U.S. Army Completes Missile Defense System Flight Test

A Lockheed Martin Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile has successfully intercepted a surrogate cruise missile threat at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico using F-35 as an elevated sensor. 

This U.S. Army flight test marks a first in one flight test, with F-35 data contributing to the global track used by the U.S. Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) to live fire a PAC-3 missile. 

IBCS, developed by Northrop Grumman, used the F-35 data with other contributing sensor data to initiate the launch of the PAC-3 to neutralize the incoming threat, using combat-proven hit-to-kill technology unique to the Lockheed Martin interceptor.

“Threats continue to evolve, and it’s important that we always stay ahead of them,” said Brenda Davidson, vice president of PAC-3 Programs.

“This flight test shows the impact of what we can do in Joint All Domain Operations when we use the U.S. Army’s IBCS and communications gateways to bring together the world’s only combat-proven Hit-to-Kill interceptor with the world’s most advanced fighter jet.” 

Lockheed Martin is evolving technologies that connect, share and learn to give warfighters the information needed to quickly make decisions that drive action and enable Joint All Domain Operations (JADO).

F-35 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) track data was used with IBCS for the first time during Orange Flag Evaluation (OFE) 19-2 to improve situational awareness and provide weapons-quality track data to engage airborne targets with a virtual PAC-3.