DARPA seeks to attack enemy relocatable targets with air defense-penetrating smart munitions
ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers will brief industry next month on a new project to attack enemy time-sensitive relocatable targets like mobile ballistic missiles with ground-launched rocket-propelled smart munitions that can penetrate modern air defense systems.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., will conduct industry briefings in Northern Virginia from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 14 Feb. 2018 for the Operational Fires (OpFires) project.
The first part of OpFires seeks to develop an advanced booster that can deliver different kinds of payloads at many different ranges. It will make the most of operational range, and accommodate many different kinds of weapons payloads.
DARPA experts will flight-test promising boosters and integrate them with a compatible mobile ground launcher. The program has two tasks: propulsion system and integration, each of which that will have separate contract solicitations.
The February industry briefing concerns only on propulsion concepts for flexible-range boosters. The initial part of the project involves booster preliminary design and proof of concept. After that, the project will focus on maturing booster designs and hot/static firing of at least two test articles.
A solicitation for the booster system may be released as early as next month, and a second solicitation for weapons integration will be in late 2018 or in 2019.
Industry briefings will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time on 14 Feb. 2018 at the CENTRA Technology Conference Center at 3121 Wilson Blvd., in Arlington, Va. Briefings will be at the secret classification level.
Companies interested should register online no later than 7 Feb. 2018 at https://www.client-meeting.net/DARPA-TTO-OpFires-Proposers-Day.
The DARPA OpFires program manager is Maj. Amber Walker, and the technical point of contact is Rich Martinez. For questions or concerns contact Martinez by phone at 571-218-4587, or Walker by email at [email protected].
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/DARPA/CMO/DARPA-SN-18-15/listing.html.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
