---
title: "This Footage Of Patriot Missile Interceptors In Action In Saudi Arabia Is Totally Nuts"
date: "2018-03-26"
modified: "2018-03-26"
authors:
  - name: "Jared Keller"
    job_title: "Former Managing Editor"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jaredkeller/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/saudi-arabia-patriot-missile-video/"
categories:
  - "Around the World"
  - "Middle East"
  - "Missiles"
  - "News"
  - "Tech & Tactics"
  - "Weapons"
tags:
  - "central command"
  - "video"
---

# This Footage Of Patriot Missile Interceptors In Action In Saudi Arabia Is Totally Nuts

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/02/18987569-1.png>)

The Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh has endured semi-frequent [bombardments](<https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/04/middleeast/saudi-arabia-ballistic-missile/index.html>) from Yemeni rebels’ ballistic missiles, launched in retaliation for the Saudis’ aerial intervention in the Yemenis’ ongoing civil war. And the Saudis’ U.S.-made Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) kinetic interceptors recently put on one hell of a light show.

The Saudi military says its air defense neutralized seven incoming ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels on March 25, the New York Times [reports](<https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-yemen-missile-houthi.html>), with fragments of the destroyed munitions showering residential neighborhoods surrounding Riyadh — and lighting up the night sky like the Fourth o’ July, based on eyewitness footage captured during the missile attack.

The footage shows an intense escalation, just days after Yemeni rebels took down a Saudi coalition aircraft with an R-27 air-to-air rocket [reportedly](<https://www.twz.com/19513/aircraft-attacked-over-yemen-with-r-27-air-to-air-missile-modified-into-a-sam>)[modified](<https://www.twz.com/19513/aircraft-attacked-over-yemen-with-r-27-air-to-air-missile-modified-into-a-sam>) into a surface-to-air missile. And for those worried about the Saudi PAC-3s’ reported failures during a Yemeni bombardment back November, Sunday’s performance may serve as a major confidence boost.

But maybe the Saudi countermeasures weren’t all *that* great. Several amateur videos appeared to show a Patriot interceptor completely missing its target, taking a sickly turn, and becoming a ground missile:

New angle suggests this is actually a spectacular failure of a [#Saudi](<https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saudi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw>) interceptor and not the missile fired at [#Riyadh](<https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riyadh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw>)[pic.twitter.com/TejVbA8fh3](<https://t.co/TejVbA8fh3>)

— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) [March 25, 2018](<https://twitter.com/StratSentinel/status/978013802213060608?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw>)

Bummer, right? Well, that ground missile impacted near a highway and scared the bejesus out of civilians, which seems like the total opposite of what air defenses are supposed to do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4iquGhf72k

Just a reminder: You can’t spell America without P-A-T-R-I-O-T.

## Author
Jared Keller is the former managing editor of Task & Purpose. His writing has appeared in Aeon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the New Republic, Pacific Standard, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/jaredbkeller>)  
[Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/jaredbkeller>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredbkeller/>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/jaredbkelller/>)