The THAAD radar, developed by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, successfully acquired, tracked, and communicated with the THAAD missile. The radar is a phased array, capable of search, threat detection, classification, and precision tracking at extremely long ranges.

"The successful performance of our radar in this flight test is a major step forward," said Rick Yuse, vice president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' Missile Defense Business Area.

"We have been performing successfully at WSMR since March 2004, and we're prepared for the next phase of flight testing when radar performance is a key test objective."

Lockheed Martin is the THAAD weapon system prime contractor and systems integrator. The THAAD weapon system is a key element of the Missile Defense Agency's Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS).

THAAD will provide rapidly deployable ground-based missile defense components that deepen, extend and complement the BMDS to any combatant commander to defeat ballistic missiles of all types and ranges while in all phases of flight.

THAAD's combination of high-altitude, long-range capability and hit-to-kill lethality enables it to effectively negate the effects of weapons of mass destruction at very long range.

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