Raytheon Co, maker of Patriot missiles, radar and other military equipment, reported that it successfully completed “Sense Off” technical testing of U.S. Army’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS.
The two-week missile defense demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico highlighted Raytheon’s readiness to deliver mission-critical LTAMDS capability to the U.S. Army.
“Raytheon’s clean-sheet approach and decades-long investments in gallium nitride technology allowed us to demonstrate and deliver a mature solution that will meet the Army’s initial operational capability,” said Tom Laliberty, vice president of integrated air and missile defense at Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business.
In addition to significant Raytheon investments, strategic industrial partners Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Cummings Aerospace, IERUS Technologies, Kord, Mercury Systems, and nLogic were integral to achieving the Army’s accelerated sense-off timetable.
“Our industrial partners contribute the unique technology and capabilities necessary to ensure our LTAMDS solution supports service members,” said Doug Burgess, Raytheon’s LTAMDS program director.
According to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, the LTAMDS is developing to replace the current Patriot radar.
According to Jen Judson from Defense News, LTAMDS program had a slow and indecisive start. But ever since air and missile defense became a top modernization priority for the Army under the new Army Futures Command, the service has moved forward to launch a competition.
As a result of the sense-off, the Army plans to choose one vendor to build six prototypes by the end of fiscal 2022 to prove whether the radar can be built. A follow-on contract for 16 additional radars is expected, according to the request.