Target missile uses intercept detection instruments from Battelle Huntsville lab

Kauai, HI–Innovations from Battelle supported a successful test of an element of the United States Ballistic Missile Defense System on March 17.

Battelle provided intercept detection instrumentation for the target missile that Lockheed Martin provided under the Targets and Countermeasures Prime Contract for the Missile Defense Agency. As a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Battelle developed and manufactured the instrumentation at its Huntsville, Ala., site.

The instrumentation was used in a test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade completed a successful intercept of the ballistic missile target during the test.

“Successful tests like these are critical to demonstrating the readiness of the Ballistic Missile Defense System,” said Bobby Evars, Manager of Battelle’s Huntsville Operations. “The technical performance and reliability of our instrumentation play a role in that success and we are proud and honored to be able to contribute.”

Battelle is the world’s largest non-profit independent research and development organization, providing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $5.2 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories that Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Battelle’s Global National Security business applies science and technology to solve complex technical challenges for the military services and federal agencies. Including the operations of national laboratories, Battelle annually performs nearly $1.6 billion in national security-related work contributing to advances in chemical and biological defense, homeland security, armor, technology refreshment, and undersea technology.

Contact Public Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (410) 306-8638 or delaneyk@battelle.org or T.R. Massey, media relations specialist, at (614) 424-5544 or masseytr@battelle.org for more information.