On Monday, the Army made significant progress in replacing the aging Patriot air defense missile system by selecting a new radar, the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), developed by Raytheon. The company announced it has received approval to commence initial production as part of the Army’s strategy to modernize its ground-based air defense capabilities.

Tom Laliberty, president of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon, described the achievement as unprecedented, noting that the development program has transitioned from prototype to production and deployment at an accelerated pace. Army spokesman Darrell Ames confirmed that the service is initiating the production and deployment phase of the program.

The Army awarded Raytheon a contract to develop radar prototypes in 2019, aiming to find a single system to replace the Patriot, which was first deployed in 1984. Over the years, there have been various replacement plans, with the most recent competition being canceled in October.

Following the cancellation, the Army decided to purchase the new radar separately from the command-and-control system. This decision has benefited LTAMDS, which has successfully completed eight flight tests under Army supervision. The service has received its first six radars, with an additional eight currently in production. Raytheon plans to produce a total of a dozen radars annually for both the U.S. Army and international clients.

According to the release, Raytheon will deliver radars seven and eight later this year and is also producing radars for the U.S. Army and Poland under contracts awarded in August 2024. The timeline from development contract award to initial production for LTAMDS, at six years, is relatively quick for the Army. The program utilized rapid-prototyping authority, significantly reducing the timeline from the typical duration of over a decade.

Despite LTAMDS now being classified as a program of record, Army leaders have expressed a desire to move away from traditional acquisition processes. Neil Thurgood, a former lieutenant general and senior vice president at venture capital-backed Anduril, remarked in March that the Army has many authorities from Congress that it tends not to fully utilize. For LTAMDS, the Army has applied Middle-Tier Acquisition authority, which allows for quicker advancement through the acquisition process, ideally within two to five years.