The Patriot Missile Failure at Dhahran
The Patriot missile failure at Dhahran concerns the responsibility to communicate known software limitations clearly and urgently. During the Gulf War, a Patriot system failed to track and intercept an incoming Scud missile on February 25, 1991. The missile struck an Army barracks and killed 28 Americans. A small numerical error in the system’s time calculation grew larger the longer the system operated continuously. The battery at Dhahran had been running for more than 100 hours. Information about the growing tracking problem and revised software existed, but the corrected software arrived only after the attack. The ethical issue is whether identifying and preparing a technical correction is sufficient when users have not been given clear interim instructions for controlling the known risk. This case demonstrates that warnings must be specific, understandable, and delivered in time to guide action.