Jane Edwards
Orbital ATK has demonstrated its air-launched intermediate-range ballistic missile target in support of the test flight program for the Missile Defense Agency“™s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
The Orbital ATK-built IRBM target simulated a ballistic missile threat after being launched from a C-17 aircraft and transported by parachutes prior to ignition, the company said Tuesday.
The IRBM target uses the firm“™s Orion solid rocket motors originally built for Pegasus space launch vehicle.
Orbital ATK“™s contract ceiling for the IRBM target program is worth approximately $1.4 billion and the company is developing 16 target vehicles through 2019 with options for additional missile targets.
The company also manufactures ramjet-propelled, short-range missile targets for the U.S. Navy in support of self-defense exercises for naval ships and has launched at least 200 target vehicles across 11 launch sites worldwide in the past three decades.
