Lockheed Martin,
Dallas TX: Lockheed Martin successfully conducted a PAC-3 Missile flight test today at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The test was an engagement against a low-flying, air-breathing target, which was intercepted and destroyed by a PAC-3 Missile. The flight test was conducted by PATRIOT soldiers from the 5th Battalion of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (ADA) Regiment, 11th ADA Brigade at Fort Bliss. The test successfully demonstrated the systems capability to detect, track, engage and destroy an air-breathing target.
The test demonstrated improvements to PAC-3 hardware and software in a realistic battlefield environment.
“After a number of successful tests against Tactical Ballistic Missile threats, PAC-3 has once again demonstrated its ability to also defend against low-flying, air-breathing threats in an increasingly more challenging battlefield environment,” said Richard McDaniel, PAC-3 Missile program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The capability enhancements demonstrated in this test are the culmination of years of development, and will provide our Soldiers continued lethality overmatch against the ever-advancing threat on today's battlefield.”
The PAC-3 Missile is the world's most advanced, capable and powerful theater air defense missile. It defeats the PATRIOT Air Defense System threat: tactical ballistic missiles, evolving cruise missiles and fixed and rotary winged aircraft. PAC-3 Missiles significantly increase the PATRIOT system's firepower, since 16 PAC-3s load out on a PATRIOT launcher, compared with four legacy PATRIOT PAC-2 missiles.
Lockheed Martin achieved the first-ever hit-to-kill intercept in 1984 with the Homing Overlay Experiment, using force of impact alone to destroy a mock warhead outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Further development and testing produced today's PAC-3 Missile, which won a competition in 1993 to become the first hit-to-kill interceptor produced by the U.S. government. The PAC-3 Missile has been the technology pathfinder for today's total conversion to kinetic energy interceptors for all modern missile defense systems.
Currently, the Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis Weapon System, PAC-3 Missile, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System, the MEADS System and the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) utilize this proven advanced technology to deliver lethality against today's most dangerous threats.
