WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday it had successfully completed development of the Highly Elliptical Orbit Interim Operations software for the Space Based Infrared System. The company said the software was important for delivering capability to operate new SBIRS HEO payloads and geosynchronous, or GEO, satellites.
SBIRS is designed to provide early warning of missile launches, and support other missions simultaneously, including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace characterization.
"This represents a significant milestone for the SBIRS system. HEO Payload data processing will afford greater access to time-sensitive infrared data and is an important step on our path to deliver capabilities for surveillance, intelligence, and reconnaissance missions," said John Mengucci, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Department of Defense Systems.
"This is a tremendous milestone for the entire program," said Colonel Bill Possel, Director, U.S. Air Force SBIRS Combined Task Force.
The first U.S. GEO satellite is scheduled to be launched in Fiscal Year 2008
Obering praises BMD allies
Japan, Israel and Britain are in the forefront of international missile defense collaboration with the United States, U.S. Missile Defense Agency chief Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III said last week.
Gen. Obering told the Defense Appropriations subcommittee of the U.S. Senate May 10 that Japan's had already invested more than $1 billion in missile defense that embraced co-development with the United States, as well as procurement. Japan will host the first transportable, forward-based X-band radar, which, by operating at short wave-length frequencies, provides high resolution imaging for long-range identification, tracking and discrimination among incoming missiles, he said.
Obering said the United States had learned a great deal from working collaboratively with the Israelis on BMD. Some of this occurs during annual military exercises, he said, while additional learning transpired during "Operation Iraqi Freedom" when the Israeli Arrow and the American Patriot missile defense systems were deployed together to provided integrated coverage, he said.
Additionally, Obering said, the United States had benefited technologically from its work with Israel through incorporation of some Arrow innovations into agency interceptor programs.
Sen. Conrad Burns, R-ID, told Gen.Obering that subcommittee members, who had voted to help fund the Arrow program, were pleased with its successes -- including a recent intercept test -- "especially in light of recent developments in Iran."
Britain was working with the United States to upgrade an early-warning ballistic missile defense radar system at the British military base at Fylingdales in Yorkshire, in northeastern England. Obering said the project should be finished later this year.
THAAD components pass tests
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has announced a successful "virtual target" computer software test of all the components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system at White Sands Missile range, New Mexico, last Thursday.
The test met all its test objectives, said the MDA's director, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III.
The test was not against a real target, but used "virtual target" computer software to evaluate the system's performance. THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles high within the Earth's atmosphere or just above the atmosphere in the final minute or so before it strikes its target.
The test involved soldiers from the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade from Fort Bliss, Texas. Lockheed Martin said the test was the first developmental flight test to engage the entire THAAD weapon system including the THAAD interceptor, its mobile launcher, radar and fire control system.
Specific test objectives included demonstrating all major elements of the THAAD weapon system during engagement of a virtual target: interceptor launch and control; kill vehicle control in response to in-flight uplinks; seeker operation; and radar acquisition, track and in-flight communications with the interceptor. All test objectives were achieved, Lockheed Martin said.
"We achieved a major milestone today by successfully testing all of the elements of the THAAD system and proving the system's capability," said Tom McGrath, program manager and vice president for THAAD at Lockheed Martin. "The THAAD flight demonstrations will continue to grow in difficulty and we are eager to press forward. We're confident that the successful completion of these tests will yield a system we will be proud to turn over to our Warfighters."
It was the second successful THAAD developmental flight test conducted since flight testing resumed for the program in November 2005. Three more test flights are scheduled to occur at WSMR before THAAD testing moves to Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii.
THAAD is designed to defend U.S. troops, allied forces, population centers and critical infrastructure against short- to medium-range ballistic missiles.
The Hamilton Sundstrand company of Rockford, Ill., announced that the test also demonstrated the effectiveness of its Thrust Vector Actuation, or TVA, system to steer an advanced missile interceptor. Hamilton Sundstrand is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.
The TVA system, consisting of a controller, batteries and two actuators, steered the THAAD missile during booster fly-out that enabled the missile to perform maneuvers necessary to meet the demanding requirements of the missile flight path, Hamiulton Sundstrand said.
