Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE:LMT) Sky Shield air defense system has successfully intercepted and destroyed warheads of Katyusha and Kassam rockets in a series of laboratory tests conducted at the company’s missile and fire control division. Development of the Sky Shield is due to be completed in 2007.
Lockheed Martin presented the Sky Shield’s capabilities to Israeli defense officials. The company believes that the system can provide an effective defense against both Katyusha and Kassam rockets. Each system costs $15 million, and the company believes that four or five systems would provide effective defense for a town such as Sderot.
The Sky Shield system includes a radar and rapid-fire 35mm cannon, which can destroy incoming rockets using tungsten-tipped munitions positioned in a spiral. Each 35mm shell contains 152 pieces of shrapnel that are fired towards the target by a preset precision time-delayed fuse.
A short burst of fire creates a lethal cloud of shrapnel that fills the incoming rocket’s path. The bullets penetrate the rocket’s skin causing damage severe enough to prevent it from fulfilling its mission.
The latest tests were conducted on a precise copy of a Kassam rocket; not on an original one. The next stage of development involves packing the shrapnel in such a way as to minimize their size while retaining their lethality.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on November 29, 2006
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