Article Posted on : - Jun 24, 2014

An LV-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile target developed for the Missile Defence Agency is shown at the company's production facility in Courtland, Alabama. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

HUNTSVILLE, ALASKA (BNS): Lockheed Martin successfully flew an LV-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile target on Sunday for a test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defence system conducted by the US Missile Defence Agency.

Lockheed Martin launched the unarmed missile target from a ground platform at the Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Atoll, in the Marshall Islands. Preliminary analysis shows that the target met requirements for the test, according to a news release by the company.

To support testing of the missile defence system, Lockheed Martin configured the 45-foot-long target to closely mirror the capabilities of ground-launched enemy missiles that can travel 3,000 to 5,500 kilometers (1,800 to 3,400 miles).

For each LV-2 mission, the company assembles a target from standardized components to replicate a specific threat missile, without the time and expense of one-of-a-kind development.