Lockheed Martin tests Miniature Hit-to-Kill missile at White Sands

A recent engineering demonstration at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico successfully used a Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) to launch a Lockheed Martin Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) interceptor.

“Today’s global security environment demands agile, close-range solutions that protect soldiers and citizens from enemy rockets, artillery and mortars,” Lockheed Martin MHTK Program Manager Hal Stuart said. “This test is a critical milestone, demonstrating the interceptor’s maturity, and we look forward to continuing to build on this success using key data gathered from today’s launch.”

The MHTK interceptor was developed to combat rocket, artillery and mortar (RAM) targets from greater ranges than are possible with current and interim systems. The missile is small in size, measuring just two feet in length and weighing five pounds at launch, but maintains the lethality and reliability of other Hit-to-Kill interceptors. Its size allows for multiple rounds to be packaged in one MML tube.

Hit-to-Kill technology uses kinetic energy to destroy threats in body-to-body contact, removing the potential for collateral damage that is found in blast-fragmentation interceptors. The MML, which can carry and launch multiple missiles, is an integral part of the Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 Intercept program.