Tactical and Ballistic Missile Defense Systems
Expertise in Action
Related Projects
Golden Horde
Achieving networked, collaborative offensive weapons systems that will learn from their environment and autonomously work together to defeat integrated air and missile defenses.
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Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent
APL has a significant evaluation role in the Air Force program to replace the aging Minuteman III system.
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Dynamic Simulation
With the clock ticking down to the first Minuteman III test flight to feature a miniature analog translator (MAT)—developed and built by APL to replace the obsolete full signal translator (FST) used for real-time range tracking and GPS signal data on prior test flights—qualification tests identified a need to change a configuration file in the MAT ground equipment.
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Testing Air and Missile Defense Radar
APL teamed with industry and the Above Water Sensors Directorate of Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems on two successful tests of the AN/SPY-6(V), a wideband digital beam-forming sensor known as the Air and Missile Defense Radar.
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Test Target Prototyping
A cross-APL team of engineers, working with the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Target and Countermeasures Directorate and other government and industry partners, develops cost-effective solutions for MDA to support live-fire testing of interceptors, sensors, and fire control systems.
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Standard Missile-3: The Next Generation
APL led key “end-to-end” system-level performance analysis in collaboration with the government–industry team for the SM-3 Block IIA missile, cooperatively developed by the United States and Japan.
Learn more about Standard Missile-3: The Next Generation
Johns Hopkins APL Plays Pivotal Role in Successful FTX-23 Missile Defense Test Apr 9, 2024
APL played a pivotal role in a successful demonstration of the Aegis Weapon System’s ability to track and intercept a complex missile target.
Johns Hopkins APL Marks 15 Impactful Years of Pushing the Boundaries of Missile Design Feb 12, 2024
For 15 years, APL has been advancing a new paradigm for missile design, known as multidisciplinary design optimization, that overcomes the limitations of traditional processes. Along the way, the Laboratory has developed cutting-edge tools that have supported a wide range of government agencies and advanced the state of the art among industry partners and government sponsors.
Johns Hopkins APL Provides Critical Contributions to Successful Ballistic Missile Intercept Test Sep 14, 2023
APL — in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy — demonstrated the capability to detect, track, engage and intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target in the terminal phase of flight.