Lockheed delivers 1,000th PAC-3 missile

DALLAS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has announced the recent delivery of the 1,000th Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile to the U.S. Army.

The "hit-to-kill" PAC-3 is the most advanced air defense missile used by the U.S. Army, as well as the military forces of Taiwan, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

"We proudly celebrate this accomplishment, along with our customers and the 225 suppliers across 25 states that remain focused on delivering the PAC-3 missile on time and on budget," Richard McDaniel, director of PAC-3 Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said at a delivery ceremony. "This production milestone reaffirms our commitment to providing the world's most advanced terminal air defense missile that serves our warfighters and our allies around the world in their defining moments."

Lockheed Martin achieved the first hit-to-kill intercept in 1984 with the Homing Overlay Experiment, using force of impact alone to destroy a mock warhead outside the Earth's atmosphere. Further testing produced today's PAC-3 Missile, which won a competition in 1993 to become the first hit-to-kill interceptor produced by the U.S. government.

"The PAC-3 system provides hit-to-kill accuracy, and for me in the field to have four times the capability and 16 missiles on a launcher means I have the ability to call this system up against very formidable threats," said Brig. Gen. Roger Mathews, commandant Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Sill, Okla.