The Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) was a planned U.S.

missile defense Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception, and also the destruction of attacking missiles. Conceived as a defense against nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), ...

program whose goal was to design, develop, and deploy multiple small

kinetic energy In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acce ...

-based warheads that can intercept and destroy multiple ballistic missiles, including possible decoy targets ( penetration aids). The MKV concept provided the capability for more than one kill vehicle to be launched from a single booster. The system included a carrier vehicle with on-board sensors and a number of kill vehicles, each equipped with its own navigation thrusters and weighing around . With multiple kill vehicles on a single target "cloud" the probability for a hit on the actual warhead is enhanced. The capability of the system to intercept multiple independent targets was also planned to be tested. The MKV mission was to destroy medium-range through intercontinental-range

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within t ...

s equipped with multiple warheads or

countermeasure A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept, it implies precision and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process. The fi ...

s by using a single interceptor missile. During an actual hostile ballistic missile attack, the carrier vehicle with its cargo of small kill vehicles would have maneuvered into the path of an enemy missile. Using tracking data from the

Ballistic Missile Defense System The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (Aegis BMD or ABMD), also known as ''Sea-Based Midcourse'', is a United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide missile defense against short to intermediate-r ...

and its own seeker, the carrier vehicle would have dispensed and guided the kill vehicles to destroy any warheads or countermeasures. After successful development, MKV was planned to be deployed on board Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missiles, Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) and SM-3 Block IIA as well. The MKV technology was being developed on a dual-path basis by

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Lockheed Martin Space is one of the four major business divisions of Lockheed Martin. It has its headquarters in Littleton, Colorado, with additional sites in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Sunnyvale, California; Santa Cruz, California; Huntsvil ...

Company, designated MKV-L, and the Raytheon Company (MKV-R). The Missile Defense Agency announced that a test of the MKV-L was conducted 2 December 2008, at the National Hover Test Facility at

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is ...

, California. Preliminary indications were that planned test objectives were achieved. Objectives of the test included having the MKV-L hover under its own power and prove its capability to recognize and track a surrogate target in a flight environment. During the test, the MKV-L's propulsion system demonstrated maneuverability while tracking a target. The MKV-L transmitted video and flight

telemetry Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots ''tele'', "remote", an ...

to the ground. On April 6, 2009,

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...

Robert M. Gates announced that

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

's budget would be reshaped. Under this proposal the MKV program would be terminated. A similar program was restarted in August 2015, when Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin were contracted to design a Multi-Object Kill Vehicle concept. Raytheon released information that seemed to indicate they were exclusively involved in this work, but it was incorrect.

References

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External links

Lockheed Martin MKV Website

Missile defense Anti-ballistic missiles of the United States