Integrated Air and Missile Defense

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In air and missile defense (AMD), the Integrated Air-and-Missile Defense system (IAMD) is an United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) research program to augment the aging surface-to-air missile defense systems and to provide the United States Army with a low-cost, but effective complement to kinetic energy solutions to take out air threats. Brigade level higher energy lasers are used in truck mounted systems called HELMTT. At lower levels, the Army needs to develop interceptors that don't cost more than small, unmanned aircraft systems. In early research they have successfully used 5-kilowatt lasers on a Stryker combat vehicle. The Mobile Expeditionary High-Energy Laser (MEHEL) was used at MFIX at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the first half of April, 2017. [1]

Contents

Air, Missile Defense

Split from: Army Futures Command

Air, Missile Defense (AMD): [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] In 2022 plans for FY2023 cruise missile defense were underway. [8]

Schematic 6-layer Air Defense dome, one of multiple arrays linked by Integrated Air and Missile Battle Command System (IBCS) Army ccdc domes of protection 0.jpg
Schematic 6-layer Air Defense dome, one of multiple arrays linked by Integrated Air and Missile Battle Command System (IBCS)

Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System

The United States Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense [IAMD] Battle Command System (IBCS) is a plug and fight network intended to let any defensive sensor (such as a radar) feed its data to any available weapon system (colloquially, "connect any sensor to any shooter"). [9] : p.42  [a] The system is designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase by intercepting with a hit-to-kill approach. [15] [16] [17] IBCS has been developed since 2004, with the aim to replace Raytheon's Patriot missile (SAM) engagement control station (ECS), along with seven other forms of ABM defense command systems. [18] [19] [20] [21]

The IBCS program is part of the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) effort. [22] [23] [24] IBCS aims to create an integrated network of air defense sensors, such as AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel and AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR, [25] AN/MPQ-53, AN/MPQ-65A and GhostEye (LTAMDS) in Patriot missile system, [26] GhostEye MR in NASAMS, AN/TPY-2 in Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) [27] and Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), [26] AN/SPY-1 and AN/SPY-6 in Aegis BMD, [28] and AN/APG-81 in Lockeed Martin F-35 Lightning II, [29] allowing them to interoperate with IBCS engagement control stations. [30] IBCS engagement stations will be able to take fine control of army-fielded air-defense systems like Patriot and THAAD, directing radar positioning and suggesting recommended launchers; naval, aerial and Marine systems will only be able to share either radar tracks or raw radar data with the IBCS network. [26] The Army requires all new missiles and air-defense systems to implement IBCS support. [31]

Northrop Grumman was announced as the prime contractor in 2010; between 2009 and 2020, the Army had spent $2.7 billion on the program. [32] [33]

By May 2015, a first flight test integrated a networked S-280 engagement operations center [34] with radar sensor and interceptor launchers. This test demonstrated a missile kill with the first interceptor. By Army doctrine, two interceptors were launched against that missile. By April 2016, [35] IBCS tests demonstrated sensor fusion from disparate data streams, [15] : minute 2:28  identification and tracking of targets, selection of appropriate kill vehicles, and interception of the targets, [15] : minute 3:29  but the "IBCS software was 'neither mature nor stable'". [35] On 1 May 2019 an Engagement Operations Center (EOC) for the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) was delivered to the Army, at Huntsville, Alabama. [36]

In July 2019, the TRADOC capability manager (TCM) for Strategic Missile Defense (SMD) has accepted the charter for DOTMLPF for the Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT). [37] [38]

On 30 August 2019 at Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein atoll, THAAD Battery E-62 successfully intercepted a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM), using a radar which was well-separated from the interceptors; [39] [40] the next step tested Patriot missiles as interceptors [23] while using THAAD radars as sensors; [39] a THAAD radar has a longer detection range than a Patriot radar. [39] THAAD Battery E-62 engaged the MRBM without knowledge of just when the medium range ballistic missile had launched. [39] [40]

IBCS' second limited user test was scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of FY20. [4] [41]

In July 2020 a Limited user test (LUT) of IBCS was initiated at WSMR; the test ran until mid-September 2020. [42] The LUT was originally scheduled for May but was delayed to handle the COVID-19 safety protocols. [41] The first of several LUTs of IBCS, by an ADA battalion was successfully run in August 2020. [43] IBCS successfully integrated data from two sensors (Sentinel and Patriot radars), and shot down two drones (cruise missile surrogates) with two Patriot missiles in the presence of jamming; [43] In the week after, by 20 August 2020 two more disparate threats (cruise missile and ballistic missile) were launched and intercepted; [44] [45] the ADA battalion then ran hundreds of drills denoting hundreds of threats for the remainder of the IBCS tests (the increased effort occupied the entire unit); [46] the real-world data serve as a sanity check for Monte Carlo simulations of an array of physical scenarios amounting to hundreds of thousands of cases. [47] [48] IBCS created a "single uninterrupted composite track of each threat" and handed off each threat for separate disposition by the air and missile defense's integrated fire control network (IFCN). [49] The same battalion running the LUT, for both IBCS, and LTAMDS radar, is scheduled to run the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOTE) in 2021, [42] [50] and is to run well into 2022. [48] In 2022, IBCS successfully completed initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E). [51]

In September 2020 a Joint exercise against cruise missiles demonstrated AI-based kill chains which can be formulated in seconds; One of the kills was by a "M109-based" tracked howitzer [52] [53] (a Paladin descendant). [54]

The ranges of the IAMD defensive radars, when operated as a system, are thousands of miles. Cross-domain information from ground, air, and space sensors was passed to a fire control system at Project Convergence 2021 (PC21), via IBCS, during one of the use case scenarios. [55] At PC21 IBCS fused sensor data from an F-35, tracking the target, and passing that data to AFATDS (Army Field Artillery Tactical Data System). The F-35 then served as a spotter for artillery fire on ground target data. [56] More than 100 technologies were prototyped in experiments at PC21. [57] : min 30:45 : minute 34:00 

By August 2020, a second Limited User Test (LUT) at White Sands Missile Range was able to detect, track, and intercept near-simultaneous low-altitude targets as well as a tactical ballistic missile, [58] over several separate engagements. [47] [59] [32] Army doctrine can now be updated to allow the launch of a single Patriot against a single target. [58] [47] By 2021 the Army awarded a $1.4 billion contract to Northrop Grumman for IBCS. [60]

Raytheon's new GhostEye radar (previously Lower Tier Air and Missiles Defense Sensor, LTAMDS) [4] replaces the Patriot AN/SPY-65A radar. GhostEye will be able to feed raw sensor data to IBCS, and it will fit on a C-17 Globemaster. [27] [61] [62] GhostEye is engineered to operate with much greater sensitivity, improved range and ability to track smaller, faster-moving targets. It uses three fixed 120-degree arrays to seamlessly find, discriminate and track fast-approaching threats using a 360-degree protection envelope. The arrays are overlapping to close “blind spots” and maintain a track if an attacking missile shifts course in flight. GhostEye can detect the precise shape, size, distance and speed of an approaching threat with high-fidelity sensor “pings”; its semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) emitters allow increased resolution, accuracy, and power efficiency. [63] [64] [65] [Note 1] [61] [62] [66] [67] [68] The fielding of four LTAMDS radars to a battalion is expected in 2023. [69] [70]

Although on 21 August 2019 the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) cancelled the $5.8 billion contract for the Redesigned kill vehicle (RKV), [71] [72] [73] [30] the Army's 100th Missile Defense Brigade will continue to use the Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV). The current Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) programs continue per plan, with 64 ground-based interceptors (GBIs) in the missile fields for 2019 planned. Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC), was developed by the Missile defense agency (as a development organization) and is integrated with GMD, as demonstrated by FTG-11 on 25 March 2019. [74] : 15:00  By March 2021, the decision to approve further development of the Next Generation Interceptor is on the agenda for the 35th Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Hicks has extensive background in defense modernization; the 28th Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has recused himself from acquisition matters. [75] [76]

On 24 February 2022 THAAD radar and TFCC (THAAD Fire Control & Communication) demonstrated their interoperability with Patriot PAC-3 MSE missiles; in other words IBCS can engage targets using both THAAD and Patriot interceptors, freed of a siloed solution (THAAD-only / Patriot-only, etc.). [77] For example, in a scenario where a THAAD system has to conserve its All-Up-Rounds, IBCS can calculate which targets are within the reach of its PAC-3 MSE interceptors, and instead fire the PAC-3 interceptors at those targets within range. [77]

IBCS is projected to be at its initial operating capability (IOC) in Fiscal year 2022. [9] : 42  [a] In January 2018 James H. Dickinson and Richard Formica broached the integration of strategic fires and air/missile defense in the multi-domain task force. [78] : min 37:00  [b]

High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator

High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL-TVD) 2019 US Army HEL-TVD (laser).jpg
High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL-TVD) 2019

A contract for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD) laser system, a 100 kilowatt laser demonstrator for use on the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, was awarded 15 May 2019 to Dynetics-Lockheed. [80] [81] A 300 kilowatt laser demonstrator (HEL-IFPC) effort supersedes the HEL TVD (after the critical design review). [82] [83] [84] System test at White Sands Missile Range in 2023. [80]

Notes and References

  1. 1 2 ASA(ALT) (2018) Weapon Systems Handbook update Page 32 lists how the Weapon Systems Handbook is organized. 440 pages.
    • By Modernization priority
    • By Acquisition or Business System category (ACAT or BSC). The Weapon systems in each ACAT are sorted alphabetically by Weapon system name. Each weapon system might also be in several variants (Lettered); a weapon system's variants might be severally and simultaneously in the following phases of its Life Cycle, namely—°Materiel Solution Analysis; °Technology Maturation & Risk Reduction; °Engineering & Manufacturing Development; °Production & Deployment; °Operations & Support
    • ACAT I, II, III, IV are defined on page 404. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
  2. ↑ In January 2018 Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson broached the possibility of both strategic fires and air/missile defense capabilities being in the same unit. [79] [78]
  1. ↑ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. Army Applications Lab: (23 October 2018) Army Futures Command Wants YOU (To Innovate)
    • —Adam Jay Harrison's list for types of Funding Authority
  1. ↑ "Lasers in combat: New Space and Missile Defense commander on what's to come". 9 May 2017.
  2. ↑ AARON MAK (MAY 12, 2019) Report: Missile System and Surveillance Plane Funding Will Go Towards the Border Wall slate.com
  3. ↑ Jason Cutshaw (SMDC/ARSTRAT) (22 March 2019) Army's senior air defender talks future of air, missile defense
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gary Sheftick, Army News Service (13 March 2019) FY20 budget to boost air & missile defense
  5. ↑ MG Cedric T. Wins (09.10.2019) CCDC’S road map to modernizing the Army: air and missile defense DVIDS release
  6. ↑ Justin Katz (26 Apr 2022) Lockheed sending first five A4 radars to Army next month "Army's Q-53 counterfire target acquisition radar and the Air Force's new long-range radar" 2023 delivery
  7. ↑ Jen Judson (27 Apr 2022) US Army plan to replace Patriot interceptors gets a jolt in FY23 budget request Budget request for FY2023: Abbreviated Concept Development Document (ACDD) in FY24. Down select: 2QFY2023–4QFY2025. Concept Development Document by 1QFY24. Rapid capability development phase begins 1QFY25.
  8. ↑ Jen Judson (18 Jul 2022) Pentagon plan for homeland cruise missile defense taking shape
  9. 1 2 ASA(ALT) Weapon Systems Handbook 2018 update
  10. ↑ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (13 Sep 2018) Futures Command Won't Hurt Oversight, Army Tells Congress
  11. ↑ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (14 March 2019) Army ‘Big Six’ Ramp Up in 2021: Learning From FCS
  12. ↑ Gary Sheftick, Army News Service (3 April 2019) Army 'Shark Tank' enabling quick prototyping of new systems
  13. ↑ Sean Kimmons, Army News Service (18 July 2019) Futures Command showcases efforts ahead of upcoming FOC
  14. ↑ Kerensa Crum CCDC Aviation & Missile Center Public Affairs (14 August 2019) Leader updates Army's modernization priorities Standoff
  15. 1 2 3 IBCS a Revolutionary C2 System Archived 23 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine 4:40 video clip
  16. ↑ Daniel Cebul "(12 October 2018) Army continues push for integrated sensors and shooters with latest IBCS contract". 2 October 2018.
  17. ↑ Daniel Cebul  (9 October 2018) Army looks to a future of integrated fire by integrating THAAD IBCS LRPF
  18. ↑ "Army Seeks To Field One-Size-Fits-All Battle Command System". Space News. 29 June 2004.
  19. ↑ Kiley, Gregory T. (17 May 2017). "Congress and the Administration Must Reassess Failing Missile Defense Programs". RealClearDefense. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  20. ↑ "Fort Sill Tribune staff (August 8, 2019) MOS 14E: Linchpin of Patriot missile system".
  21. ↑ Jen Judson (11 Oct 2018) "So Patriot and THAAD will talk. What does that really mean?". 10 October 2018.
  22. ↑ Theresa Hitchens (11 Aug 2021) JROC's Next Target: 'Integrated Air & Missile Defense' IAMD will eventually be subject to a JROC capability review —John Hyten. JADC2 will thus have to be harmonized with IAMD.
  23. 1 2 U.S. Army (12 December 2019) Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense System successfully intercepts test targets
  24. ↑ USAASC (2020) Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD)
  25. ↑ "Army's IBCS passed F-35 sensor data to artillery system at Project Convergence 21". 20 January 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. Army IBCS: Joint, Up To A Point. Breaking Defense. 15 May 2020
  27. 1 2 Jen Judson (27 March 2019) Army debuts missile defense framework in move to counter drones, hypersonic threats
  28. ↑ Tyler Rogoway. Here’s What The Army’s Long-Awaited Super Air Defense Network Can Actually Do. The Warzone. October 29, 2020
  29. ↑ Jen Judson (6 August 2019) F-35 talks to US Army's missile command system, says Lockheed
  30. 1 2 Jen Judson (20 August 2019) US Missile Defense Agency boss reveals his goals, challenges on the job Increase the discrimination of the radars and other sensors. Use Large aperture sensors. Use Space-based missile sensors. An SM-3 Block IIA missile test against ICBM is scheduled for 2020. Plan out the detection, control and engagement; the sensors, the command-and-control, the fire control, and the weapons (the kill vehicles).
  31. ↑ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. New Missiles Must Work With IBCS Network: Bruce Jette (Exclusive). Breaking Defense. March 09, 2020
  32. 1 2 Jen Judson (20 Aug 2020) "US Army's future missile defense command system nearly simultaneously defeats cruise, ballistic missile threats". 20 August 2020.
  33. ↑ Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) Archived 6 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine vendor summary
  34. ↑ "S-280 - the Engagement Operations Center for the Integrated Battle Command System". Northrop Grumman. 6 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-11-14 – via YouTube.
  35. 1 2 Jen Judson (6 February 2017) "Army falls behind with new anti-missile command system". 6 February 2017.
  36. ↑ Sydney J Freedberg (1 May 2019) IBCS: Northrop Delivers New Army Missile Defense Command Post Archived 2 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine 11 EOCs as well as 18 IBCS integrated fire control network (IFCN) relays by year-end 2019
  37. ↑ Jason Cutshaw, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (7.24.2019) SMDC colonel accepts TCM SMD Assumption of Charter from AMD to SMD
  38. ↑ "Readiness for the 21st Century: An interview with retired Gen. David McKiernan". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  39. 1 2 3 4 Paul McCleary (30 August 2019) Army Tests Dispersed THAAD; Beginning Of Modular Missile Defense? A step toward IBCS
  40. 1 2 MDA.mil MDA NEWS Release (30 August 2019) THAAD System Successfully Intercepts Target in Missile Defense Flight Test Flight Test THAAD (FTT)-23 image: https://www.mda.mil/global/images/system/thaad/FTT-23_THAAD_01.jpg at Kwajalein
  41. 1 2 Sydney J Freedberg COVID-19: Army Delays Missile Defense Network Test, breakingdefense.com, 7 Apr 2020, The test had been scheduled to begin May 15. An ADA battalion training at WSMR has been sent home.
  42. 1 2 Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (6 July 2020) IBCS: Army Launches Massive Army Missile Defense Test LUT is prerequisite for a Milestone C decision in the acquisition process.
  43. 1 2 Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (13 August 2020) IBCS: Army Missile Defense Passes Most Complex Test Yet
  44. ↑ Matthew Cox (20 August 2020) Army Destroys Cruise and Ballistic Missile Targets in 2nd Test of New Defense System
  45. ↑ Jason Cutshaw USASMDC (27 August 2020) SMDC target team supports Army IBCS tests Zombie launched to test IBCS
  46. ↑ Lt. Col. David P. McCoy, Test Division Chief, Air and Missile Defense Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command (11 September 2020) Ft. Bliss Air Defense Soldiers provide data testing new Integrated Air and Missile Defense system
  47. 1 2 3 Todd South (20 Aug 2020) Army missile defenders defeat cruise and ballistic missiles nearly simultaneously The test created terabytes of data to be queried.
  48. 1 2 Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (21 August 2020) IBCS Defeats 2 Missiles in Flight – But 100s In Simulation
  49. ↑ Defense Brief Editorial (20 August 2020) US Army IBCS intercepts ballistic, cruise missile targets in second LUT test "IBCS integrated the data to form a single uninterrupted composite track of each threat, impossible with any single sensor, which then informed engagement solutions with the best interceptors to engage both incoming threats"
  50. ↑ Sydney J Freedberg (3 August 2020) Live-Fire Tests In August For Army Air & Missile Defense
  51. ↑ Theresa Hitchens (9 Nov 2022) Army’s IBCS wraps up initial operational testing Northrop Grumman received a "five-year, $1.4 billion contract in late December" 2021.
  52. ↑ Theresa Hitchens "ABMS Demo Proves AI Chops For C2", breakingdefense.com, 3 September 2020
  53. ↑ AFWERX (25 August 2020) Dr. Will Roper ABMS 'Ask Me Anything'
  54. ↑ Insinna, Valerie (2020-09-04). "Behind the scenes of the US Air Force's second test of its game-changing battle management system". C4ISRNet. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  55. ↑ Jen Judson (19 Jan 2022) At Project Convergence, Army's new battle command system demonstrated expanded capability
  56. ↑ Andrew Eversden (20 Jan 2022) Army's IBCS passed F-35 sensor data to artillery system at Project Convergence 21
  57. ↑ Christine Wormuth (10.11.2021) AUSA 2021
  58. 1 2 Defense News (26 Aug 2020) Latest variant of Patriot missile misfired in major test of command system Patriot-MSE misfired, but a Pac-3 successfully intercepted the Black Dagger Zombie ballistic missile. IBCS did send the correct commands.
  59. ↑ CJ Robles "(17 Aug 2020) US Army Recycles Rocket Motors to Create Zombies, Saves 50% on Test Missiles". 17 August 2020.
  60. ↑ Andrew Eversden (23 Dec 2021) Army awards Northrop Grumman $1.4 billion contract for IBCS
  61. 1 2 Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (17 October 2019) LTAMDS: Raytheon To Build Linchpin Of Army Air & Missile Defense
  62. 1 2 Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (19 March 2020) Raytheon: Robotized Factory Speeds Up Army LTAMDS Radar Avoids DoD5000 by using "Other Transaction Authority (OTA) and Section 804 Mid-Tier Acquisition processes"
  63. ↑ "The National Interest: Blog".
  64. ↑ Jen Judson (8 Oct 2018) What's the rush? US Army races to get missile defense radar early LTAMDS
  65. ↑ Gary Sheftick, Army News Service (19 June 2019) Army tests prototypes, explores technologies for air, missile defense Tests of 3 LTAMDS prototypes at WSMR
  66. ↑ Raytheon Missiles & Defense (2 Oct 2020) Soldiers See – And Touch – Raytheon Technologies' Full-Scale GhostEye Archived 3 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine in 4 Soldier Touchpoints
  67. ↑ Andrew Eversden (11 Oct 2021) Raytheon Announces New Medium-Range Radar System
  68. ↑ Defense News (21 Oct 2021) GhostEye - Nothing Goes Unseen GhostEye MR (medium range) introduced at AUSA, October 2021
  69. ↑ Jen Judson (2 May 2022) US Army scrambles to keep its new air-defense radar on schedule 1st of 4 LTAMDS radars will enter testing at WSMR in April 2022; 4 radars will be fielded to an LTAMDS battalion by December 2023 to meet the Congressional mandate.
  70. ↑ Andrew Eversden (14 Oct 2022) Raytheon aims to finish LTAMDS radar prototypes for Army in January 6th radar
  71. ↑ Paul McCleary Pentagon Cancels Multi-Billion $ Boeing Missile Defense Program, breakingdefense.com, 21 August 2019
  72. ↑ Theresa Hitchens (17 December 2019) Lawmakers Question R&E Oversight; Pump MDA Funding RKV cancellation is prompting a National Defense Authorization Act mandate for a federally funded R&D center (Federally funded research and development centers - FFRDC) study, whether to move the oversight of MDA
  73. ↑ Paul McCleary (6 September 2019) Pentagon Issues Classified RFP For New Missile Interceptor No Refund of Monies expected. Rework is To Be Determined
  74. ↑ AUSA (12 Mar 2020) Army SMD Hot Topic 2020 - VADM Jon Hill - Dir, Missile Defense Agency
  75. ↑ Paul McCleary (12 Mar 2021) New Missile Defense Program On Deputy SecDef's Desk, Awaiting Approval 20 GBIs are planned.
  76. ↑ Aaron Mehta (12 September 2021) "US Successfully Tests New Homeland Missile Defense Capability MDA's "2-/3-Stage selectable GBI" Breaking Defense
  77. 1 2 Jen Judson (10 Mar 2022) Missile Defense Agency fires Patriot missile from THAAD system
  78. 1 2 Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) (28 Jan 2018) Distributed Defense: New Operational Concepts for Integrated Air and Missile Defense 2:40:56 James H. Dickinson SMDC
  79. ↑ Jason B. Cutshaw, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs (30 January 2018) SMDC leader addresses national missile defense community
  80. 1 2 Jen Judson "Dynetics-Lockheed team beats out Raytheon to build 100-kilowatt laser weapon". Defense News. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  81. ↑ Clark, Colin (2019-05-24) Army Moves Out On Lasers, Hypersonics: Lt. Gen. Thurgood
  82. ↑ Sydney J Freedberg (5 August 2019) New Army Laser Could Kill Cruise Missiles Demonstrator lasers in test 2023, with fielding in 2024
  83. 1 2 Claire Heininger, U.S. Army (1 August 2019) Army awards laser weapon system contract RCCTO has awarded Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract 26 July 2019 for $203 million to two subcontractors, for prototype high energy lasers (HELs) for MSHORAD
  84. ↑ Daniel Wasserbly (14 October 2019) AUSA 2019: Lockheed Martin weighs options for achieving a 250-300 kW air-defence laser Addresses IFPC requirements
  85. ↑ "Army accelerates delivery of directed energy, hypersonic weapon prototypes". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  86. ↑ Ryan Pickrell (5 June 2019) The US Army says it will have hypersonic missiles and laser weapons ready for combat in less than 4 years
  87. ↑ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (7 March 2019) US ‘Gets Its Ass Handed To It’ In Wargames: Here's A $24 Billion Fix Army prepositioned stocks (APS) vulnerability
  88. ↑ Joe Lacdan (22 October 2018) Army to fuse laser technology onto air defense system
  89. ↑ Sydney J Freedberg (17 Sep 2020) Lockheed Aims For Laser On Fighter By 2025
  90. ↑ Jen Judson (11 Oct 2018) Army nearing strategy on way ahead for Indirect Fire Protection Capability
  91. ↑ Sydney J Freedberg Jr. Iron Dome Doesn't Work For Army: Gen. Murray: Interoperability with IBCS is critical, breakingdefense.com, 5 March 2020
  92. ↑ Anna Ahronheim (9 MARCH 2020) US Army: Iron Dome cannot be integrated into our air defense systems: Iron Dome offers 12 launchers, two sensors, two battle management centers and 240 interceptors, but US Army's IAMD needs access to Iron Dome Source Code for interoperability w/ IFPC, IBCS
  93. ↑ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (9 March 2020) New Missiles Must Work With IBCS Network: Bruce Jette (Exclusive) Each shooter must accept targeting data and firing commands from IBCS, at brassboard level at least
  94. ↑ Jen Judson (24 Aug 2021) Here's who the US Army has tapped to build an enduring capability to counter drones and cruise missiles defensenews.com
  95. ↑ Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. (23 Apr 2021) Army Fields First Anti-Aircraft Strykers In Just 3 Years breakingdefense.com
  96. ↑ Gary Sheftick, Army News Service (2 July 2019) Army rebuilding short-range air defense Manpad training for 19K MOS using synthetic training environment (STE)
  97. ↑ Nancy Jones-Bonbrest (10 Aug 2021) Army advances first laser weapon through Combat Shoot-Off Soldier-centered design
  98. ↑ Jared Keller (12 Aug 2021) The Army's first laser weapon is almost ready for a fight
  99. ↑ Jen Judson (13 Jan 2022) Army readies to deliver first set of Strykers with 50-kilowatt laser weapons
  100. ↑ Andrew Eversden (26 Oct 2021) Army Awards Laser Weapon Contract To Boeing, General Atomics Team

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Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. The THAAD interceptor carries no warhead, instead relying on its kinetic energy of impact to destroy the incoming missile. THAAD was developed after the experience of Iraq's Scud missile attacks during the Gulf War in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missile Defense Agency</span> Agency of the US Defense Department

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is a component of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a comprehensive defense against ballistic missiles. It had its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) which was established in 1983 by Ronald Reagan and which was headed by Lt. General James Alan Abrahamson. Under the Strategic Defense Initiative's Innovative Sciences and Technology Office headed by physicist and engineer Dr. James Ionson, the investment was predominantly made in basic research at national laboratories, universities, and in industry. These programs have continued to be key sources of funding for top research scientists in the fields of high-energy physics, advanced materials, nuclear research, supercomputing/computation, and many other critical science and engineering disciplines—funding which indirectly supports other research work by top scientists, and which was most politically viable to fund from appropriations for national defense. It was renamed the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in 1993, and then renamed the Missile Defense Agency in 2002. The current director is Lieutenant General Heath A. Collins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missile defense</span> System that destroys attacking missiles

Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception, and also the destruction of attacking missiles. Conceived as a defense against nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), its application has broadened to include shorter-ranged non-nuclear tactical and theater missiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field Artillery Branch (United States)</span> Field artillery branch of the U.S. Army

The Field Artillery Branch is the field artillery branch of the United States Army. This branch, alongside the Infantry and Cavalry branches, was formerly considered to be one of the "classic" combat arms branches, but is today included within the "Maneuver, Fires and Effects" (MFE) classification, in accordance with current U.S. Army organizational doctrine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel</span> American short-range air defense radar

The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel is an X-band electronically steered pulse-Doppler 3D radar system used to alert and cue Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. It is currently produced by Raytheon Missiles & Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypersonic flight</span> Flight at altitudes lower than 90km (56 mi) and at speeds above Mach 5

Hypersonic flight is flight through the atmosphere below altitudes of about 90 km (56 mi) at speeds greater than Mach 5, a speed where dissociation of air begins to become significant and high heat loads exist. Speeds over Mach 25 have been achieved below the thermosphere as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David's Sling</span> Medium to long range surface-to-air/anti-ballistic missile

David's Sling, also formerly known as Magic Wand, is an Israel Defense Forces military system jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon, that became operational in 2017. It is designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 to 300 km. David's Sling is intended to replace the MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-104 Patriot in the Israeli arsenal.

Plug-and-fight is the military equivalent of plug and play as applied to commercial and personal computer systems. Plug-and-fight refers to the capability of certain large military systems such as the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) to automatically recognize and assemble various system elements, like sensors, weapons, and control nodes, into a single integrated supersystem or system-of-systems. Plug-and-fight systems can be rapidly reconfigured without interrupting operations – adding, removing, and rearranging system elements in response to evolving threats and changing defense strategies. The architecture of such modular systems is often described as netted-distributed. Sensors, shooters, and tactical operations centers (TOC) simply act as nodes on the network, and a military commander can dynamically add or subtract these elements as the situation dictates without shutting the system down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground-Based Interceptor</span> Anti-ballistic missile

The Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) is the anti-ballistic missile component of the United States' Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system.

The transformation of the United States Army is part of a strategy using Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). In 2019, the planning was for Large Scale ground Combat Operations at echelons above the brigade combat team. Multi-Domain Task Forces operate in a combatant commander's theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AN/TPY-2 transportable radar</span> Surveillance radar

The AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar, also called the Forward Based X-Band Transportable (FBX-T) is a long-range, very high-altitude active digital antenna array X band surveillance radar designed to add a tier to existing missile and air defence systems. It has a range of 2,900 mi. Made by Raytheon, it is the primary radar for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, but also cues the AN/MPQ-53 radar of the MIM-104 Patriot system. Patriot PAC-3 is a lower-altitude missile and air defense system than THAAD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Futures Command</span> U.S. Army Command that runs modernization projects

The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is a United States Army command that runs modernization projects. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multi-Mission Launcher</span> United States Army missile launching system

The Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) is an open-systems architecture multi-role missile launching system created by the United States Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center.

Joint All-Domain Command and Control or JADC2 is the concept that the Department of Defense has developed to connect sensors from all branches of the armed forces into a § unified network powered by artificial intelligence. These branches include the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, as well as Space Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System</span> Network in the US Army

The United States Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense [IAMD] Battle Command System (IBCS) is a plug-and-fight network intended to let a radar or any other defensive sensor feed its data to any available weapon—colloquially, "connect any sensor to any shooter". The IBCS is designed to link radars across thousands of miles and shoot down short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase.

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