For more than 40 years, employees at L3Harris Technologies’ site in Camden, Arkansas, have made critical contributions to the safety and security of the nation. Through their manufacturing work on important defense programs, Camden team members have provided key propulsion systems that power the offensive and defensive arsenal of the United States, one of which is the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile.
A highly advanced air defense missile, PAC-3 has been continuously upgraded with new technology and capability since entering into active service in 2001. The PAC-3 interceptor is equipped with hit-to-kill technology, versus a traditional, conventional high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead.
More than 100,000 solid rocket motors are manufactured a year at the company's Camden location and more than 1,000 employees work at the site. Small, medium, and large solid rocket motors are produced in Camden, ranging from steering motors you can fit in your hand to large boosters the length of an SUV.
For two employees working at the Camden site, working on PAC-3 is particularly personal. Brothers Bill and Dave grew up in Hampton, Arkansas, barely a stone’s throw away from Camden. Bill is the PAC-3 Program Manager for L3Harris. Dave is a Manufacturing Engineer Manager who oversees some Lockheed Martin programs for L3Harris as well as research and development activities in Camden.
Dave noted that the Camden team appreciates the importance of the PAC-3, which helps employees stay focused on keeping PAC-3 propulsion deliveries flowing well into the future.
“PAC-3 missile defense systems are used by the United States and its allies around the world to enhance air defense capabilities against evolving threats,” said Dave. “We need to keep delivering quality hardware to meet the tremendous demand for PAC-3.”
For the updated PAC-3 variant, the PAC-3 Missile System Enhancement (MSE), L3Harris provides the revolutionary dual-pulse solid rocket motor that gives the interceptor greater speed and maneuverability. In 2022, a new 50,000+ square foot facility was opened in Camden for the production of this dual-pulse motor, greatly increasing efficiency.
The Lethality Enhancer for the PAC-3 MSE, which increases the ground-based PAC-3’s kill radius against air-breathing threats, is also produced by L3Harris. In 2023, the company delivered its 3,000th Lethality Enhancer, a major accomplishment driven in large part by the team in Camden.
L3Harris also produces the Attitude Control Motor (ACM) for the PAC-3. Each PAC-3 is equipped with 180 ACMs that fire explosively to refine the missile’s course and ensure target impact. Modernization efforts have enabled the site to move from two to three production lines, increasing ACM production by 40%.
“Reaching these milestones is a culmination of many years of engineering rigor and hard work,” said Bill. “It takes an incredible amount of teamwork to deliver these systems which are essential to the operation of the PAC-3.”
It isn’t any accident that Bill and Dave ended up together in Camden. “We’re local boys, having grown up nearby in Hampton,” said Bill. “Both Dave and I are math and science-oriented, and this area provided the best opportunity for our career paths.”
While their interests are similar, the two brothers took different paths to get to L3Harris. Bill came aboard as a chemist after earning a math degree at the University of Southern Arkansas, while Dave arrived 11 years later after serving in the U.S. Air Force.
Reunited close to their hometown, the brothers can joke with each other about who’s the boss, but when it comes to the PAC-3 program, they turn reflective. Both noted the deep sense of pride they feel when military service members who have operated under the system’s protective umbrella visit Camden and talk about how the interceptor stopped incoming missiles downrange.
Beyond the intriguing engineering behind the propulsion technology, there is an impressive mission aspect associated with the PAC-3. “It’s like using a bullet to knock a bullet out of the sky,” Bill said. “I can’t think of anything much cooler than that.”
