Boeing Non-kinetic Missile Records 1st Operational Test Flight

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah, Oct. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent weapons flight test in the Utah desert may change future warfare after the missile successfully defeated electronic targets with little to no collateral damage.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., successfully tested the Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) during a flight over the Utah Test and Training Range that was monitored from Hill Air Force Base.

CHAMP, which renders electronic targets useless, is a non-kinetic alternative to traditional explosive weapons that use the energy of motion to defeat a target.

During the test, the CHAMP missile navigated a pre-programmed flight plan and emitted bursts of high-powered energy, effectively knocking out the target's data and electronic subsystems. CHAMP allows for selective high-frequency radio wave strikes against numerous targets during a single mission.

"This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare," said Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works. "In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy's electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive."

CHAMP is a multiyear, joint capability technology demonstration that includes ground and flight tests.  

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 61,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

A related image is available at boeing.mediaroom.com.
A video feature on CHAMP is available at www.boeing.com/bds.

Contact: 

Randy Jackson
Phantom Works
Office: 314-232-7906
Mobile: 314-435-7588
[email protected]

Deborah VanNierop
Phantom Works
Office: 314-232-1624
Mobile: 210-454-2656
[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing Defense, Space & Security