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Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) is a military project intended to replace aging NATO Patriot missiles. The USA, Germany and Italy are contributing toward the project. France, though initially in the project, withdrew some time ago.

Under development by Germany, Italy and the United States, MEADS is a mobile air defense system designed to replace Patriot systems in the United States and Germany and Nike Hercules systems in Italy. It also meets the requirements of Germany’s “capabilities oriented” air defense concept. MEADS incorporates the hit-to-kill PAC-3 missile in a system that includes 360-degree surveillance and fire control sensors, netted-distributed battle management/communication centers and the launchers themselves. The system is designed to protect maneuver forces and fixed locations against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft.

The system will have an open architecture to allow for upgrades and changes and is expected to provide greater firepower with less manpower than current systems.

In Germany the PAC-3 missile will also be supplemented by IRIS-T SL / IRIS-T SLS as secondary missile for ground-based medium range air defence. It is based on the very successful IRIS-T air-to-air missile.

During the MEADS Design and Development Phase, MEADS International will finalize designs for equipment and complete their integration into the 21st century air and missile defense system. The system’s six major equipment items are as follows: Multifunction Fire Control Radar; Surveillance Radar (MFCR); Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (BMC4I); Certified Missile Round (PAC-3 missile and canister); Launcher; and Reloader. The United States funds approximately 58 percent of the MEADS program and European partners Germany and Italy provide approximately 25 percent and 17 percent respectively.

In 1999, MEADS International, Inc., was selected by NAMEADSMA, a chartered organization of NATO, to develop MEADS. A multinational joint venture headquartered in Orlando, FL, MEADS International’s participating companies are MBDA Italia, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and Lenkflugkörpersysteme (LFK) in Germany and Lockheed Martin in the United States. Together, these companies have focused an international engineering team in Orlando to develop systems and technologies for the MEADS program.

• MEADS International, Inc. - 'Official website'
• Some further details on the project
• IRIS-T SL/SLS - further information on the IRIS-T SL/SLS missile by German manufacturer Diehl BGT.

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