Missile Defense Agency’s long-range radar tracks ICBM test target for first time
The test, dubbed Flight Test Other-26 (FTX-26), was originally planned for fiscal 2022, and again in 2023.
After delay, Missile Defense Agency plans to conduct critical test for new long-range radar next year
The agency also plans to launch a new, discriminating space sensor around the 2029 timeframe, MDA Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins said.
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Missile Defense Agency’s new long-range radar steps toward full deployment
"The LRDR completed a Space Domain Awareness (SDA) data collect event in January 2024 that proved the SDA capability, and the U.S. Space Force and MDA are in the process of formally declaring LRDR ready for SDA early use in April 2024," according to MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins.
Missile Defense Agency takes $500M cut to $10.4B in FY25
The MDA request includes $105 million for the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR), slightly more than the $103.5 requested in FY24. LRDR, deemed a critical capability by US Northern Command (NORTHCOM)/NORAD leaders, will transfer to the Space Force to begin operations in FY25.
Beyond ‘bullet on bullet’: NORTHCOM’s new defense plan looks to kill missiles before they launch
"The best missile strategy is to destroy the missiles prior to launch. A focus on missile defeat could enable distributed non-kinetic systems with larger magazines and the ability to engage missiles before they can deploy complex decoys, countermeasures, maneuvers or multiple reentry vehicles," said Rear Adm. Sean Regan, NORTHCOM's director of operations.
Watchdog slams Missile Defense Agency for delivery, testing shortfalls in 2022
For the past 20 years, GAO finds, "missile threats from foreign adversaries have evolved, and MDA has faced persistent challenges as it attempts to keep pace."
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Missile Defense Agency requests $10.9B in FY24, and tens of billions more after that
One of MDA's biggest investments in FY24 is for the Next Generation Interceptor, with $2.1 billion requested.
Long-range missile defense radar ready to ‘plug in’ at NORTHCOM within ‘months’
The LRDR not only will improve ballistic missile tracking for homeland defense, but also will contribute to space domain awareness, said Northern Command's Director of Operations Brig. Gen. Joey Lestorti.
Key radar for identifying ICBM threats begins initial fielding: MDA
The milestone follows a series of 2020 setbacks due largely to the coronavirus pandemic.
New Missile Defense Radar Passes Key Stage: Lockheed LRDR
As anxiety rises over North Korean rocket tests, the Missile Defense Agency needs better radar to tell threats apart. Which of those distant blips is an InterContinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) warhead capable of hitting the US? Which is a burnt-out rocket boaster coasting harmlessly through space? Which is a decoy warhead designed to make MDA […]
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