Space Mission Payloads

Leonardo DRS Understands the Mission and is Prepared to Respond

Today’s modern space battle-space has transitioned from static and predictable to dynamic and unpredictable – we must be ready to understand and respond.

The ability to “sense” and “make sense” of space based sensors is essential in today’s space battlefield, providing data to enable warfighters to Find…Fix… Track… and Target. Tracking and targeting data must move from the space-based Sensor to the Warfighter Shooter at the speed of need for effective Kill Chain engagement. 

Space, always the ultimate high ground, now is even more critical to our way of life and protecting the freedom of action. 

Today it’s critical to identify hostile actions as far “left” as possible. This requires a Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture that provides intelligence data at the speed of need.  We must Find…Fix…Track…and Target fast enough for our warfighters to have time to respond. Leonardo DRS Mission Payloads enable that speed need in distributed space architectures.

When a hostile missile launches against the United States, or one of our Allies, we must identify and characterize that event within seconds. In fact, with evolving hypersonic missile threats, response times change from seconds to milliseconds.

Once our spacecraft’s sensors have identified a potentially hostile missile launch, the Missile Warning phase, we then focus in on that launch point and that target, develop a missile track to predict where that missile is going – the Missile Tracking phase – then refine that missile track with such accuracy that an interceptor can be identified and deployed to neutralize that threat.

As our space based infrared sensors continue to develop tracking data, we then identify the target, along with an estimate of the target impact area, and who could be at risk from this hostile missile.

As our space based infrared sensors continue to develop tracking data, we then identify the target, along with an estimate of the target impact area, and who could be at risk from this hostile missile.

At this point, the integrated sensor network has been able to characterize the target and develop a target flight track.

We then begin a fire control solution assessment that includes potential engagement platforms to neutralize the target.

Our integrated network of Space-Based Infrared Sensors, combined with the capabilities of the space-based Transport Layer network, identified the hostile missile launch, tracked it, developed probable target locations, generated a fire control solution, and then provided the information to the shooter to neutralize the threat.

To shield our Nation, protect our Warfighters, preserve our space assets, and deliver real-time missile warning, missile tracking and missile targeting capabilities, you must be able to Find, Fix, Track and Target incoming threats. And then be able to neutralize them with reliable and effective counter measures.

It is critical that we defend the ultimate high ground of space.  Just as we protect and defend our Maritime, Land, and Air platforms, we also must be ready and able to defend our space systems. 

Leonardo DRS provides reliable and cost-effective Space systems to meet the needs of the Space Battlefield.