Jane Edwards
Orbital ATK has demonstrated its air-launched intermediate-range ballistic missile target in support of the test flight program for the Missile Defense Agency’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
The Orbital ATK-built IRBM target simulated a ballistic missile threat after being launched from a C-17 aircraft and transported by parachutes prior to ignition, the company said Tuesday.
The IRBM target uses the firm’s Orion solid rocket motors originally built for Pegasus space launch vehicle.
Orbital ATK’s contract ceiling for the IRBM target program is worth approximately $1.4 billion and the company is developing 16 target vehicles through 2019 with options for additional missile targets.
The company also manufactures ramjet-propelled, short-range missile targets for the U.S. Navy in support of self-defense exercises for naval ships and has launched at least 200 target vehicles across 11 launch sites worldwide in the past three decades.
