US Army forks out $4 billion for THAAD

The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin $4 billion to conduct engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

THAAD EMD will be conducted in two phases. During the first, Lockheed Martin is to demonstrate the hit-to-kill theatre ballistic missile interceptor's capabilities.

The company will also validate system manufacturing processes through low-rate initial production. The work will include completing missile and radar hardware and systems needed to meet key performance targets. The next phase will complete battle management and other software improvements.

Last year, the US Army elected to skip a third THAAD test after the weapon successfully completed two test flights.

Source: Flight International