Latest news with #LongRangeRadar
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Boeing Huntsville, MDA announce successful flight test of new homeland defense radar
ALASKA (WHNT) — Boeing Huntsville said it worked with the Missile Defense Agency to conduct a flight test with a radar on Monday. MDA said in a news release that it worked with the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Northern Command to conduct a flight test in Alaska on Monday. This test, according to MDA, was to determine if the Long Range Discrimination Radar could successfully acquire, track and report missile target data to the Command and Control Battle Management and Communications. According to MDA, the test was a success. The agency said this was the radar's first flight test tracking a live Intercontinental Ballistic Missile representative target. 'The test confirmed that the radar's sensors can accurately gather data from longer distances, enhancing threat detection and response time for the GMD system and other missile defense systems,' Boeing said. Named Flight Test Other-26a, MDA said a target was launched over the northern Pacific Ocean and it flew over '2,000 kilometers off the southern coast of Alaska, where it was tracked by LRDR.' It was also tracked by the Upgraded Early Warning Radar, MDA said. This test was part of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System Integration and Test and Readiness contract, awarded to Boeing Huntsville in 2022. 'The GMD system is the only defense program able to protect the entire United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, against long-range ballistic missiles. The system is designed to detect, intercept, and destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles,' Boeing said. 'Initial indications show that LRDR, C2BMC, and GMD Fire Control met mission requirements. Program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test. FTX-26a will support the operational assessment of LRDR, validation of LRDR modeling and simulations.' MDA Why does this test matter? Boeing said the test validated the radar's sensors and its ability to capture precise data from greater distances, improving threat detection and warning time for the GMD system and other missile defense components. 'This was a key test in the development of the LRDR system and its integration into the C2BMC network,' MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins said. 'LRDR will provide USNORTHCOM and the United States Space Force with the ability to precisely track ballistic missile threats as well as other space objects, advancing our ability to deter adversaries and bolster our homeland missile defense.' The system has now been on alert for nearly two decades and is an integral part of America's layered ballistic missile defense architecture, Boeing Huntsville said. You can watch a video of the test, provided by MDA here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Science
- Reuters
US tests radar that could link into Golden Dome to detect China, Russia threats
WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - The Pentagon has successfully tested a long-range radar in Alaska that can detect missile threats from Russia or China, and could someday serve as a sensor in the Golden Dome missile defense shield. The Long Range Discrimination Radar successfully acquired, tracked, and reported missile target data, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. These are key tasks for Golden Dome, a $175 billion program aimed at protecting the U.S. and possibly allies from ballistic missiles. The U.S. Defense Department's long-range radar in Central Alaska was built by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab as part of the existing Ground-Based Midcourse Defense missile defense system. The system is designed to increase the effectiveness of interceptors based in Alaska and California that are currently on standby to knock down incoming missiles launched by Iran or North Korea. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency, alongside the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Northern Command, conducted the flight test at Clear Space Force Station, Alaska, on Monday. During this test, a target developed by MDA was air-launched over the Northern Pacific Ocean and flew over 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) off the southern coast of Alaska where it was tracked by LRDR. The Golden Dome missile defense shield aims to create a network of satellites to detect, track and intercept incoming missiles. Inspired by Israel's Iron Dome, the Golden Dome program faces political scrutiny and funding uncertainty due to its projected cost. The shield is expected to be operational by January 2029, though experts question the timeline and budget feasibility.
