Medium Extended Air Defense System
MEADS is the first air and missile defense (AMD) system that provides continuous on-the-move protection for maneuver forces.
The MEADS radars – using active phased arrays and digital beam forming – enable full use of the PAC-3 MSE missile's extended range.
The minimum MEADS engagement capability requires only one launcher, one battle manager, and one fire control radar to provide 360-degree defense of troops or critical assets.
The company initially won a competitive downselect to develop the MEADS system in 1999,[4] but the program could not be started because the losing competitor filed two successive suits.
[7] In February 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it intended to fulfill its commitment to complete the design and development effort, but that it would not procure the MEADS system for budgetary reasons.
Mode 5 is more secure and provides positive line-of-sight identification of friendly platforms equipped with an IFF transponder to better protect allied forces.
[9] In June 2015, MEADS was selected as the basis for the German Taktisches Luftverteidigungssystem (TLVS), a new generation of air and missile defense that requires flexible architecture based on strong networking capabilities.
However, Lockheed Martin began renewed discussions with the Polish Ministry of Defense in February 2016 [11] leading to a formal request for information in September 2016.
It controls an advanced network-centric open architecture that allows any combination of sensors and launchers to be organized into a single air and missile defense battle element.
By virtue of multiple communications paths, the network can be expanded or contracted as the situation dictates and precludes single point failure if one node becomes inoperable.
It also has a plug-and-fight capability that allows MEADS launchers and radars to seamlessly enter and leave the network without shutting it down and interrupting ongoing operations.
The MSE missile increases the engagement envelope and defended area by using more responsive control surfaces and a more powerful rocket motor.
It is based on the IRIS-T air-to-air missile[21] equipped with an enlarged rocket motor, datalink, and jettisonable drag-reducing nose cone.
Through interoperability features designed into the system, MEADS will dramatically improve combat effectiveness and situational awareness, reducing the possibility of friendly fire incidents.
Command and control of launchers and missiles can be handed over to a neighboring battle management unit while the initial systems are moved, maintaining maneuver force protection.
The MEADS plug-and-fight capability enables command and control over other air and missile defense system elements through open, non-proprietary standardized interfaces.
[30] In June 2013, during six days of testing, MEADS demonstrated network interoperability with NATO systems during Joint Project Optic Windmill (JPOW) exercises.
MEADS demonstrated battle management capability to transmit, receive, and process Link 16 messages and to conduct threat engagements.
[31] In November 2013, MEADS intercepted and destroyed two simultaneous targets attacking from opposite directions during a stressing demonstration of its 360-degree AMD capabilities at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
[32] At White Sands Missile Range, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman also demonstrated plug-and-fight connectivity between MEADS and the U.S. Army's Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS).
[33] In July 2014, MEADS completed a comprehensive system demonstration at Pratica di Mare Air Base, Italy.
During the test, plug-and-fight capability to rapidly attach and control an external Italian deployable air defense radar was demonstrated.
