NASHUA, N.H., 24 July 2007. BAE Systems will develop and test a key component of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Multiple Kill Vehicle payload system.

The company will produce, test, and integrate the system's carrier vehicle seeker for the captive carry testbed under a two-year, $6.3 million contract from Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.

In the event of an enemy missile launch, an interceptor equipped with this payload will track down the target using data uplinked to the BAE Systems seeker aboard the carrier vehicle. Once outside the earth's atmosphere, the seeker will acquire and track all threat objects, including the missile and any countermeasures deployed to disrupt U.S. defenses. The carrier vehicle will then dispense a large number of small "kill vehicles," guiding them to destroy the targets designated by the seeker.

"Success in this key technology demonstration will keep the Multiple Kill Vehicle program on the path of delivering earliest operational capability to the warfighter," says Rick Reginato, Lockheed Martin program director in Sunnyvale, Calif.