Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
9h ago

Pentagon’s Long-Range Radar Successfully Tracks Missile, Advancing Golden Dome Plans

The test showcased the LRDR’s ability to discriminate threats in a live environment as it prepares for integration into the $175 billion satellite-based defense shield.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks about the Golden Dome missile defense shield, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Lockheed Martin's LRDR system
Pentagon tests radar in Alaska to detect missile threats from Russia, China

Overview

  • On June 23 at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska, the Missile Defense Agency-led FTX-26a flight test saw the LRDR detect, track, and report data on an air-launched target flying more than 1,243 miles offshore.
  • The solid-state gallium nitride radar employs an open architecture framework to distinguish live ballistic missile threats from decoys in complex scenarios.
  • During the exercise, LRDR relayed real-time tracking data to the Command and Control Battle Management and Communications network to support Ground-Based Midcourse Defense interceptors.
  • Pentagon officials intend to incorporate LRDR as a key sensor in the Golden Dome initiative, a $175 billion satellite network modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome and slated to be operational by January 2029.
  • Lockheed Martin and Missile Defense Agency leaders said the successful test marks a critical advance in US layered defense despite ongoing scrutiny over the program’s cost and timeline.