US Patriot admits “failure” against Iranian missiles

After 20 days of denying rumors about Iranian missiles evading Patriot systems, the Pentagon was exposed after satellite images revealed the truth.

The incident, which occurred on June 23, contradicted previous statements by US and Qatari defense officials that the defense system was working effectively.

Twenty days after Iran claimed that a ballistic missile had struck the US-owned Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the Pentagon confirmed the incident, admitting that the Patriot missile defense system had failed to intercept the ballistic threat.

"One Iranian ballistic missile struck Al Udeid Air Base on June 23, while the remaining missiles were intercepted by US and Qatari air defense systems," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, noting that Iran's early warning of the attack ensured there were no casualties.

Parnell’s claim was backed up by Sentinel-2 satellite imagery showing the destruction of a $15 million radar dome, suggesting that the US Patriot air defense system deployed within the base had failed at least once in its attempt to intercept an Iranian ballistic missile.

Earlier, on June 23, 2025, Iran launched a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. The attack was part of what Iran called Operation Omen of Victory, carried out with advance warning to Qatar and the US.

The missile Iran used, likely the Fateh-313, is not the most advanced in its arsenal. But the fact that it was able to penetrate the Patriot system shows the serious limitations of the US air defense shield.

This is not the first time the Patriot system has been questioned about its effectiveness. In 2017, Patriot was deployed to intercept a missile launched by Houthi rebels at King Khalid International Airport (Saudi Arabia). Although the Saudi side claimed to have successfully intercepted it, satellite imagery and subsequent independent analysis showed that the missile still hit its target.

In the Al Udeid incident, satellite imagery released by Iran International on July 10, 2025, showed a radar dome completely destroyed, forcing the Pentagon to admit on July 11 that a missile had hit the base, causing minimal damage to equipment.

The delayed admission highlights the US military's practice of concealing damage until it has irrefutable evidence, such as satellite imagery, before officially confirming it.

However, the success of the Patriot system in intercepting most missiles has highlighted their effectiveness, although not absolute, especially in complex attacks, sparking debate about the challenges facing modern air defense systems.

The lack of concrete evidence explaining why the Iranian ballistic missile evaded the Patriot interceptor and struck the radar dome at Al Udeid Air Base suggests that the attack's success may have stemmed from a combination of tactical surprise and potential limitations in the MIM-104 Patriot system.

On the Iranian side, it is possible that it used advanced ballistic missiles with radar-evading technology or maneuverability, which may have chosen trajectories or timing that made interception difficult.

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