The modernized version of the American Patriot surface-to-air missile system (SAM) will be able to shoot down targets "behind its back." Soviet and Russian S-300 anti-aircraft systems have been able to do this since 1978.
Previously, the Patriot could hit targets in a 120-degree sector directly in front of it. To destroy objects outside the zone, the launcher had to turn around.
The first anti-aircraft missile system capable of firing in all directions was the Soviet S-300, which entered service in 1978.
Its launchers used mortar launch technology. A knockout charge pushed the missile out of the transport and launch container, steering engines diverted its nozzle from the launcher, and then the sustainer engine was turned on. The same technology was used in the new S-400 Triumph and, apparently, the S-500 Prometheus.