Lockheed Martin has conducted the second Production Qualification Test (PQT) for the new Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead recently at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Four rockets were fired from a M270A1 launcher and destroyed their respective targets approximately 17 kilometers away. This test follows the initial successful PQT test conducted in October 2013.
“Production Qualification Tests confirm our rocket design is in compliance with customer requirements,” said Ken Musculus, vice president of Tactical Missiles for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This successful test signifies we are on the right track to deliver a reliable, high-quality product to our customer.”
In April 2012, Lockheed Martin received a $79.4 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop the Alternative Warhead program. Under the terms of the contract, the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development phase of the program runs 36 months, focusing on system performance, warhead qualification and producibility.
The Alternative Warhead is designed to engage the same target set and achieve the same area-effects as the former GMLRS submunition warhead, but without the lingering danger of unexploded ordinance. The Alternative Warhead is being developed by ATK under subcontract to Lockheed Martin.
The Alternative Warhead program is part of a U.S. Department of Defense plan to create a GMLRS variant which meets the DoD’s cluster munition policy. The Lockheed Martin GMLRS Alternative Warhead program will also be compliant with the provisions of the Convention on Cluster Munitions international treaty.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is a 2012 recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance excellence. The Malcolm Baldrige Award represents the highest honor that can be awarded to American companies for achievement in leadership, strategic planning, customer relations, measurement, analysis, workforce excellence, operations and business results.
