LOCKHEED MARTIN/NETFIRES LLC SUCCESSFULLY TESTS LOITERING ATTACK MISSILE WARHEAD


Dallas, TX, January 9, 2006 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], part of the NetFires LLC with Raytheon Company [NYSE: RTN], recently performed eight successful tests of the Non-Line-of-Sight – Launch System’s Loitering Attack Missile Multiple Explosively Formed Penetrator warhead.  The tests proved the warhead’s lethality against a wide variety of targets.


Following the first four-tests series reported in July, this latest test series took place at Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, NM, and included five warhead events to characterize lethality firing through the Loitering Attack Missile’s aerodynamic skins.  All warhead events successfully achieved required pattern and penetration with margin into armor witness plates.

Three additional warheads were expended in insensitive munition (IM) screening also at Socorro, meeting cook-off and bullet impact expectations.  IM configuration enhancements help minimize the probability of inadvertent detonation, helping limit damage to the weapon platform, logistics systems or personnel when a munition is subjected to unplanned events such as heat, shock or impact.  

“These tests are important to the warfighter for two reasons: we demonstrated the effectiveness of this warhead against a range of targets and we passed three initial IM tests,” said Glenn Kuller, director – Netted Fires at Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control.  “These tests once again demonstrate LAM’s warhead readiness and maturity to move forward.”

Aerojet-General Corporation, Sacramento, CA, designed and built the warhead that was integrated onto the LAM.  The Multiple Explosively Formed Penetrator (MEFP) warhead will allow the LAM to achieve a good balance for two key performance parameters, loiter time and lethality, by optimizing fuel load with warhead size.   The under seven-pound MEFP is configured to deliver 24 fragments in an expanding geometric pattern.  

In this test series, fragment consistently penetrated mild steel.  This enables LAM to adjust the altitude of attack and aim point to optimize fragment impact of targets, including potential naval targets.  The new LAM design accommodates the present warhead also allowing for additional fuel for longer loitering time.  Precise and predictable patterns of this MEFP design allow the agile LAM to use aim point selection for precision effects and minimum collateral damage.

LAM is projected to loiter, locate, identify and destroy a large number of high-value mobile targets.  An integral part of the Army’s Future Combat Systems, LAM and its laser detection and ranging (LADAR) seeker have been successfully demonstrated under previous Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s NetFires and U.S. Air Force’s Low-Cost Autonomous Attack (LOCAAS) programs, and will be interoperable with the current as well as future forces.

LAM can be employed as a target-acquirer, and is able to scan, identify, report and isolate all targets encountered throughout its flight path with extreme reliability, thus increasing the warfighter’s knowledge of the battlefield.  And by screening all the imagery on board the munition via the target recognizer, only the relevant data is sent back to the operator. Thus LAM sends back an occasional ‘chiplet’ of relevant target data information the operator assessment.

The Non-Line-of-Sight – Launch System’s LAM is a ground-launched, canistered artillery missile capable of increasing the warfighter’s area of influence through hunter-killer flight operation, automatic target recognition, and can report or attack target locations for strike by other munitions.

I guess the LOCAAS isn't low-cost anymore...

I need to start studying Greek again.

Man, that would make me nervous as hell buzzing around overhead.  I hope they only use it far out in front.

Good news for LCS.

Hey... Osama... watch this!

Quoted: Dallas, TX, January 9, 2006 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], part of the NetFires LLC with Raytheon Company [NYSE: RTN], recently performed eight successful tests of the Non-Line-of-Sight – Launch System’s Loitering Attack Missile Multiple Explosively Formed Penetrator warhead.

NLOSLSLAMMEFP??

Quoted: LOCKHEED MARTIN/NETFIRES LLC SUCCESSFULLY TESTS LOITERING ATTACK MISSILE WARHEAD

i'm sorry, but does anyone else think that that is a really dorky looking missile?

Quoted: The Non-Line-of-Sight – Launch System’s LAM is a ground-launched, canistered artillery missile

Does that mean that those odd thingies on the wings are hinges, and that this fugly little beast "rolls up" to fit inside a 155mm (or maybe 16") artillery shell??  What are the overall dimensions??

Quoted: The under seven-pound MEFP is configured to deliver 24 fragments in an expanding geometric pattern. ... increasing the warfighter’s area of influence through hunter-killer flight operation, automatic target recognition, and can report or attack target locations for strike by other munitions.

I gotta admit, for a fugly, dorky little missile like that, it sure has some cool capabilities.

I need help with the big words.

Its part of Netfires.

Kinda like a minature VLS towed/mounted on Hummers with various artillery missiles.  Part of the FCS wet dream projects.

Idea is plop a couple of unmaned blocks of Netfires pods around the battlefield and radio them launch commands for missions.

So why is it upside down?

Quoted: So why is it upside down?

It isn't.

Betcha Homeland Security gets a few of those when they are ready, followed shortly by a massive fuckup.

This should be a big hit with the military. Mrs. FLAL1A has demonstrated a pronounced fondness for my Explosively Formed Penetrator warhead.

Quoted: Quoted: Dallas, TX, January 9, 2006 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], part of the NetFires LLC with Raytheon Company [NYSE: RTN], recently performed eight successful tests of the Non-Line-of-Sight – Launch System’s Loitering Attack Missile Multiple Explosively Formed Penetrator warhead. NLOSLSLAMMEFP?? Quoted: LOCKHEED MARTIN/NETFIRES LLC SUCCESSFULLY TESTS LOITERING ATTACK MISSILE WARHEAD www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/3011.jpg i'm sorry, but does anyone else think that that is a really dorky looking missile? Quoted: The Non-Line-of-Sight – Launch System’s LAM is a ground-launched, canistered artillery missile www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/3004.jpg Does that mean that those odd thingies on the wings are hinges, and that this fugly little beast "rolls up" to fit inside a 155mm (or maybe 16") artillery shell??  What are the overall dimensions?? Quoted: The under seven-pound MEFP is configured to deliver 24 fragments in an expanding geometric pattern. ... increasing the warfighter’s area of influence through hunter-killer flight operation, automatic target recognition, and can report or attack target locations for strike by other munitions. I gotta admit, for a fugly, dorky little missile like that, it sure has some cool capabilities.

Think more like this.

Scwheet!

BigDozer66

The Loitering Attack Missile (LAM) is an expendable, loitering hunter-killer missile. It will search the battlefield for targets of opportunity relaying its location back to commanders who will determine to destroy the target by means of the LAM, a PAM missile or another asset.

The LAM missile being developed by Lockheed-Martin and features a Laser Radar (LADAR) seeker with automatic target recognition and is powered by a micro-turbojet which makes possible to be loitering for 30 minutes at 70 kilometers from the launch location. It can be employed to locate targets or to attack them. In addition, a two-way data-link will provide re-targeting while in-flight and down linking of images reducing collateral damage probability.

On 22 March 2004, Netfires LLC (a Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon company) was a awarded a six-year $1.1 billion contract for NLOS-LS (Non Line-Of-Sight Launch System) SDD covering the LAM and PAM missiles, and the Container Launch Unit (CLU) design and development.

On May 19, 2004, Lockheed-Martin selected Pike Country Operations facility in Troy, Alabama, for LAM manufacturing with a pilot production line starting in 2006. Production is expected to run through 2020.

On 28 June 2005, Lockheed-Martin selected Technical Directions Inc. (TDI) of Ortonville, Michigan, to be the propulsion system supplier for the LAM weapon. The TDI engine is compact, low-cost and easy to assemble. It was designed to use automotive turbocharger parts for the compressor and turbine wheels, with fuel used to lubricate and cool the bearings, eliminating the need for heavy lubricating oil. Moreover, the engines can be assembled in 15 minutes with the acceptance testing and packaging for shipment stays below 2 hours.

Skynet has become self-aware.

Quoted: Skynet has become self-aware.

No kidding....

TOO MANY Acronyms!

Quoted: Skynet has become self-aware.

Not yet, soon.

Quoted: Quoted: Skynet has become self-aware. No kidding....

We are here... to SERVE you. You will be best served by being sterilized.

Damn.  I thought this was going to be a "The Day the Earth Stood Still" thread.