On August 18, 2025, Lockheed Martin announced a successful test of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE), which intercepted an aerial target using data from the U.S. Army’s new Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS). Conducted with LTAMDS’s secondary sector, the engagement marks a critical milestone toward achieving full 360-degree coverage within the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) framework.
The test confirmed seamless integration between the PAC-3 MSE and LTAMDS. Unlike the legacy Patriot radar with a limited field of view, LTAMDS employs advanced gallium nitride-powered arrays to detect, track, and engage threats from all directions. This capability allows forces to counter complex threats such as cruise missiles, drones, and advanced ballistic targets from any axis.
As the most advanced interceptor in the Patriot family, the PAC-3 MSE features a larger dual-pulse solid rocket motor, superior maneuverability, and an expanded engagement range. Using hit-to-kill technology, it delivers direct impact lethality against ballistic and cruise missiles as well as advanced aerial threats.
The integration of LTAMDS represents the most significant leap in Patriot’s evolution since its first combat use in the 1991 Gulf War. Successive upgrades like PAC-2 GEM, PAC-3 CRI, and PAC-3 MSE steadily improved the system, but LTAMDS now transforms it from a sector-limited shield into a fully networked defense layer.
Lockheed Martin emphasized that the test demonstrates the system’s effectiveness in demanding operational environments. The company expects to deliver more than 600 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2025 alone, marking the highest annual production in the program’s history.
For NATO, this capability reinforces Europe’s layered air defense at a time when cruise missiles, loitering drones, and maneuvering ballistic threats exploit gaps in older radars. A 360-degree Patriot battery integrated into allied command networks provides resilient area coverage, protecting critical assets and supply hubs while improving deterrence along NATO’s eastern flank.
