Lockheed Martin unveiled a low-cost interceptor that is less than half the cost of a PAC-3 MSE per unit. The interceptor, a PAC-3 ACE, will give allied forces a “rapidly fielded, complementary air defense effector option that can be deployed in record time,” the defense contractor explained. The system uses the Patriot weapon system as its basis.
“American and allied warfighters need a solution that is battle-tested and budget-smart, and PAC-3 ACE delivers exactly that by building on the unrivaled performance of the PAC-3 MSE,” said Tim Cahill, President of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “As we look to partner with our allies, we can further enhance resiliency and ensure our forces can swiftly counter emerging threats today and tomorrow.”
Cahill told reporters at Britain’s Farnborough Airshow, as reported by Reuters, that the ACE missile will fill the gap between low-cost drone interceptors and the Patriot system’s top interceptor.
“What ACE is designed to do is go after air-breathing targets, so aircraft and cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, kind of intermediate ballistic missiles,” Cahill said, adding, “This missile isn’t designed to go after drones.”
In April, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to “advance production acceleration and deliver record numbers of combat-proven interceptors for American and allied forces this year,” the defense contractor said in April. It has also been given a seven-year contract worth up to $35 billion to increase production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors. The award is one of the first major procurement contracts under the Department of War’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy and “represents one of the first full-scale transitions from framework agreement to contract execution under the initiative,” the company explained.
