The U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin’s project to develop the new PAC-3 ACE interceptor for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system was initially seen as a solution to the main problem: a critical shortage of missiles and production capacity.
At the end of July, PAC-3 ACE was unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow as an alternative to the PAC-3 MSE that would cost half as much. It was also stated that the missile would be ready and deployed in record time, while close cooperation with the European defense industry would enable mass production.
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But the exact price of this cost reduction has now been confirmed: PAC-3 ACE will not feature hit-to-kill technology. Jason Reynolds, vice president of Lockheed Martin, stated this clearly and unequivocally during the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
“We essentially modernized the front and rear sections of the missile [compared with the PAC-3 MSE] and removed the attitude-control thrusters, so now this missile [PAC-3 ACE] does not have hit-to-kill technology,” Defense One quoted him as saying in an extensive report that uses numerous examples to explain why even the United States will not have a quick solution to the challenge of intercepting ballistic missiles.
Earlier, Janes also obtained information from Jason Reynolds in a detailed discussion about which components PAC-3 ACE would lack compared with the PAC-3 MSE.
At the time, Lockheed Martin explained that the simplifications would affect nearly all of the missile’s major components. The dual-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor would be replaced with a simpler single-pulse motor. The missile’s midsection would be simplified, and the Attitude Control Section would be removed. PAC-3 ACE would also use a simpler seeker.
At the same time, the guidance system and software will remain in place or serve as the basis for adapted solutions. To ensure the destruction of a ballistic target, the 7-kg Lethality Enhancer warhead will be replaced with a much larger and more powerful conventional high-explosive fragmentation warhead.
From Defense Express’ perspective, this means the new ACE missile will be much closer to the PAC-2 GEM-T than to the PAC-3 MSE. The entire approach to countering the ballistic threat is essentially reduced to the ability to damage an incoming target that will still fall to the ground and, most likely, explode. By contrast, the PAC-3 MSE destroys the ballistic missile, including its warhead, in the air.
In other words, there will be no “miracle” from Lockheed Martin. Developing a fully fledged hit-to-kill interceptor without the existing bottlenecks, while also making it half the price, appears to be beyond even the world’s largest defense company.
Moreover, the development timeline for PAC-3 ACE is also important. The missile is not expected to make its first flight before early 2028, while serial production is scheduled to begin 18 months later. That puts mass production toward the end of this decade.
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