Lockheed Martin [LMT] is making progress toward accomplishing Block 20 ground system upgrade objectives for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) after the Air Force in December signed off on the Block 10 upgrade, according to a company official.
Lockheed Martin SBIRS Program Director Dave Sheridan told reporters Tuesday the company is tackling integration and test activities associated with those Block 20 requirements. The code has been completed, he said, and nearly 90 percent of test cases to verify the operation of the code has been completed in a target environment.
With these Block 20 goals accomplished, Sheridan said Lockheed Martin is moving to add additional capability to that Block 20 deliverable with an eye on final certification for Increment 2 in August 2018. Block 20 is one half of a software release for Increment 2, a major SBIRS ground update.
The Air Force is set to launch its SBIRS GEO Flight 3 satellite Jan. 19 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Launch will take place on an United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The satellite was encapsulated on the rocket on Saturday, according to a Lockheed Martin statement. SBIRS has satellites that sit in two different orbits: geostationary earth orbit (GEO) and highly elliptical orbit (HEO).
SBIRS provides missile early warning, missile defense, battlespace awareness and technical intelligence to United States warfighters. SBIRS GEO 3 features two sensors, a scanner and a step-starer. The scanning sensor continuously scans the earth to provide 24/7 global strategic missile warning capability. Data from the scanner also contributes to theater and intelligence missions. The step-staring sensor, with its agile and highly-accurate pointing and control system, provides coverage for theater missions and intelligence areas of interest with fast revisit rates and high sensitivity.
The next SBIRS satellite, GEO Flight 4, is in storage and will undergo final assembly, integration and test before its planned November launch. SBIRS GEO 5 and GEO 6 are currently in production. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing [BA].