Reevaluation of Lockheed Martin contracts UAE THAAD 80307172

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Defense & Security News - UAE
 
Reevaluation of Lockheed Martin contracts for UAE THAAD engineering support
Lockheed Martin Space Systems has received an $18.9 million modification to an existing contract for the United Arab Emirates' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ground component systems.
     
Lockheed Martin Space Systems has received an $18.9 million modification to an existing contract for the United Arab Emirates' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ground component systems.
THAAD (photo: Missile Defence Agency)
     
The modification will fall under foreign military sales, provide software engineering support for UAE THAAD ground control integration and will raise the cumulative value of the contract from $449 million to $468 million, the Department of Defense said Wednesday. Work will be performed in Sunnydale, Calif., Huntsville, Ala., El Paso, Texas, and the U.A.E. The contract is expected to be completed by Jan. 23, 2019. U.A.E. foreign military sales funds in the amount of $18.9 million will be obligated.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor system is designed to intercept incoming enemy ballistic missiles as they begin their terminal descent phase in near-space and the upper atmosphere. It is designed to easily integrate its sensor and targeting data with other ballistic missile defense systems, such as the Patriot PAC-3 ground based missile and the AEGIS Standard Missile-3 naval interceptor. This provides layered defenses at different stages of the ballistic missile's flight. The interceptor uses its own kinetic energy to directly impact and destroy the missile in a "hit-to-kill," rather than the blast-fragmentation proximity warhead used on most surface-to-air missiles.