REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center successfully launched three modular open systems architecture test missiles September 21, 2016 at the Redstone Test Center.
AMRDEC designed and developed the test missiles under the Modular Missile Technologies Project. The test missiles were launched from a fixed stand and followed the expected ballistic flight paths. The tests proved the performance of the low-cost composite rocket motor case and the ability of the missile guidance electronics to function during flight.
The tests were the first in a planned series of flight tests of MMT”s 70-mm diameter missile family (dubbed MMT-70). The MMT-70 family consists of a rocket-propelled forward firing variant weighing about 25 pounds and a drop/glide variant weighing about 10 pounds.
The nearest-term warfighter applications for MMT are small guided munitions for Army aviation helicopters and unmanned aerial systems, according to Christopher Lofts, capability area lead, aviation missiles, in AMRDEC”s System Simulation and Development Directorate.