Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) March 3, 2003
Made In Tarrant
By Bob Cox
Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
Producer: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie. A subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., Systems Integration divison. Employs about 3,000.
What it is: ATACMS is a family of larger, longer-range guided missiles that are fired from the Army's M-270 Multiple Launch Rocket System. ATACMS has a greater range (140 km to 300 km) than the MLRS rockets (32km to 45 km), giving Army commanders a deep-strike capability.
ATACMS was first used successfully in 1991 during Desert Storm when 32 were fired at Iraqi troops, missile launchers and installations.
ATACMS is a family of missiles. Block I and Block IA have payloads of hundreds of individual bomblets. The Block IA Unitary carries a 500-pound high explosive warhead. The Block II missile, under development, would carry 13 Brilliant Anti-Armor explosives to invidually attack armored vehicles.
ATACMS was developed and engineered in Grand Prairie. Lockheed produces the missiles at facilities in Lufkin and Camden, Ark.
Cost: About $800,000 per missile.
SOURCES: Lockheed Martin, Global Security.org
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1. Photo: LOCKHEED MARTIN ATACMS MISSILES
Copyright © 2003, Star-Telegram Newspaper, Inc.
