JOINT MISSILE TEST SUCCESSFUL.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer An advanced cruise missile cruise missile, low-flying, continuously powered offensive missile designed to evade defense systems. Although the German V-1 (1944) was a simple cruise missile, the cruise missile did not realize its potential until the 1970s, when the United States sought to being developed by Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. , including work done at the Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works in Palmdale, reached a milestone Wednesday with its first engine-powered flight. Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile flew under control of its onboard computer for approximately 22 minutes. The missile was launched by an F-16 fighter above the White Sands Missile Range White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), formerly known as the White Sands Proving Grounds, is a rocket range in New Mexico operated by the United States Army. The range covers an area of almost 3,200 mi² (8 287 km²), approximately three times the size of Rhode Island, making it in New Mexico, the Skunk Works announced. The missile performed a series of maneuvers similar to those required during an attack mission. All test objectives were met, including safe separation from the fighter; wing and tail deployment; Global Position System-aided navigation; and engine start and operation. ``This flight is strategically important because it successfully demonstrated a number of critical processes,'' said Dick Caime, vice president of Strike Weapons Systems for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control (LM MFC) is a Lockheed Martin business unit based in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie, Texas. The unit's offensive and defensive arsenal includes air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, naval rockets and missiles, fire control and sensor . The Navy and Air Force selected Lockheed Martin to develop and build the missile system in April 1998. The Air Force wants 2,400 JSSAMs. |
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