Lockheed Martin, DALLAS, TX: Lockheed Martin delivered the first PAC-3 missiles to government and military representatives of The Netherlands recently in a ceremony held at its manufacturing facility in Camden, AR. The Netherlands became the “launch,” or first international customer, to buy the PAC-3 Missile in 2005, when it purchased missiles through a Foreign Military Sales contract with the U.S. government.
“Today, The Netherlands is proud to be the first international launch customer for the PAC-3 Missile, just as it is proud to have been an international launch customer of the Patriot weapon system,” said Major General Alexander Besselink, Director of Weapon Systems and Agencies for The Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation. “With the introduction of full PAC-3 capabilities, the Netherlands is prepared for the future and, together with the United States, continues to be at the forefront of air defense.”
The PAC-3 Missile is manufactured at Lockheed Martin’s award-winning facility in Camden.
“The delivery of PAC-3 Missiles to the Royal Netherlands Air Force not only marks the initial delivery to our first international customer, but also represents the initial deployment of the PAC-3 Missile to one of the United States’ strongest NATO allies,” said Dennis Cavin, vice president of Air and Missile Defense Strategic Initiatives at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This deployment will afford unprecedented capability growth against the latest tactical ballistic missile threats.”
All current PATRIOT using nations are candidates to upgrade to the PAC-3 Missile. Countries that currently own the PATRIOT system include: Germany, Japan, Israel, Kuwait, Taiwan, Greece, Saudi Arabia and Spain.
Lockheed Martin achieved the first-ever hit-to-kill intercept in 1984 with the Homing Overlay Experiment, using force of impact alone to destroy a mock warhead outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Further testing produced today’s PAC-3 Missile, which won a competition in 1993 to become the first hit-to-kill interceptor produced by the U.S. government. The PAC-3 Missile has been the technology pathfinder for today’s modern missile defense systems. Currently, the Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis Weapon System, PAC-3 Missile, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System, the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) and the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) utilize this proven advanced technology to deliver lethality against today’s most dangerous threats.
Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development of air and missile defense systems and technologies, including the first operational hit-to-kill missile defense system. It also has considerable experience in missile design and production, infrared seekers, command and control/battle management, and communications, precision pointing and tracking optics, as well as radar and signal processing. The company makes significant contributions to all major U.S. missile defense systems and participates in several global missile defense partnerships.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
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