Patriot Missile Hits Target in Test of Upgraded ICBS Radar

November 13, 2024

The latest test of Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) missile hit its target with an upgraded radar as part of the U.S. Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), pictured here, at Red Stone Arsenal, Alabama, in December 2023. (Image: Program Executive Office Missiles and Space)

Lockheed Martin's Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) missile successfully integrated with Raytheon’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radar to defeat an advanced Tactical Ballistic Missile (TBM), during a recent test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

The test validated new software updates that ensures PAC-3 can defeat evolving threats within the U.S. Army’s modernized Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) architecture. During the flight test at White Sands Missile Range, PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) and Cost Reduction Interceptor (CRI) confirmed the ability to detect, acquire, track and engage an advanced TBM target. The interceptors were shot in a ripple configuration and successfully engaged and intercepted the TBM target.

This was the fifth of a series of exercises, increasing in complexity, to effectively demonstrate the radar’s performance and integration with the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). A tactical ballistic missile surrogate was launched, flying at high speed and at a long range, representing a current and relevant threat. LTAMDS acquired and tracked the target, passed track data to IBCS, and LTAMDS guided the PAC-3 to intercept.

PAC-3 uses “Hit-to-Kill” technology to defend against threats through direct body-to-body contact that delivers exponentially more kinetic energy on the target than can be achieved with blast-fragmentation mechanisms. PAC-3 is effective against current and evolving threats including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, advanced threats including hypersonics, and cruise missiles.

A computer-generated image of Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) missile. (Image: Lockheed Martin)

“Integrating PAC-3 with new, advanced systems to deliver next-generation deterrence capability is a critical piece of the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy,” said Brian Kubik, Vice President of PAC-3 Programs, Lockheed Martin.

LTAMDS is a new, advanced sensor developed to replace the current Patriot radar. It is a radar designed to defeat advanced and next-generation threats, including hypersonic weapons, or those that fly faster than a mile a second. The system has three antenna arrays – a primary array on the front, and two secondary arrays on the back. They work together, detecting and engaging multiple threats from any direction at the same time.

The LTAMDS development program has been executing to an aggressive schedule, with the first six prototype units rotating through simultaneous testing and integration at multiple Raytheon and Army test sites. Tests have increased in complexity to stress the radar and prove its capabilities against real and representative threat sets. Throughout, LTAMDS has met complex test objectives and showcased the performance of this transformational radar. While rigorous testing continues in 2024, the program is expected to achieve Milestone C, the official transition from development to production, by the second quarter of 2025.

“The progression of the LTAMDS program has been remarkable – from a sense-off and contract award in 2019, successful testing in 2023, to the program’s planned entry into production early in 2025 – that is unprecedented for a new development program,” said Tom Laliberty, President of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. “It is a testament to a strong government-industry partnership that, together with the Army, we have designed and developed the most advanced air and missile defense radar, capable of defeating the complex threats of today and tomorrow.”

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