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Northrop Grumman has successfully launched a next-generation, threat-representative target for the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), marking a significant milestone in the operational testing of the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR).
The target was deployed on 23 June during a live-fire non-intercept flight test over the northern Pacific Ocean, supporting MDA’s Flight Test Other-26a (FTX-26a). Dropped from a C-17 transport aircraft, the target ignited mid-air and executed a mission profile designed to emulate an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) threat.
The LRDR – based at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska – successfully acquired, tracked, and relayed data from the target to the US Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) network. The test represents the radar’s first live trial against an ICBM-class target and is a critical step in integrating the system into the broader US homeland missile defence architecture.
“This was a key test in the development of the LRDR system and its integration into the C2BMC network,” said MDA’s director, Lieutenant General Heath Collins. “LRDR will provide USNORTHCOM and the United States Space Force with the ability to precisely track ballistic missile threats as well as other space objects, advancing our ability to deter adversaries and bolster our homeland missile defence.”
Northrop Grumman’s air-launched target – capable of being deployed from a variety of global locations and across multiple trajectories – was developed using the company’s proven avionics, adaptable enhancement kits, and solid rocket propulsion systems. The launch marks the 26th threat-representative target the company has delivered since 2011 and the 11th supported missile defence flight test.
“Through partnership with MDA, we design and launch target vehicles that replicate threats warfighters are likely to encounter operationally,” said Robin Heard, Northrop Grumman’s director of targets and interceptors. “Our target vehicles play a critical role in testing the missile defence systems that defend the nation and our allies to ensure they will be effective when it matters most.”
Northrop Grumman’s target systems are custom-built to simulate a wide range of current and emerging threats and are used to rigorously test defence capabilities, including the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and the Patriot missile system.
Initial indications suggest that LRDR, C2BMC, and Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) fire control systems met all mission requirements. Analysis of telemetry and system data from the test will continue to support ongoing evaluations and inform future improvements.
The test is a major step forward in validating LRDR’s role within the United States’ layered missile defence system and further solidifies Northrop Grumman’s standing as a trusted integrator of threat-representative target technologies.
