Naomi Cooper
Raytheon, an RTX subsidiary, and the U.S. Army demonstrated the ability of a next-generation air and missile defense radar system to acquire, track and intercept a cruise missile during a recently concluded live-fire engagement test.
The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor detected and tracked a threat-representative cruise missile target, transmitted track data to the Northrop Grumman-built Integrated Battle Command System for launch command and guided a PAC-3 missile to intercept the target, RTX said Monday.
The test was conducted more than a month after the Army completed contractor verification testing of LTAMDS at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico where it was connected to the service branch’s IBCS missile defense command and control system.
“Seeing LTAMDS come to life is not only gratifying to the scores of experts who designed and developed it, but it reaffirms the commitment we made to deliver this exceptional radar to air defenders around the globe,” said Tom Laliberty, president of land and air defense systems at Raytheon.
The Army awarded RTX a $384 million contract in 2019 to build and test six LTAMDS prototypes for the service branch.
RTX has built all six radars under the initial contract and is partnering with the Army to perform simultaneous testing at various government and company test sites.
In July 2022, the company was tasked by the Army to manufacture additional radar prototypes under a three-year, $353.9 million contract.
