HA HA HA! Iran is a threat to my armpit and that's about it!

[Spino]

Israel was hit by 39 Scuds, killing two people and wounding hundreds despite constant fire from the Patriot batteries near Tel Aviv. At least 45 percent of the 158 Patriots launched in the Gulf War were aimed against debris or false targets.

When it comes to SAM systems it is standard procedure to launch more than one missile against a single incoming target. There is none of this 'one shot, one kill' nonsense. The best SAM systems are far from 100% effective so you increase the number of missiles fired to maximize your chance of a kill. The more effective each missile is the fewer you need to fire to ensure a hit. This method is particularly effective against piloted enemy aircraft because even the best pilot has trouble dealing with one SAM, let alone two.

Furthermore I believe most SAMs are purposefully not launched simultaneously. By slightly delaying the time between each missile launch (ripple fire) you lower the chance that all of the missiles in your salvo will interfere with one another... while increasing chance that the second or third missile will target & hit the debris created by the successful missile that preceded it (I could swear the Patriot system uses this 'ripple fire' method). This also allows for missiles whose target was terminated to automatically search & track a new target or, depending on the system, be assigned a new target by the fire control radar to avoid wastage (I believe the Aegis system is capable of this). So that's probably why many Patriot missiles targeted falling debris from Scud kills, they were simply doing what they were programmed to do; acquiring and terminating the nearest target.

FYI, the Patriot system has been improved greatly since the first Gulf War.

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/patriot/