BAE Systems wins next-generation seeker design project for U.S. Army’s THAAD missile defense system
The sensor design work will improve the missile defense system’s ability to neutralize more threats and improve its manufacturability.
Lockheed Martin Corp., which builds the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system for the U.S. Army, has awarded BAE Systems a contract to design and manufacture a next-generation seeker for the system’s interceptors.
The Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Dallas is asking the BAE Systems Electronics Systems segment in Nashua, N.H., to build additional seekers for the THAAD system, which uses infrared imagery to guide the interceptors to threat targets.
While the seekers are built in Nashua, N.H., and Endicott, N.Y., the company plans to conduct design work for the next-generation seeker in Huntsville, Ala. BAE Systems is building a state-of-the-art facility that will house a “cutting-edge” design program in Huntsville.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in Huntsville, Ala., plans to allocate $139 million in 2021 to start the development and demonstration of a new interceptor prototype for THAAD, which could support a tiered and layered approach to homeland defense.
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