While the best gifts might come in small packages, so do some of the most challenging and destructive enemy munitions. Their size can make them extremely difficult to detect and defend against.
This challenge led Lockheed Martin to develop their Miniature Hit-to-Kill missile that borrows consumer electronics technology to defend against threats like drones and IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devises). Roughly the size of a collapsed umbrella, the missile is part of the Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability program focused on defending against compact artillery, mortar, and rocket threats that are typically less expensive to produce, very fast, and remarkably precise.
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| Lockheed Martin's Miniature Hit-to-Kill missile weighs five pounds and stands about 30” tall. (Picture source: Lockheed Martin) |