Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced the introduction of the PAC-3® Adapted Capability Effector (PAC-3 ACE™), a low-cost interceptor built to defeat a wide range of air and missile threats for less than half the cost of a PAC-3 MSE per unit. PAC-3 ACE will give allied forces a rapidly fielded, complementary air defense effector option that can be deployed in record time. To achieve this, Lockheed Martin will collaborate with American and European industry partners and suppliers, enhancing the resilience of the U.S. defense industrial base worldwide. Built on the proven PAC-3 fire-control system and fully linked to the Patriot weapon system and the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), PAC-3 ACE speeds up development, testing and deployment far beyond traditional programs. It also ensures allied forces can field a common interceptor and bolster the PAC-3 network at the same time.
WHY IT MATTERS
Cost-effective performance: Significantly lowers the cost-per-kill against a wide range of threats, with the reliability PAC-3 is known for, while providing magazine depth the current global climate necessitates.
Rapid fielding: Uses highly effective and battle-proven PAC-3 software and IBCS integration to shorten development cycles and achieve rapid initial production.
Multi-threat coverage: Designed to counter airbreathing threats, cruise missiles, close-range and short-range ballistic missiles within a single platform.
Allied resilience: Joint development and production with European partners creates a shared, interoperable interceptor that strengthens transatlantic defense posture.
“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, 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.”
The MIM-104 Patriot is a mobile interceptor missile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary such system used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar component of the weapon system. The AN/MPQ-53 at the heart of the system is known as the “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target”, which is a backronym for “Patriot”. Patriot was used initially as an anti-aircraft system. In 1988, it received an upgrade providing limited capability against tactical ballistic missiles (TBM), designated PAC-1 (Patriot Advanced Capability 1). The most recent upgrade by manufacturer Lockheed Martin, designated PAC-3, is a nearly total system redesign of the interceptor missiles, this time designed from the outset with the capability to engage and destroy tactical ballistic missile. The PAC-3 family of missiles are combat-proven Hit-to-Kill interceptors that defend against incoming threats – including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, advanced threats and aircraft – using direct body-to-body contact that delivers exponentially more kinetic energy on the target than can be achieved with blast fragmentation mechanisms. Seventeen nations have chosen PAC-3 for missile defense.
