MDA Announces Test of Multiple Kill Vehicle's Carrier Vehicle

Posted on: Aug. 29th, 2007 || Source: Missile Defense Agency | E-mail Article | Print Article

Lieutenant General Henry "Trey" Obering III, Missile Defense Agency director, announced testing of a key element of the Agency's Multiple Kill Vehicle payload system.

The test conducted August 17, 2007 by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne at the National Hover Test Facility at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., demonstrated the high performance rocket propulsion component of the payload system’s carrier vehicle. During an engagement with the enemy, this divert and attitude control component will maneuver the carrier vehicle, with its bandolier of 8-20 small kill vehicles, onto the path of the in-bound threat complex. With the enemy now in its sights, the carrier vehicle dispenses the kill vehicles guiding them to destroy their designated targets. This test was a major hurdle before next summer’s “hover” flight test of the Multiple Kill Vehicle at Edwards Air Force Base.

Designed to be a force multiplier for all of the land and sea-based weapons of the integrated mid-course missile defense system, the Multiple Kill Vehicle is a transformational program adding volume kill capability for the war fighter. In the event of an enemy launch, a single interceptor equipped with this payload, will not only estroy the reentry vehicle, but all credible threat objects including countermeasures the enemy deploys to try and spoof our defenses. This many-on-many strategy eliminates the need for extensive pre-launch intelligence while leveraging the Ballistic Missile Defense System’s discrimination capability, ensuring a robust and affordable solution to emerging threats.

The Ballistic Missile Defense System is being developed, tested and deployed as a layered defense for the U.S. homeland, its deployed forces, friends and allies against ballistic missiles of all ranges in all phases of flight.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif., is a subcontractor of the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, Calif., the prime contractor for the Multiple Kill Vehicle payload system.
--- ends ---

• Boeing's C-130 AMP Flight Marks Completion of Software Development
• Navy UCAS Demonstrator On Track for First Flight
• Lockheed Demonstrates Intelligent Autonomous Control of Multiple UAVs
• Russian Navy aircraft test new equipment over the Arctic
• Russia may push forward with S-300 sales to Iran
• Boeing, US Navy Offer Super Hornet for Denmark Fighter Competition
• Boeing Awarded US Army Contract for 191 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters
• The Netherlands shows interest in Gripen
• 4th F-35 Lightning II Rolls Out As Production Line Fills Up At Lockheed
• Lockheed Martin C-5m Super Galaxy Completes Flight Test
• Air Guard Predator pilots increase combat air patrols
• Predator passes 400,000 hours
• Future Predator/Reaper Formal Training Unit announced
• Saab/Gripen team completes Hungarian offset contract
• South African Gripen deliveries on track