TUCSON, April 6 (UPI) -- Full scale testing of a new U.S. attack missile is on the horizon following a successful test launch of an unarmed version earlier this month.
NetFires LLC said Friday the April 4 launch of the Non Line-of-Sight Launch System Precision Attack Missile at White Sands Missile Range went off without a hitch, marking a significant step toward full testing later this year.
"This successful flight test is a first step to providing our troops with the cost-effective, long-range, precision capability needed to successfully fight in the 21st century battlespace," said Col. Doug Dever, the Army's manager for the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System project.
The missile is part of the Future Combat Systems program and is being designed as a primary weapon for Army Brigade Combat Teams and eventually the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship. It comes in two models -- the anti-armor PAM (Precision Attack Missile) and the LAM (Loitering Attack Missile), which has a longer range and is capable of remaining airborne for more than a half an hour until a target is designated.
The system is being developed by NetFires, a joint venture of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin missile units.
In the most-recent test launch, engineers at White Sands used a PAM test vehicle equipped with a telemetry system in place of the warhead. The test went from the launch sequence to flight and successfully tested the missile's navigational and flight controls. The weapon's fins and wings deployed as well.
