Inside Defense:
The Army will hold an industry day next month to begin planning the way forward on its lower-tier air and missile defense sensor acquisition strategy. The service last week announced the event will take place Feb. 27 and 28 in Huntsville, AL. LTAMDS is being explored as a potential upgrade or replacement of the Army’s Patriot radar.
The House Armed Services Committee put language in its fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill, requiring an acquisition strategy for the program by April 15, 2018. The legislation stated that if the Army secretary did not deliver the plan by that date, the service could not spend any money obligated for the program.
When the House and Senate met in conference to produce a final bill, the date for the strategy was pushed back to Sept. 15, 2018. The initial operating capability deadline for the sensor was also extended in the final report from Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2023.
