TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 6 -- Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $38.6 million US Army contract to develop the laser radar (LADAR) technology base for the next generation of interceptors for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. Under the Army's advanced discriminating LADAR technology (ADLT) program, Raytheon is developing a range-resolved, Doppler imaging LADAR sensor to enhance the ground-based midcourse defense segment's exoatmospheric kill vehicle with additional discrimination capability.
The ADLT LADAR system uses an ultrastable laser transmitter to interrogate targets much like a radar system. The reflected energy from targets is received and Doppler-processed to first gather range and velocity data and then create a range-resolved, Doppler image which yields the target's micromotions. This RRDI imagery can be made at very long ranges, much before camera-based systems can resolve the target.