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Northrop Grumman Corporation has launched a variation of its Zombie target vehicle, known as “Black Dagger”, from Fort Wingate to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s (USASMDC) LTZ-3 test mission.
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Zombie targets earn their name by giving “new life” to demilitarised solid rocket motors, repurposing them to create tactical ballistic missile replicas representative of adversary threats.
The successful test showcased the capabilities of the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defence Sensor, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 air defence systems.
Zombie targets reuse demilitarised solid rocket motors to simulate enemy tactical ballistic missiles, offering a cost-effective and time-saving approach for advanced missile defence testing.
Robin Heard, director of targets at Northrop Grumman, said: “Producing low-cost, high-fidelity target vehicles is a critical step towards fielding advanced systems to protect the nation and its allies from ballistic missile attacks.”
Northrop Grumman, in collaboration with Teledyne Brown Engineering and Peraton, has developed, delivered, and launched nine Zombie targets as intercept test vehicles under the USASMDC’s Tactical Range Air Defence Missile (TACRAM) contract.
Northrop Grumman produces six Zombie configurations tailored to meet customer requirements and replicate specific threats, including the “Black Dagger” variant tested in this mission. These targets provide low-cost tactical ballistic missile simulations essential for testing and verifying US missile defence systems.
The TACRAM program minimises costs for the Army’s missile defence testing and evaluation efforts by delivering affordable, threat-representative target solutions. Under the recently awarded TACRAM 2 contract, extending to 2028, Northrop Grumman will continue its partnership to produce and launch Zombie targets for advanced missile defence system testing.
As a leading provider of threat-representative target vehicles, Northrop Grumman combines expertise in advanced avionics, adaptable vehicle enhancement kits, and solid rocket motor technology to rapidly develop target vehicles that replicate sophisticated adversary threats.
The IBCS, Northrop Grumman’s cutting-edge mission command fire control system, was a key component in this demonstration. IBCS integrates current and future systems across sources, services, and domains using a network-enabled, modular, open, and scalable architecture.
By fusing sensor data into a single actionable picture of the battlespace, IBCS provides warfighters with unprecedented situational awareness and decision-making capabilities.
“This program highlights the partnership between industry and USASMDC to create cost-effective solutions without sacrificing reliability and performance,” Heard said.
This ready-now system is integral to enabling joint and coalition, multi-domain operations. IBCS is currently in production and planned for global deployment. It will be a critical component in the defence of Guam as part of the US Army’s air and missile defence modernisation program.
