Asia. This thesis concludes that the success of the Patriot project can be atributed to a combined evolutionary strategy and a Preplanned Product Improvement (P3I) approach, which allowed the Patriot system to evolve and counter a dynamic threat environment. The thesis offers a number of recommendations for application in future missile system projects.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1994
Accession Number
ADA292073

Entities

People

  • Richard S. Barbera

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Defense
  • Airborne Warning And Control System
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Computers
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Control Systems
  • Defense Systems
  • Electronic Countermeasures
  • Guidance
  • Lessons Learned
  • Logistics
  • Remotely Piloted Vehicles
  • Southwest Asia
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Missile Defense Systems.