Lockheed's new long-range radar tracks live ballistic missile in test

Lockheed Martin and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully tested the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR), demonstrating its capability to detect, track, and discriminate a live intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) target amid complex conditions. Conducted on June 23, 2025, at Clear Space Force Station, Alaska, the test involved tracking a missile launched over the northern Pacific Ocean, flying more than 1,242 miles off Alaska’s coast. The LRDR provided critical tracking data to the Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) system, supporting a simulated Ground-Based Midcourse Defense engagement. This test validated LRDR’s extended-range detection and discrimination capabilities, crucial for homeland defense. The LRDR is a solid-state, gallium nitride (GaN)-based radar developed under Lockheed Martin’s Open GaN Foundry model, designed to enhance the US layered missile defense strategy by improving precision in distinguishing real threats from decoys. The radar also