The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, developed by Raytheon, an RTX business, achieved significant technical and performance milestones while completing Contractor Verification Testing at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range. Meeting defined objectives, the tests demonstrated the effectiveness of the radar's design and performance against real and simulated threats.
"The strong performance of LTAMDS at this stage of testing is a critical milestone on the path to achieving an operational capability level by the end of this year," said Tom Laliberty, president of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. "The progress made to date is a testament to our collaborative partnership with the U.S. Army and our shared commitment to getting this exceptional capability to air defense forces around the globe as soon as possible."
Multiple radars were used at WSMR for a series of tests. Executed in phased increments, the Contractor Verification Tests increase in complexity, stressing the advanced features and capabilities of LTAMDS. Throughout testing, LTAMDS was connected to the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, IBCS.
The radar successfully completed 11 mission sets across a range of simulated operationally relevant environments. Results included the effective search and track of multiple targets, including drones, fixed wing and rotary aircraft, cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile surrogates. Tracks were maintained throughout the duration of the test flights as were direct communications with a PAC-3 missile, culminating with a simulated engagement against a TBM.
All six radars under the October 2019 contract have completed production and are undergoing simultaneous testing at various government and Raytheon test sites, conducting integration and test activities in parallel. Events will continue throughout 2023, including ongoing user training, and soldier-conducted operational assessment, culminating with an Operational Capability readiness level by year end. In 2024, rigorous testing will continue, including robust environmental and mobility qualification, and expanded system of system testing, leading up to full Operational Capability in the calendar year.
LTAMDS is the next generation air and missile defense radar for the U.S. Army. A 360-degree, Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, powered by Raytheon-manufactured Gallium Nitride, LTAMDS provides dramatically more performance against the range of threats, from manned and unmanned aircraft to cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and hypersonics.
