DTN News: Lockheed Martin Successfully Launches Target Missile For Air Defense System Test

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Successfully Launches Target Missile For Air Defense System Test *Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) HUNTSVILLE, Ala - October 17, 2009: Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced that it successfully launched a target missile for October 15th, 2009’s ATM-48 intercept test of the U.S. Army’s Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) air defense system. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) is a surface-to-air guided missile defense system that builds upon the existing Patriot air defense infrastructure (used most notably during the Persian Gulf War in 1991). The new fully operational PAC-3 provides advanced capability against enemy cruise missiles, aircraft, and unlike previous systems, tactical ballistic missiles. PAC-3 production began in late 1999 under a $143 million contract to Lockheed Martin and subcontractors Raytheon and Boeing. The first batch of 16 missiles was delivered to the U.S. Army in September 2001. The Army was initially authorized to manufacture 72 missiles per year, but in 2003 Congress increased PAC-3 production to 96 missiles. The Army plans to build an inventory of 1,159 interceptors. In March 2003, the Army deployed PAC-3 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the war, Patriot interceptors engaged and eliminated two Iraqi missiles using hit-to-kill technology, meaning that the interceptors collided with the Iraqi missiles (like a bullet hitting a bullet), causing complete destruction. Despite its successes, the Army is still testing PAC-3 against larger and faster ballistic missiles. The PAC-3 system consists of four main components: a radar, a command center, a launcher, and the interceptor missiles themselves. In a typical wartime scenario, the PAC-3 radar scans the skies with its overlapping beams, paying close attention to the horizon. Once a target has been detected, the radar immediately determines the speed, altitude, heading, and origin of the threat, and communicates this information via computer to the command center. Under the Missile Defense Agency’s Targets and Countermeasures Program in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, a Lockheed Martin-led team launched the short-range, legacy target from Fort Wingate, N.M. L-3 Coleman Aerospace provided the Hera target vehicle. “We have an exceptionally talented team working this mission,” said John W. Holly, vice president for Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “They put the same operational know-how into launching a ballistic missile as a target as is required for a real-world defensive or offensive mission.” This marked the 33rd successful target mission Lockheed Martin has achieved out of 34 missions since 1996. Lockheed Martin’s unmatched 97-percent reliability rate has included unitary and separating targets, spanning land, sea and air launches. Lockheed Martin performs Targets and Countermeasures program management, design and systems engineering in Huntsville, Ala., Denver, Colo., and Sunnyvale, Calif., and integration in Courtland, Ala. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion. Media Contact: Lynn Fisher, 408-742-7606; cell 408-505-6026; lynn.m.fisher@lmco.com Lockheed Martin Related News....for full stories click on the links below ~ October 15, 2009 Discovering The Unexpected: Researchers Surprised By First Results From NASA’S Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission ~ October 15, 2009 Lockheed Martin Awarded $31M Research Contract To Develop Cyber Information Assurance For Military Networks ~ October 15, 2009 Christopher E. Kubasik Elected By Board Of Directors As Lockheed Martin's President And Chief Operating Officer