Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 missile intercepts ballistic missile during testing

DALLAS, Texas, 31 Aug. 2012. In an operational test conducted by the U.S. Army test and evaluation command at White Sand Missile Range, N.M., Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] PAC-3 Missile destroyed a tactical ballistic missile (TBM) target. The test involved three incoming targets; two Patriot-As-A-Target TBMs and one MQM-107 drone. A ripple launch of two PAC-3 Missiles engaged the second TBM. Preliminary data indicate all test objectives were achieved.

This was the third PAC-3 Missile flight test this year. Three additional PAC-3 tests are scheduled for the second half of 2012, including flight tests that will demonstrate the Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) capability in both the Patriot and MEADS systems.

The PAC-3 Missile is a high velocity surface-to-air interceptor that defeats incoming targets by direct, body-to-body impact. The missile evolved from the Strategic Defense Initiative's ERINT missile and is almost entirely dedicated to performing anti-ballistic missile missions. The PAC-3 features a K band active radar seeker, which enables the missile to drop its uplink to the system and acquire its target itself in the terminal phase of the intercept.

Lockheed Martin’s Dallas facility is the prime contractor on the PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade to the Patriot air defense system. The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 Missile, the PAC-3 Missile canisters, the fire solution computers and the enhanced launcher electronics system.