Photo By Christopher Bohn | A Black Dagger short-range ballistic missile target, designed to fly a ballistic...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — A U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center team’s low-cost target provided an operational assessment for the Army’s new Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor radar.
A Black Dagger short-range ballistic missile target, designed to fly a ballistic flight path and demonstrate defensive protection capability, launched from Fort Wingate, New Mexico, into White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Dec. 6.
The operational assessment meant that active-duty Soldiers operated the radar in a real-world scenario with a live ballistic missile target.
Cain Crouch, chief of the USASMDC Tech Center’s Targets Division, said all indications are that the Black Dagger flight was nominal and exceeded performance requirements. He added that initial data showed the Black Dagger target was successfully tracked by radar and hit by an interceptor missile.
“This test moves the LTAMDS radar one step closer to acquisition and deployment,” Crouch said. “LTAMDS is one of the most advanced radars in the world and will help our warfighters become more efficient in detecting incoming threats, ultimately saving lives on the battlefield.
“These missions provide real-world scenarios for Soldiers and hardware to operate within, which is unique outside of an actual wartime event,” he added. “I think it’s important to exercise the equipment and personnel in that manner. It really prepares them for seeing the same thing on the battlefield and prepares them to react accordingly, which saves warfighter lives day-in and day-out.”
Crouch said he was proud of the USASMDC team members participating in the test – Josh Alcorn, Meeda Bosse, Stephanie Chrisley, Jeff Compton, Olivia Miller, Justin Novak and Anne Wolf.
“They all did an outstanding job supporting the mission. We had two missions back-to-back in November and December, and the team remained extremely flexible throughout the holidays to support both missions without any hesitation,” Crouch said. “They all have great technical skills, but it’s their team mindset that really sets them apart from other organizations. The camaraderie among the team is what makes Targets Division successful and such a unique place to work.”
Novak, target test director for the mission, said the test and evaluation of missile defense systems against strategic missile threats builds confidence that these systems will perform as designed to ensure the safety and security of the U.S. and allied partners.
“The successful launch of this target allowed the Soldier-operated integrated missile defense system to successfully track and engage a ballistic missile, demonstrating the system's readiness for fielding,” Novak said. “The successful demonstration of integrated air and missile defense systems to engage Black Dagger targets increases Soldier confidence that, when the time comes, they will be able to successfully defend against ballistic missile threats both at home and abroad.”
Chrisley, who served as the assistant test director, said the White Sands Missile Range staff is always very accommodating and goes above and beyond for the mission to ensure the team has everything they need.
“Each mission comes with its own challenges, but we have an excellent team, and we were able to meet all requirements and have a successful launch,” Chrisley said.
Chrisley said the Zombie program provides low-cost target solutions to the warfighter to support all training requirements.
“SMDC’s low-cost targets are unique in that we utilize re-used Army assets, and we provide comprehensive launch services,” Chrisley said. “SMDC’s low-cost targets aims to provide every Soldier with an opportunity to train against a real-world scenario. We are honored to support LTAMDS and the warfighter for this important mission.”
Miller, who served as pad chief for the mission, operated the fixed target launcher during the launch and made adjustments to the launcher throughout the countdown as weather balloon data was received.
“There’s a great sense of accomplishment when these missions are successful because we are seeing hundreds of hours of mission prep come to fruition,” Miller said. “But a successful target launch is just the first half of the mission; seeing LTAMDS track and intercept our vehicle makes the day truly rewarding. These missions are important because with each successful test, LTAMDS is getting closer to being deployed to support the warfighter.”
Miller talked about the sense of family being a part of these launches and the ups and downs with each one.
“We all spend a lot of time out in the field and have experienced both mission successes and mission failures together,” Miller said. “We’ve sat at dinner together after receiving the news that we have to stay in the field longer due to mission slip; we keep each other awake when we’re sitting on console hours before the sun comes up. Those experiences build a camaraderie and trust in a team that let you know that whatever needs to happen for a mission to be successful, we’re going to work together to get it done.”
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2024 11:01 |
| Story ID: | 487423 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 253 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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