On Sept.
21, 2012, on an isolated test range in New Mexico, Raytheon’s Joint Land Attack
Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System JLENS aerostat provided
targeting information to a Standard Missile-6, enabling the weapon to
successfully engage an anti-ship cruise missile target.
The
integrated test conducted by the U.S. Army and Navy marked the first time the
two systems worked together to engage a target by sharing information over the
Raytheon Cooperative Engagement Capability network.
“This
test is of critical importance for the JLENS program because it demonstrates
the system’s ability to integrate with existing U.S. Navy systems and proves
that JLENS is ready to deploy,” said Dave Gulla, Raytheon’s vice president of
Global Integrated Sensors.
The
simulated naval engagement took place at the White Sands Missile Range in New
Mexico.
The
JLENS system’s capability goes far beyond hunting cruise missiles. It is
designed to defend against a large assortment of threats, like low-flying manned
and unmanned aircraft, large caliber rockets, boats, SCUD launchers,
automobiles and tanks.
In June,
the system simultaneously tracked multiple speedboats on the Great Salt Lake in
Utah, proving its ability to detect “swarming boat” attacks on ships. The U.S.
Army has already certified the first group of soldiers trained to operate the
system.
The
land-based, tethered aerostat is 74 meters (243 feet) long and carries a
powerful, long-range radar system.
Anti-ship
cruise missiles are a growing global danger. In the hands of hostile nations or
rogue groups, they pose a threat to U.S. Navy and allied ships and are a menace
to commercial ships navigating strategic waterways.
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