US Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense System Defeats Cruise-Missile Target: The US Army's future Integrated Air and Missile Defense System (AIAMD) took out its first cruise-missile target on Nov. 12 in a test that included a new command-and-control system and Patriot and Sentinel radars, according to the service.
The test took place at 10:26 a.m. MST at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to an Army statement. While the cruise missile surrogate — an MQM 107 drone — went undetected by the Patriot radar due to its low-altitude trajectory, the Sentinel tracked the target and relayed the data to the Integrated Battle Command System — the brains of the AIAMD.
IBCS then relayed information through a remote integrated fire control network (IFCN) to engage the threat with a Lockheed Martin-made Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile that hit the target.
The test is significant because it shows that the Army is making headway in moving away from traditional, system-centric weapon systems — like Raytheon's Patriot air-and-missile defense system — to a net-centric, "plug and fight" integration of existing and future air and missile defense systems.
The Northrop Grumman-made IBCS, which all of the Army's missile defense sensors and shooters will plug into, is expected to reach initial operational capability in fiscal 2019.
