Lockheed Martin RIG-360 Datalink for 360-Degree PAC-3 Guidance Clears First Flight Test

Lockheed Martin has completed the first flight test of its RIG-360 datalink, a communications system intended to give PAC-3 missile-defense interceptors guidance connectivity across a full 360-degree engagement area. The company reported additional ground and captive-carry milestones as the new link progresses through integration testing for future air-defense architectures. The technology is designed to support engagements in which the interceptor, sensors and launcher are not confined to a conventional forward-facing geometry. The reported flight was a development milestone, not evidence that all deployed Patriot batteries have received the new datalink.