DALLAS, Feb. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed
Martin's (NYSE: LMT) modernized Tactical Missile System (TACMS)
missile continued its streak of successful flight tests with two
recent flights at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. These tests represent the third
and fourth consecutive successful trials of the modernized
TACMS.
In December, a modernized TACMS successfully engaged and
destroyed a target in a 71-kilometer test. And in early February, a
fourth modernized TACMS destroyed a target at White Sands at a
range of more than 200 kilometers. In both tests, the TACMS
missiles were launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System
(HIMARS) launcher.
"With our third and fourth consecutive successful modernized
TACMS flights, I believe we have demonstrated that our production
quality and new technology are ready to move forward," said
Scott Greene, vice president of
Precision Fires & Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin
Missiles and Fire Control. "These modernized TACMS missiles will
allow our warfighters to quickly and accurately address imprecisely
located targets on the battlefield."
The missiles used in these two tests were produced at Lockheed
Martin's Precision Fires Production Center of Excellence in Camden,
Arkansas.
As part of the U.S. Army's TACMS Service Life Extension Program,
the modernized missile includes new state-of-the-art guidance
electronics and added capability to defeat area targets without
leaving behind unexploded ordnance. The TACMS modernization process
disassembles and demilitarizes TACMS Block 1 and 1A submunition
warheads, replacing them with new unitary warheads and bringing
them into compliance with Department of Defense policy on cluster
munitions and unintended harm to civilians. The modernization
process also resets the missile's 10+ year shelf life.
In December 2014, Lockheed Martin
and the U.S. Army signed a $74
million contract to take existing TACMS missiles from
inventory and modernize them.
The TACMS platform provides maximum flexibility to quickly
integrate new payloads and capabilities to meet current and future
demands.
With unsurpassed performance and an unwavering commitment to
production excellence, TACMS is the only long-range tactical
surface-to-surface missile ever employed by the U.S. Army in
combat. TACMS missiles can be fired from the entire family of MLRS
launchers.
For more information visit our website:
www.lockheedmartin.com
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda,
Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace
company that employs approximately 98,000 people worldwide and is
principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology
systems, products and services.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin