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Raytheon's NCADE Meets Warfighter Needs, Counters Growing Ballistic Missile Threat
Date posted: 09/10/2009*
The U.S. Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) are jointly studying the operational feasibility and technical readiness of using fighter jets, bombers and unmanned systems for ballistic missile defense.
Raytheon’s Network Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCADE), which is featured at the Air Force Association’s Annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, is clearly emerging as the preferred option because it’s affordable, compatible with all platforms and maintains aircraft multimission role.
“NCADE is the only early intercept solution being considered in the study that can go exoatmospheric and is compatible with the internal carriage of front line fighters,” said Mike Booen, Raytheon’s vice president of Advanced Security and Directed Energy Systems.
Money Requested in 2010 Budget for NCADE
The MDA has even asked for $3.5 million for NCADE in its 2010 budget request, and Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) has provided a Program Objective Memorandum (POM) plan that delivers 20 missiles in less than four years to warfighters. The whole program could be made operational by 2013 for less than $500 million.
NCADE is an air-launched weapon system now under development at RMS. Designed to engage short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in the early phase of flight, the NCADE interceptor leverages proven components and existing technologies, including the aerodynamic design, aircraft interface and flight control system of Raytheon’s Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).
The commonality with AMRAAM enables the warfighter to launch NCADE from a wide variety of aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems.
System Offers Rapid Development and Fielding
NCADE also leverages combat-proven imaging infrared seeker components from existing Raytheon production programs. This enables a rapid development and fielding path. Raytheon has already flight tested the infrared seeker with the intercept of a test ballistic missile at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The test demonstrated the NCADE infrared seeker’s ability to acquire and track a ballistic missile target in the boost phase of flight.
The company has developed NCADE largely under its own funding, but in 2008, RMS received a two-year, $10 million MDA contract to continue NCADE design and development.
Thompson: NCADE Offers Many Advantages
According to Loren B. Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, NCADE offers many advantages over other platforms.
“NCADE can be deployed on any fighter in the joint inventory and requires only minor modifications to be installed. By networking together various sensors and linking them to the aircraft carrying the intercept missile, the military can obtain a highly capable defensive system while avoiding many of the costs associated with traditional missile defense programs.”
Ultimately, NCADE can provide a deterrent against missile launches by rogue states and has the potential to reduce or negate the most potent threat that U.S. forward-deployed forces will face in the years ahead. It fills a critical niche in the ballistic missile defense system and provides an affordable, near-term approach to interceptor development and acquisition.
With its affordable price tag, Raytheon’s NCADE is an attractive alternative to allied nations that might not be able to afford traditional, more expensive missile defense solutions.
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