The seeker is built around commercial off-the-shelf components that Boeing has adapted for military applications. Its modular open-systems architecture is designed to support high-volume production while reducing the cost of adding precision guidance across multiple weapons programs.
Earlier this summer, Boeing tested ULCS in an anechoic chamber, during captive-carry flights and aboard a scaled-down rocket. The company said the sensor survived acceleration and vibration while successfully detecting and tracking targets during the test campaign.
A Beechcraft 1900 carried the seeker over land and maritime environments to confirm baseline target detection and tracking. At Spaceport America in New Mexico, ULCS tracked an unmanned aerial vehicle from the ground and later tracked a reflector drone while mounted on a surrogate rocket.
Boeing said the technology is intended to provide an affordable seeker for precision weapons operating in all weather conditions and against moving targets. ULCS draws on seeker expertise developed through programs including PAC-3 MSE, but is aimed at lower-complexity threats across a broader range of offensive and defensive applications.
“We are developing ULCS with the goal of sharing a common sensor architecture across several of our programs. It is modular, producible and built with Weapons Open Systems Architecture to speed integration and future changes,” said Bob Ciesla, vice president, Boeing Precision Engagement Systems.
The company is now analyzing data from the recent tests and applying the results to further development of the seeker. Boeing plans multiple flight tests in 2027 using configurations that more closely represent intended end-use applications.
“We still have more work to do but the rapid testing our teams have completed prove that this capability is real and will fundamentally change how we look at seeker affordability across our programs,” said Steve Wright, Boeing senior manager for weapon sensors and advanced guidance. Boeing is positioning ULCS as a common seeker architecture that could support precision munition deployment at greater scale across several weapons portfolios.
