(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 4, 2013: Lockheed Martin, Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $755,134,781 firm-fixed-price contract.
The award will provide for the procurement of PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3, which includes support for Foreign Military Sales, and related services.
Work will be performed in Grand Prairie; Lufkin, Texas; Camden, Ark.; Chelmsford, Mass.; and Ocala, Fla.; with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2015.
One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-13-C-0068).
Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) is a high/medium advanced surface-to-air guided missile air defense system. BMDO planned to select either (1) the Extended Range Interceptor (ERINT), which was designed to destroy missiles by colliding with them; or (2) the Patriot Multimode Interceptor, which incorporated a multimode seeker and an improved explosive warhead. BMDO planned to make its selection before the PAM program enters engineering and manufacturing development in early 1994.
In FY94 the Army selected ERINT to be the PAC-3 missile. This small, agile missile combined several state-of-the-art technologies to provide hit-to-kill lethality and increased fire power in an asset defense role against both TBMs and air breathing threats. PAC-3 is a major upgrade to the Patriot system. The PAC-3 Operational Requirements Document (ORD) represents the Army Air Defense need to buy back required battlespace lost against the current and evolving tactical missile and air breathing threat. PAC-3 is needed to ounter/defeat/destroy the 2008 threat and to extend Patriot's capabilities to accomplish new/revised missions. The PAC-3 missile has a lethality enhancer and uses hit-to-kill technology to destroy ballistic missile targets. In tandem with the upgraded radar and ground control station, PAC-3 interceptors can protect an area about seven times greater than the original Patriot system. Lockheed Martin Vought Systems and Raytheon are the prime contractors for the PAC-3.
The PAC-3 Program consists of two interrelated acquisition programs - The PAC-3 Growth Program and the PAC-3 Missile Program. The Growth program consists of integrated, complementary improvements that will be implemented by a series of phased, incrementally fielded material changes. The PAC-3 Missile program is a key component of the overall improvements of the Patriot system, it will provide essential increases in battlespace, accuracy, and kill potential.
PAC-3 is a much more capable derivative of the PAC-2/GEM system in terms of both coverage and lethality. The PAC-3 has a new interceptor missile with a different kill mechanism -- rather than having an exploding warhead, it is a hit-to-kill system. The PAC-3 missile is a smaller and highly efficient missile. The canister is approximately the same size as a PAC-2 canister but contains four missiles and tubes instead of a single round. Selected Patriot launching stations will be modified to accept PAC-3 canisters.
*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD issued No. 005-13 dated January 3, 2013
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