This was like a bad science fiction movie in which the computer starts creating false targets. And you have the operators of the system wondering is this a figment of a computer's imagination or is this real.
"They were seeing what were called spurious targets that were identified as incoming tactical ballistic missiles. Sometimes, they didn't exist at all in time and space. Other times, they were identifying friendly U.S. aircraft as incoming TBMs."
That's how KTVT-TV reporter Robert Riggs describes his experience being embedded with a Patriot missile battery during Gulf War II. It's part of a larger examination by "60 Minutes" into the vaunted missile defense system, which attacked friendly targets three of the 12 times they were used during the Iraq conflict.
© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here.
