Thales's Lightweight Multi-role Missile (LMM) made its U.S. debut at the 2008 AUSA Annual Meeting. LMM is a low-cost precision guided missile designed to engage a wide range of air, land and sea targets. Initially introduced in the UK in 2007, the product was created to fill a current capability gap in the missile family, providing advanced precision and minimized collateral damage.
LMM has several key features including a multi-function capability which allows it to engage static installations, wheeled or tracked vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters and fast in-shore attack and landing craft. The versatility of the missle also provides for easy integration into a variety of platforms including ground vehicles, UAVs, helicopters and ships, all of which give the operator an easy-to-use system for precision strikes.
Thales's LMM Program has made significant progress since its development. The product was 100% successful in its most recent flight test and all missile hardware, software and guidance control functions operated as expected. The Thales development team plans to use the telemetry information received during the flight to assist with ongoing program development. The next phase of the program will focus on re-design of several key elements.
To date, the program has been funded through private venture capital, and there has been significant interest shown from potential customers in the U.S. market. LMM is expected to enter full production in 2011.