April 23, 2012
ROME, ITALY. The first Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) Multifunction Fire Control Radar (MFCR) started testing at Pratica di Mare Air Force Base, which is just outside of Rome, Italy. The system-level tests help the system prepare for an intercept flight test later this year. The advanced 360-degree rotating X-band radar finished initial performance tests at a near-field facility at SELEX Sistemi Integrati SpA in Rome. At Pratica di Mare, program engineers will start system-level integration tests using a MEADS battle manager and launcher.