Lockheed Martin [LMT] on Monday at IDEX unveiled a new short and medium-range air defense, developed with Germany’s Diehl Defence
and Sweden’s Saab, at an international defense conference, with officials positioning the system as a potential option for international customers.
The new Falcon weapon system may be offered as a potential replacement for the UAE’s Hawk air defense system.
“Our international customers are looking for the next generation short and medium range air defense solution. Falcon is threat driven and ready now,” Scott Arnold, Lockheed’s vice president for integrated air and missile defense, said in a statement. “Falcon is a great example of working with our customers to identify potential gaps and find rapid-response solutions to take on today’s evolving threats.”
Falcon incorporates Lockheed Martin’s SkyKeeper command and control system, Diehl’s 40-kilometer range Infrared Imaging System Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled (IRIS-T) SLM interceptor and vertical launcher and Saab’s 360-degree AESA Giraffe 4A radar.
Lockheed Martin officials said the system’s open architecture design and updated technologies position the air defense platform as a solution to better handle “current and emerging threats.”
“Threats such as unmanned aerial systems carrying lethal payloads, cruise missiles that can attack from any direction, and fixed and rotary winged aircraft capable of delivering ordnance at extended ranges, demand a technologically advanced solution that Falcon delivers,” officials said in a statement.
UAE’s current short and medium-range air defense, the Hawk system, is built by Raytheon [RTN].