Romania has conducted the first live-fire test of its Raytheon Patriot surface-to-air defense system at Capu Midia Training Range in Constanța County.
The assessment consisted of four demonstrations, spread out in a two-day exercise gauging the Romanian Armed Forces’ readiness for the capability.
The test was facilitated by the US Army Security Assistance Command and its Security Assistance Training Management Organization (SATMO).
The Patriot missile system was purchased in a $3.9-billion foreign military sale with the US in 2017 to bolster Romania’s air defense.
SATMO Field Support
As part of the sale, the US Army established the Patriot Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT) of air defense experts that provide on-site support for the Romanian Army’s 74th Patriot Regiment, including training, maintenance, and capability management.
US Army SATMO-TAFT lead Major John Nastus said that the team’s involvement in the test fires were a testament to the US’ dedication to promoting modernization in its ally’s force.
“Our role for the exercise was to help plan and coordinate it. This included helping secure the targets and ensuring they had the equipment they needed, and that subject-matter experts were on hand should anything happen,” he shared.
An All-Weather Capability
Developed by Raytheon, the Patriot missile is a long-range, high altitude, all-weather air defense with a range of 70 kilometers (43 miles), a maximum altitude of 24 kilometers (15 miles), and a flight time of up to three and a half minutes.
The system is equipped with an AN/MPQ-53/65 radar set, allowing it to search, detect, and track targets with track-via-missile guidance subsystems.
The missile system is currently utilized by 18 nations, including Japan, Sweden, and the US.