Lockheed Martin Conducts Successful Test Of The LOSAT Kinetic Energy Weapon System
Dallas, TX, October 29th, 2003 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently successfully conducted another test firing of its Line-of-Sight Antitank Weapon System (LOSAT) at White Sands Missile Range, NM. During the test, a Kinetic Energy Missile (KEM) was fired at ambient temperature from the LOSAT fire unit.
The KEM successfully destroyed a stationary armored personnel carrier at 720 meters. Preliminary data indicate all test objectives were achieved.
This was the fifth test firing in a series of 18 Developmental Tests that are under the control of the U.S. Army Test & Evaluation community. On September 11, the LOSAT system was successful against a moving target in nighttime conditions. In August, LOSAT obliterated a moving tank at short range, and in late July the weapon system destroyed a reinforced urban structure, proving that it can be effective against a variety of targets.
"I am a firm believer in the LOSAT system," said Brigadier General Ben Freakley, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Infantry Center. "LOSAT provides a significant digital capability to our current forces and brings a digital command and control capability to our light/early entry units. The lethality of a kinetic energy LOSAT missile provides the Joint Warfighter with a means of precision engagement that reduces the enemy's capability to seek sanctuary."
The Army's LOSAT Product Director, LTC Doug Bushey, called LOSAT "The Lethality Weapon of Choice." The key advantages of the LOSAT system are its deployability and the tremendous overmatch in lethality of the KEM, which defeats all predicted future armored combat vehicles. The LOSAT Weapon System also provides increased countermeasure effectiveness and survivability for the operator.
LOSAT operates to the maximum range of direct-fire combat engagements and provides dramatically increased rates of fire and enhanced performance under day and night, adverse weather and obscured battlefield conditions. The system can be transported by C-130H low velocity airdrop or by sling load with the UH-60L.
The HMMWV-based LOSAT missile has a range of several miles and is "near fire and forget." With a missile speed of 5,000 feet per second, it reaches maximum range in less than five seconds. The KEM is a hit-to-kill missile with no explosive warhead. It carries a long rod penetrator and destroys the target through the application of brute force. Each HMMWV chassis mounts four missile launch pods.
The system can be reloaded in less than 10 minutes using on board materiel handling equipment. The KEM weighs 174 pounds, is 113 inches long and 6.4 inches in diameter. The current system provides for a three-man crew, but a crew of two can conduct engagements.
The system uses a state of the art second-generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sight for target detection and recognition. The system will be fully integrated into the digitized battlefield for improved situational awareness.
Craig Vanbebber 972-603-1615
e-mail, craig.vanbebber@lmco.com
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