Air-Launched Missile Target Prototype tested by Lockheed Martin & MDA
NewsMay 13, 2013
HUNTSVILLE, AL. Lockheed Martin and U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) engineers tested a prototype of the air-launched Extended Medium-range Ballistic Missile (eMRBM) target at the Yuma Proving Ground, AZ.
During the test, a full-scale eMRBM prototype as released from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft cargo bay at 25,000 feet. The system’s parachutes deployed, and the prototype then separated from the carriage extraction system. The eMRBM is a replica of the missile target, minus propulsion, that is being used to test and validate the air-launch equipment and the carriage extraction system to prepare for the first flight of the eMRBM missile target that is planned for later this year. The U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, Orbital Sciences Corp., and and Dynetics also participated in the test.
The air-launched eMRBM target is being developed for the MDA for testing of the Ballistic Missile Defense System so warfighters can gain experience with system performance in realistic scenarios.
Under the Targets and Countermeasures Prime Contract, Lockheed Martin engineers are developing and producing 17 missile targets of various types and ranges, that include five eMRBM targets. Lockheed Martin performs Targets and Countermeasures program management and engineering in Huntsville, AL., payload design in Ampthill, England, and integration in Courtland, AL
