The US Army has advanced its Patriot radar replacement, the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), through a successful series of tests at White Sands Missile Range.
In the exercise, LTAMDS identified and tracked a surrogate air-breathing target via the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), which ordered a Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhanced interceptor to neutralize the simulated threat.
The demonstration was notable for several breakthroughs: the first integration of LTAMDS with a Large Tactical Power System, the first engagement using the radar’s secondary sector array, and the first mission executed with IBCS low-rate initial production hardware.
These achievements follow RTX’s April clearance to begin LRIP of LTAMDS. The Army has also unveiled plans to add up to four new Patriot battalions equipped with LTAMDS, significantly strengthening its ability to counter emerging aerial threats.
