Lockheed Martin has secured a contract under the US Army’s Other Transaction Authority (OTA) to develop a second interceptor for the Enduring Shield air defense system, which currently uses AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. The new missile, still unnamed, aims to enhance the system’s ability to counter cruise missiles and other aerial threats at longer ranges. Lockheed is leveraging existing technologies and working toward integration with the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). While still in the early stages, this development marks a significant step in modernizing mid-tier air defense and reducing reliance on high-cost Patriot systems, according to Joseph Trevithick and Howard Altman of The War Zone. The Army is expected to advance to prototype development in 2026. They write:

Lockheed Martin is among those to have gotten the go-ahead to move forward in a competition to design a second interceptor for the U.S. Army’s middle-tier Enduring Shield air defense system. Enduring Shield systems are in the process of being fielded now, armed with the AIM-9X Sidewinder. The Army has long expressed interest in another interceptor option, particularly to provide increased capability against incoming cruise missiles.

[…] The announcement was made around the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) main annual conference this week, at which TWZ was in attendance. […]

A rendering Lockheed Martin shared along with its announcement about the OTA deal shows a missile that is visually reminiscent of a previous design called Cuda. […]

AeroVironment (AV) announced in May that it completed its acquisition of BlueHalo. AV is now continuing with the development of BlueHalo’s Freedom Eagle-1 (FE-1) interceptor for the Army’s separate Next-Generation C-UAS Missile (NGCM) program. Lockheed Martin’s rendering of its IFPC second interceptor shows a design that is visually distinct from the FE-1. […]

Otherwise, details about the new Lockheed Martin interceptor design remain limited. The Army has said in the past that it wants the second interceptor for Enduring Shield to have capabilities akin to those found on the AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), but with the same form factor as the AIM-9X. […]

In addition to the reality that not every aerial threat requires the capabilities of a system like Patriot, Enduring Shield also offers a new, lower-cost option for getting after targets within its engagement envelope. […]

At the same time, the newly announced deal with Lockheed Martin shows that the competition to give Enduring Shield a second interceptor option, adding to the already important new tier of air defense capability the system offers the Army, is moving ahead.

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