Raytheon's LTAMDS Radar Completes Live-Fire Exercise against Ballistic Missile

Raytheon announced that its Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) has completed its most complex live-fire exercise to date, intercepting a tactical ballistic missile.

This marks a milestone for the U.S. Army’s missile defense program, as the 360-degree LTAMDS radar system progresses toward full deployment by the end of the year.

This test was the fifth in a series of increasingly complex exercises aimed at validating the LTAMDS system's capabilities. During the test, a surrogate missile was launched to simulate a current ballistic threat, challenging the radar's ability to track long-range, high-speed targets. The LTAMDS radar tracked the target, relayed data to the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), and guided a PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) to intercept the missile.

Raytheon initiated the LTAMDS program in 2019. The radar has been undergoing extensive testing, with six prototype units rotating through test and integration sites. The company expects to achieve Milestone C, transitioning the LTAMDS from development to production, by the second quarter of fiscal year 2025.

The LTAMDS radar has also attracted international interest. Poland became the first international customer in October 2023, signing a letter of acceptance for 12 LTAMDS units as part of a Foreign Military Sale.