Lockheed Martin [LMT] has completed the first flight tests of the sensors for target detection, classification and recognition as part of the development of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), the company said yesterday.
The testing of the sensor suite took place off the coast of Florida using a modified Sabreliner business jet and was conducted at varying speeds and altitudes. Lockheed Martin said the tests met the objectives designed for the sensor suite as well as its integration with missile electronics.
“This is a tremendous step toward integrating the LRASM subsystems and getting the missile into additional flight testing,” Mike Fleming, Lockheed Martin’s LRASM program manager, said in a statement.
Testing remains on schedule and “all-up-round” flights tests are scheduled for early next year, Fleming said.
The sensor suite consists of a radio-frequency sensor to detect ships in the area, a weapon data link for communication with battlefield managers and an electro-optical seeker for positive target identification and precise targeting during the terminal phase of flight. The missile also has an enhanced digital anti-jam Global Positioning System to detect and destroy specific targets within a group of numerous ships at sea.
Lockheed Martin is developing the missile in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).