Posted by Skyler Frink

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 6, 2011. Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and industry partner Marotta Controls, Inc., recently completed testing of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) launcher pneumatic cooling system (PCS).

The PCS, a miniature compressor and air filtration system, cools JAGM’s imaging infrared (I2R) sensor, enabling the aircrew to passively acquire and track targets at safe standoff range while the missile is still on the launcher, allowing it to confirm target acquisition. It has a predictive reliability of over 10,000 hours mean time between failure.

The PCS design is based on Marotta’s M-PACT® (Pure Air Compression Technology) system used to cool U.S. Navy AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles. M-PACT is in full rate production at Marotta’s facility in New Jersey, and the company has delivered more than 1,000 systems.

Lockheed Martin’s cooled seeker can passively lock onto targets at long range and offers target discrimination capability. The ability to passively launch JAGMs outside the enemy’s reach allows the aircraft to move on to prosecute other targets or return to base safely.