Coleman SRALT / LRALT / MRBM Targets
The SRALT (Short-Range Air-Launched Target), also known as Hera-SRALT, was essentially an air-launched single-stage derivative of the Coleman Aerospace Hera ground-launched missile. It launched ballistic targets to support tests of DOD's various anti-ballistic missiles. SRALT was developed by Coleman to provide a target vehicle, which could easily be used anywhere in the world and launched at arbitrary altitudes and directions.
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| Composite Photo: Coleman Aerospace |
| SRALT |
The SRALT was a single-stage solid-fueled rocket, which used surplus Aerojet SR19-AJ-1 2nd stages of retired LGM-30F Minuteman II ICBMs. In the first SRALT test on 31 March 1999, the missile was placed on a cradle, and extracted by parachute from the cargo bay of a C-130 Hercules aircraft. After descending to a safe distance from the C-130 and releasing the cradle, the missile was fired and successfully flew along the planned trajectory. The SRALT has since been used on six missions, the last one on 1 November 2015, to provide targets for various anti-ballistic interceptor missile. On all these flights the SRALT was carried aloft in a C-17 Globemaster.
The LRALT (Long-Range Air-Launched Target) was conceptually similar to the SRALT, but was a two-stage vehicle using two SR19-AJ-1 rocket motors in tandem. It was air-launched by a C-17 Globemaster aircraft, and was used by the Missile Defense Agency to simulate long range ballistic missile threats. After a demonstration launch on 3 May 2004, the first operational LRALT mission occurred on 29 September 2005, when the ICBM tracking capability of a ground-based AN/FPS-108 COBRA DANE radar was evaluated. The second and final LRALT mission occurred on 22 July 2009, providing a target for an Arrow 2 interceptor missile.
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| Composite Photo: Coleman Aerospace |
| LRALT |
In 2012, Coleman built a single E-LRALT (Extended Long-Range Air-Launched Target), which was an LRALT with an Orbus-1A third stage. It was used as a target delivery vehicle in a THAAD test on 25 October 2012.
Between 2013 and 2024, at least six rockets of LRALT configuration (two SR19 stages, air-drop from a C-17) were flown by the MDA (Missile Defense Agency) as targets in various missile defense tests. These rockets were known by the designations eMRBM (extended Medium Range Ballistic Missile), MRBM-T1 (Medium Range Ballistic Missile Target, Type 1) and MRBM-T2 (Medium Range Ballistic Missile Target, Type 2). The eMRBM vehicles were built by Lockheed Martin instead of Coleman Aerospace.
As of 2026, Coleman is a wholly owned subsidiary of L3Harris. The company is marketing an air-launched MRBM target consisting of two L3Harris "eSR19" stages, which are a new development to replace the old surplus SR19 rocket motors.
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| Image: L3Harris |
| MRBM Target (2x eSR19) |
Specifications
No details about the SRALT's or LRALT's characteristics are available.
Main Sources
[1] Coleman Aerospace Website
[2] Jonathan McDowell: Launch Vehicles
[3] Gunter Krebs: Gunter's Space Page
Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4
Last Updated: 20 October 2026