The timely introduction of the LTAMDS will undoubtedly elevate the Army’s defensive strategy.

As geopolitical tensions across the globe continue to skyrocket, the U.S. military is striving to introduce next-generation technology as quickly as possible. The Army recently greenlit a new air and missile defense sensor, which is set to replace the existing Patriot system. In a press release published by manufacturer Raytheon, the new Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) has successfully completed the service’s flight test program. This major milestone included eight flight tests and other rigorous evaluation phases. Now that the radar sensor has reached “Milestone C,” LTAMDS will move on to the production and development phase.

According to the Army’s program executive officer for missiles and space, LTAMDS provides a “huge, significant capability,” and the service anecdotally believes that “it doubles legacy Patriot radar capability and not only does it double it, it provides you 360-degree capability.” Raytheon’s president of Land and Air Defense Systems mirrored this rhetoric, saying “This is an unprecedented achievement, with a development program of this magnitude transitioning from prototype to production and deployment at an accelerated pace. Our collaborative partnership with the U.S. Army and our broad base of industry partners has driven the historic execution of the LTAMDS program in record time, delivering advanced 360-degree integrated air and missile defense capability.”

Raytheon was first awarded the contract to develop the Army’s next-gen defense system back in 2019. Six different radars have been delivered to the Army to date and Raytheon plans on fielding eight LTAMDS per year. When LTAMDS reaches operational capacity, it will replace the Patriot’s aging radar. The upgraded system is expected to feature upgraded sensing capabilities, surveillance, and fire control.

The Patriot

The Army has used the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system for decades. The crux of this formidable mobile interceptor missile is the AN/APQ-53 “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target.” While the Patriot may be aging, it remains one of the most widely operated and reliable systems of its kind. The platform is currently operated by Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Taiwan, South Korea, Sweden, Bahrain, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sweden. The most recent Patriot system is comprised of a control system, radar, a launch station, support vehicles, and a power generator. PAC-3 is the latest Patriot variant to be introduced and features an enhanced booster and upgraded guidance, structure, and software.

The Patriot recently made headlines when U.S. officials revealed Washington would be dispatching its PAC-3 missile batteries to the Middle East. Since this missile system has been operating in South Korea as a deterrent against Pyongyang’s hostile activity, the decision to relocate the PAC-3 is significant. The Trump administration has been ramping up efforts to thwart the increasing threat ballistic missiles could pose to American troops abroad and at home. The timely introduction of the LTAMDS will undoubtedly elevate the Army’s defensive strategy.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.

Image: Wikipedia.

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