A Lockheed Martin official said the Missile Defense Agency used a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to fire an advanced variant of the Patriot missile against a simulated target during a Feb. 24 test held at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Defense News reported Thursday.
Scott Arnold, vice president of integrated air and missile defense at Lockheed’s missiles and fire control, said the test demonstrated that the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhanced or PAC-3 MSE missile can be integrated with the THAAD system, enabling warfighters to separately launch such missiles from a Patriot fire unit.
Arnold noted the demonstration shows that Patriot M903 launching stations and PAC-3 MSE interceptors can be fielded with the THAAD system using only the THAAD fire control and communications or TFCC and THAAD radar for support, giving U.S. forces a “critical multi-tier missile defense capability” to counter emerging and current threats.
Lockheed is the manufacturer of the THAAD system and PAC-3 MSEs.
