Lockheed Martin has achieved an important test success with its Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) program, intercepting a cruise missile target on Saturday. It was the fourth successive intercept for the PAC-3 program, a high success rate in the hit-to-kill air and missile defense business that otherwise has seen several troubled programs. The latest test conducted at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, was the first for the system against something other than a ballistic missile. The test was important because it forced the Patriot missile to fly a different trajectory than in past intercepts. After gaining altitude post launch, the missile had to pitch over to head towards the cruise missile target. "The seeker for the first time was looking into ground clutter," stressed Robert B. Coutts, Lockheed Martin's executive vice-president in charge of the Systems Integration business.