The United States will test LTAMDS with Patriot until 2027 against “Iskander”
The U.S. Army is actively funding tests of the latest LTAMDS radar system as part of the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. This is intended to eliminate existing “blind spots” in the system and increase its effectiveness against missiles such as the Iskander-M.
This was reported by Defense Express.
The U.S. Army allocated $33.8 million to Lockheed Martin to support ground and launch tests of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) as part of the Patriot system. This includes verifying the capability to intercept ballistic and hypersonic missiles, such as the Iskander-M and Kinzhal.
The work under this contract is expected to be completed by 31 March 2027. This date can be considered the final deadline for testing the new radar within the air defense system, although theoretically everything could be ready earlier.
LTAMDS was created to correct one of the biggest shortcomings of the Patriot missile systems — the limited sector of coverage. Current AN/MPQ-53 and AN/MPQ-65 radars provide detection and guidance only in a limited sector, allowing missiles to be “thrown” through blind spots.
The new radar, however, has three radars providing full 360-degree coverage. This minimizes the opportunities for enemy missiles and drones to “slip behind” the air defense system.
LTAMDS is currently undergoing tests to confirm its capabilities under different conditions. For the U.S. Army, which is now modernizing its systems, it is important to verify that everything works as intended and no worse than before.
The radar has entered serial production with planned annual output of 12 units per year. There is already a first foreign order from Poland for its Patriot systems, with antenna manufacturing localized there as well.
However, the manufacturer, Raytheon, reports significant interest from many other clients. Production volumes are therefore planned to increase immediately to 18 units per year, or by 50%.
Currently, LTAMDS production is secured until 2030, with the U.S. gradually allocating $1.025 billion. This is expected to become the main radar for future Patriot deliveries, although it will likely raise the price of each system.
Germany has transferred all Patriot missiles to Ukraine and is urging partners to act. Germany has exhausted its own air defense missile stocks for transfer to Ukraine. Germany will continue border control until autumn 2026 — Bild.
The Ukrainian government is implementing border and customs control directly on train carriages. Starting in 2026, a new EU control system will operate for Ukrainians entering Poland.
