Raytheon's
JLENS Aerostat, SM-6 Missile Work Together to Protect Ships
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.
JLENS System (Video: Raytheon)
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.
SM-6 Sea-based Testing (Video: Raytheon)
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.
