Raytheon and Boeing just shot one down for the Gipper, on September 1st they took out a missile in space with their GMD system and the Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle: (Don’t you love engineer-speak? Just call it EKV for short.)
Raytheon Company components played key roles in the destruction of a ballistic missile target in the latest successful flight test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system conducted Sept. 1. The Raytheon-built Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) intercepted the ballistic missile target in space over the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Raytheon-developed Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., successfully tracked the target system for approximately 15 minutes during its flight downrange to the test several hundred miles west of California. The test marked the first time an operationally configured ground-based interceptor was launched from an operational GMD site, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The target was launched from Kodiak, Alaska. This test, designated Flight Test-2 (FT-2), did not have a target interception as a primary objective, but it demonstrated the EKV’s ability to successfully detect, track, discriminate and destroy a target in space. “This highly successful test of the GMD system demonstrates Raytheon’s systems performance and reliability,” said Louise Francesconi, Raytheon Missile Systems president. “FT-2 clearly demonstrates the maturity of our technology and our ability to provide this critical capability to the nation.”
Kudos also to Northrup-Gruman.
Continuing the good news Lockheed Martin also successfully extended the capabilities of theater defense this weekend as well:
Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile successfully intercepted and destroyed an incoming Tactical Ballistic Missile (TBM) target yesterday during a flight test at White Sands Missile Range, NM. This was the 19th successful flight test out of 22 conducted to date. During the flight test, two PAC-3 Missiles were “ripple-fired” at an incoming Patriot-As-A-Target, a legacy Patriot missile modified to represent a TBM. Preliminary data indicates the target was destroyed and all test objectives were achieved.Objectives of the test included demonstrating software improvements in both the PAC-3 Missile segment and software enhancements of the associated ground system. Additionally, the test demonstrated the systems’ capability to detect, track, engage and intercept a threat-representative short range TBM target. This flight test repeats the November 2005 mission in order to address remaining test objectives that were not fully met during that test.
“Lockheed Martin is focused on delivering advanced technologies and systems that the U.S. government and its allies can rely on,” said Richard McDaniel, director – PAC-3 programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “When the stakes are highest, our customers rely on proven hit-to-kill technology to assure the maximum level of protection for troops and assets.”
No other theater air defense missile can match the PAC-3 Missile in its ability to defeat the entire Patriot TBM threat
Good. This is just one piece. We need the point anti-missile defense for short range cruise missle and depressed trajectory missile firings (from subs or off shore cargo ships). These will be tougher. Anyways, just the success here complicates the calculations of possible enemies.
Right, we need the Katushya antidote pronto.