Article Posted on : - Mar 31, 2011

The THAAD weapon system.

DALLAS (BNS): Lockheed Martin has received a contract with a total value of $789.8 million to produce the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) weapon systems for the US Missile Defence Agency.

Under the contract, valued at $694.9 million, the company will produce 48 THAAD interceptors, six THAAD launchers, four fire control units and associated equipment.

An option for additional launchers worth $94.8 million brings the total contract value to $789.8 million, Lockheed said.

All the weapons along with the components will form the THAAD Batteries 3 and 4 for the US Army.

Delivery will be completed in 2013, the missile manufacturer said.

The first two THAAD batteries have already been activated at Fort Bliss, Texas by the US Army in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Unit training for them have begun earlier this year.

Since 2005, the THAAD development programme has completed 11 flight tests, with seven intercepts in seven attempts.

The anti-ballistic weapon system, designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate ballistic missiles in their terminal phase using the ‘hit-to-kill’ approach, is capable of intercepting the target in both endo- and exo-atmospheres.