Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile

Lightweight Exo-atmospheric Projectile

The Lightweight Exo-atmospheric Projectile (LEAP) is a lightweight miniaturized kinetic kill vehicle designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles both inside[1] or outside the Earth's atmosphere.[2] The warhead is delivered to the interception point by a system such as the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.

History

Development began in 1985 by the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, which pioneered the development of miniaturized kill vehicle technology.

References

  1. ↑ Strategic Defense Initiative: Some Claims Overstated for Early Flight Tests.
  2. ↑ Paul Baker, Buster Kelley, Anne Avetissian, Lightweight exo-atmospheric projectile (LEAP) Space Flight Test, June 1992, performance validation, AIAA and SDIO, 2nd Annual Interceptor Technology Conference, Albuquerque, NM, June 6–9, 1993
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