Arthur McMiler
Northrop Grumman deployed low-cost target vehicles in tests on the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s capabilities. Nine intercept vehicles, called “Zombie” targets for their repurposed demilitarized rocket motors, were launched during the USASMDC LTZ-3 test mission, the company said.
The targets, tagged as “Black Dagger,” were developed in collaboration with Teledyne Brown Engineering and Peraton for the USASMDC’s Tactical Range Air Defense Missile, or TACRAM, contract. Northrop will continue work in a TACRAM 2 contract up to 2028 valued at $114 million awarded Teledyne in August.
Northrop Grumman’s missile target vehicle portfolio includes six Zombie configurations featuring different capabilities to mimic customer-specified threats.
Three Missile Defense Systems Tested
The tests, conducted from Fort Wingate to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, demonstrated the capabilities of the Integrated Battle Command System, the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 air defense systems.
Robin Heard, Northrop Grumman’s targets director, described the production of low-cost, high-fidelity Zombies as “a critical step” toward protecting the United States and its allies against ballistic missile attacks. “This program highlights the partnership between industry and USASMDC to create cost-effective solutions without sacrificing reliability and performance,” said Heard.
Besides the Army’s TACRAM program, Northrop Grumman is also the prime contractor for the Missile Defense Agency’s ICBM target vehicles.
