Miniature Hit-to-Kill Missile Launch Tested
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Lockheed Martin’s Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) interceptor has successfully completed a launch test during an engineering demonstration at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
According to the company’s website, the demonstration was part of the US Army’s Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) Extended Area Protection and Survivability (EAPS) programme.
The flight demonstrated the agility and aerodynamic capability of the MHTK missile, which is designed to defeat rocket, artillery and mortar (RAM) targets at ranges greatly exceeding those of current and interim systems.
“Today’s global security environment demands agile, close-range solutions that protect warfighters and citizens from enemy rockets, artillery and mortars,” said Bob Saxer, vice president of Air and Missile Defense at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This test is another successful milestone demonstrating the interceptor’s maturity as well as performance, and we look forward to continuing to build on this success.”
The MHTK interceptor is less than 72 cm in length and weighs about 2.2 kg at launch. It is designed to be small in size while retaining the range and lethality desired in a counter-RAM solution.
The MHTK uses Hit-to-Kill technology, which destroys threats through kinetic energy in body-to-body contact. This technology delivers all of the available interceptor energy, but removes the risk of collateral damage seen in traditional blast-fragmentation interceptors. The MHTK interceptor complements other Lockheed Martin Hit-to-Kill missile interceptors by delivering close-range lethality with proven success for a true layered Hit-to-Kill defense.
Janice Booth, program manager at AMRDEC, said “the MHTK has the potential to bring miniaturized capabilities to the warfighter with lower costs and reduced logistic footprints, and opens up a world of opportunities for applications of small interceptors.”
