Written by Jennifer Devlin, MSMF Huntsville Staff Writer
MSMF 2009 Volume: 2 Issue: 6 (November/December)
McMillan Receives Patent Award
Robert McMillan, Ph.D., a senior scientist with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, Technical Center, was given a patent award for his work with uses of polarization for target discrimination. The patent was awarded by Dr. Rodney Robertson, director, USASMDC/ ARSTRAT Technical Center, during a Technical Center town hall meeting.
According to a recent SMDC release, McMillan commented that “the idea of using polarization in target discrimination is similar to the way that polarized sunglasses work … they cut the glare because they reject the horizontal polarization in sunlight, which is the one that is most strongly reflected. Once this glare is rejected, you are more readily able to see things.” Such technology will help discriminate debris and decoys from incoming ballistic missile re-entry vehicles.
McMillan has had a number of patents granted, four during his time at SMDC, and a number of others while working in industry. He has worked with laser, radar and optical sensors for the past 11 years with SMDC.
PAC-3 Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary
September 1, 2009, marked the 10-year anniversary of Boeing’s production of the seeker for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile. It also marked the anticipation of the 1,000th seeker to Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor. Since 1997, when the first delivery occurred, 940 missile seekers have been produced, and the goal marker of 1,000 should be reached by year’s end.
In service since 2001, the PAC-3 missile is the newest addition to the Patriot missile family, and is a high-velocity, hit-tokill missile. The PAC-3 is designed to detect and track targets during the terminal phase of engagement, providing data to the missile’s onboard guidance system. According to Boeing, the missile “intercepts and destroys tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hostile aircraft through direct body-to-body impact. The PAC-3 missile seeker provides active target information that enables the missile to acquire the target, select the optimal aim point and initiate terminal guidance to ensure target kill.
“The PAC-3 missile, the most advanced air defense missile in the world, is battle-proven to defend with hit-to-kill precision against a range of threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles. The Boeing seeker team is focused on quality above all else to ensure it will succeed every time the PAC-3 missile is called on to protect U.S. and allied warfighters and civilians against hostile forces,” noted Debra Rub, vice president of Boeing Weapons Programs, in a company statement.
Boeing Receives Contract Extension
The U.S. Army extended a contract with Boeing S&S Mission Systems. This extension provides over $1.4 million for Global Geospatial Intelligence data products to be used by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The contract, worth over $18.7 million and utilizing workers across eight states, impacts the Tennessee Valley through Boeing’s Huntsville operations, which will receive 21 percent of the funding and work to be performed. The contract’s completion date is estimated at August 10, 2010.
Congressman Parker Griffith stated that “Huntsville’s community of defense companies continues to lead the way in technology and efficiency. Supremacy in space equals supremacy in intelligence, missile defense, future technologies, education and economic development. When the U.S. Army needs to enhance safety for our troops in the field, they look first to the Tennessee Valley.”
AMRDEC Celebrates New Evaluation Center
The Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) opened a new missile evaluation center, formally called the Propulsion and Explosives Technology Evaluation Center. This new facility comprises a number of buildings and a test range on Redstone Arsenal. The center is the result of an investment of more than several million dollars, providing a center that will mix missile fuels and explosives, which will be loaded into engines and warheads. New propellants will also be developed in the facility. Also included in the center will be an explosives test range and a chemical synthesis lab. Rep. Parker Griffith told the crowd at the dedication ceremony, “We’re going to make the commitment not only to our warfighters with research and development facilities like this, but we’re going to make the commitment to manned space flight.” ♦