ORLANDO, Fla.: Lockheed Martin achieved a major milestone in the Joint and Allied Threat Awareness System (JATAS) Technology Demonstration program by delivering three prototype systems to the U.S. Navy for testing. JATAS will provide the next generation threat warning system to protect U.S. Navy and Marine Corps rotary-wing assault aircraft, increasing survivability of pilots and aircrews in hostile environments.
Each JATAS prototype system is a tightly integrated package consisting of a laser warning sensor to detect laser guided threats; a missile warning sensor to detect missile and hostile fire threats; and an open architecture processor to process sensor data and provide threat declaration. Goodrich ISR Systems in Danbury, CT, and DRS Infrared Technologies in Dallas, TX, provide the laser warning and missile warning sensors, respectively.
“We focused on developing advanced prototype hardware to ensure we minimized integration risks early and incorporated the same functionality that our tactical system will have,” said Dave Huber, JATAS program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Our team met the aggressive 10-month delivery schedule while remaining on budget. We are confident our prototypes will meet or exceed performance expectations.”
The six-week, government-run test activity will include flight tests on a UH-60 Black Hawk; static, live-fire tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD; and laboratory tests at the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility. NAVAIR and the Naval Research Laboratory will use the Lockheed Martin-provided Digital System Model to evaluate prototype system performance during an independent analysis of test data.
Building on more than two decades of experience in infrared missile warning development and production, Lockheed Martin is providing an affordable, one-system solution for the JATAS program that will help aircraft pilots and aircrews defend against a myriad of threats including hostile fire from the ground, surface-to-air missiles, man-portable air defense systems and laser guided threats.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.5 billion.
