On December 6, 2024, the U.S. Army conducted a test of its next-generation air and missile defense system, the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), by launching a Black Dagger target missile from Fort Wingate, New Mexico, toward White Sands Missile Range. Although the test was conducted in December, its results were made public only on May 8, 2025, according to an official Army release.
The Black Dagger missile, designed to simulate a realistic ballistic threat, followed a representative trajectory, allowing soldiers to operate the LTAMDS radar in conditions closely resembling those of an actual battlefield. According to Cain Crouch, head of the Targets Division at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) Technical Center, the missile flight met expectations and even exceeded performance requirements. Initial data confirmed that the target was successfully tracked by the radar and intercepted by a missile.
LTAMDS, developed by Raytheon, is the U.S. Army’s new radar system intended to replace the legacy Patriot radar as part of a broader effort to modernize integrated air and missile defense capabilities. It is the first member of Raytheon’s GhostEye family and features three active electronically scanned arrays, one primary and two secondary, that operate in unison to provide continuous 360-degree threat detection and tracking. With more than twice the power of the original Patriot radar array, LTAMDS is built to counter current and future threats, including drones, cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons, while remaining compatible with existing Patriot infrastructure.
Following a campaign of eight progressively complex flight tests, LTAMDS achieved Milestone C designation from the U.S. Department of Defense in April 2025, signifying its transition from prototype to production. The radar is now officially a program of record and will support both homeland defense and expeditionary operations. Raytheon has delivered the first six units to the Army and is scaling up production, with orders underway for the U.S. Army and Poland—its first international customer. Production capacity is set to increase to 12 units per year to meet growing global demand.
The December 2024 test marked a critical step toward the full acquisition and fielding of LTAMDS. It also served as a training opportunity for active-duty soldiers, who operated the system in a live-fire scenario. Crouch emphasized the importance of such operational environments in preparing soldiers for real-world conditions. He also noted the professionalism and flexibility of the USASMDC Technical Center team, which carried out consecutive test missions in November and December despite the challenges of the holiday period.
The operation involved several key personnel, including Josh Alcorn, Meeda Bosse, Stephanie Chrisley, Jeff Compton, Olivia Miller, Justin Novak, and Anne Wolf. Justin Novak, the mission’s test director, stated that evaluating missile defense systems against strategic ballistic threats builds confidence in their operational readiness and reliability. Stephanie Chrisley, assistant test director, praised the support from White Sands Missile Range and highlighted the role of the Zombie program, which provides low-cost targets by repurposing existing military components, enabling more frequent and realistic training.
Olivia Miller, who served as pad chief, noted the complexity of the launch operations, including last-minute adjustments based on weather data. She described the satisfaction of seeing months of preparation culminate in a successful mission, emphasizing that true success lies not just in the launch but in the system’s ability to detect and intercept the threat.
The launch and successful interception of the Black Dagger target by LTAMDS represents a significant milestone in the U.S. Army’s effort to modernize its missile defense architecture. The test validated the radar’s technical capabilities and demonstrated that soldiers can operate it effectively in realistic scenarios. With its enhanced detection, 360-degree coverage, and integration into existing defense systems, LTAMDS is positioned to play a central role in protecting U.S. and allied forces against evolving aerial and missile threats.
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