(U) Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS)

(The effects of any budget/program decisions made since the information was collected during 1997-98 are NOT reflected in the National Security Space Road Map (NSSRM).)

Overview: (U)
(U) The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) is envisioned as a replacement for the HAWK Missile System, which is deployed in the US and 25 other nations. MEADS will provide a defensive umbrella for corps-level assets against the air-breathing threat and tactical ballistic missiles. In addition, MEADS will be interoperable with existing and planned US, Joint, and Allied air defense weapons, and systems such as the Forward Area Defense System (FAADS), Patriot, and the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Since the US, Germany, and Italy plan to codevelop and codeploy MEADS, its commonality of system design will contribute to the interoperability of US and allied forces. 

The MEADS project will pass through three phases: PD-V, Design and Development, and Production. MEADS is currently in the first stage, PD-V. The objective of PD-V is to produce a system specification, a primary end item specification document, and a cooperative program plan for the common development and production of MEADS.  Funding is only been commited to the PD-V phase by the three partners: U.S., Germany, and Italy.  Should the decision be made to allocate resources to move MEADS through to the production phase, low rate initial production could start in 2003.  The first MEADS units could reach the field as early as 2007.

Description: (U)
(U) The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) will be a mobile surface-to-air missile system designed to provide a lower tier defense for troops and installations against a sophisticated suite of threats.  Mounted on a wheeled vehicle, MEADS will use a multi-canister vertical launcher to protect and launch its interceptors.  MEADs will have advanced radars to provide 360 degree coverage, which could include an airborne system to provide early warning against low flying targets.  The MEADS missiles will be hit-to-kill, will destroy TBMs, and have a lethality enhanced warhead for use against air breathing targets.  All components will be linked by state-of-the-art communications and will have access to a broad range of sensors from other systems and services.  MEADs will use a distributed/netted architecture and module components that will allow a MEADS unit to be task-organized and configured according to the expected threat and planned tactics.  These abilities will ensure that MEADS is part of the overall Air Defense/Theater Missile Defense architecture and compatible with other Army, joint, and allied systems.

(U) MEADS is an international cooperative initiative. Germany and Italy are planning to co-develop and use MEADS.  The partners have agreed to a 60-25-15 work shares and development ratio for the U.S., Germany, and Italy, respectively.  The MEADS project will pass through three phases: Project Definition-Validation (PD-V), Design and Development (D&D), and Production.  MEADS is currently in the first stage, PD-V.  The objective of PD-V is to produce a system specification, a primary end item specification document, and a cooperative program plan for the common development production of MEADS.  The participating countries will negotiate a MOU for each of these phases.  The MEADS program will be run by a NATO Agency, NAMEADSA, based in Huntsville, AL.  

(U) Low rate initial production could start in 2003.  Following operational test and evaluation of these initial systems, MEADS could enter full rate production with the first MEADS units reaching the field as early as 2007.  

User Impact: (U)
(U) To be supplied.

Programmatics: (U)
(U) Programmed.
	(U) IOC: 01/2007 (2QFY2007).

(U) Organizations and Funding:
	(U) Army: Funding Source.

Related Initiatives: (U)
(U) HAWK Air Defense System

Related Requirements: (U)
(U) None.

Related Categories: (U)
(U) Ground-Based Missile Defense

Road Map Placements: (U)
(U) SPACE CONTROL: NMD/ COUNTERSPACE.

Lead Office: (U)
(U) DoD.

Date of Information: (U)
21 November 1997

(The effects of any budget/program decisions made since the information was collected during 1997-98 are NOT reflected in the National Security Space Road Map (NSSRM).)