Aerojet Rocketdyne to supply rocket engines and DACS systems for THAAD missile defence systems

Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with Aerojet Rocketdyne to manufacture and supply solid rocket motors and DACS systems for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system.

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Production of the THAAD engines will take place at two Aerojet Rocketdyne facilities, in Huntsville, Alabama and Camden, Arkansas. The DACS systems, responsible for ensuring that the hardware unit does not deflect from the target, are manufactured at the Los Angeles, California, facility.

Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president Eileen Drake said the company has supported the THAAD missile defence system, which protects the US, military and allies, for more than two decades. The new contract includes the production of propulsion systems for the interceptors (batch 13/14), which will be transferred to the US military.

The THAAD system protects US and allied forces from missile attacks along with critical infrastructure. The missile defence system has successfully destroyed 16 of the 16 airborne threats in tests.

The complex uses the so-called "kinetic intercept" concept. In simple words, only the kinetic force of the interceptor is used to destroy airborne threats. The hardware unit does not have a warhead.

Source: GlobeNewswire