Air Pressure planners need concepts on constructing the service’s subsequent conter-air missile at a price of $500,000 per unit, though the service already has cheaper munitions in its stock.
As a part of the service’s Counter-Air Missile Program, or CAMP, the Air Pressure desires to develop a ground-launched missile that can set the groundwork for a “ low-cost air-to-air missile,” in keeping with a Nov. 7 request for white papers posted on SAM.gov.
“The very best precedence of this effort is the event and demonstration of an inexpensive, open system, modular, and extremely producible ground-launched functionality,” the discover from the Air Pressure Life Cycle Administration Heart reads, including that work would begin on ground-launch variations as a option to take a look at the know-how earlier than pivoting to “future inexpensive air-to-air missile capabilities.”
The primary section of CAMP would give attention to creating and demonstrating a ground-launched prototype in two years. Section two would transition the missile into this system of report, and future phases would transition it to an air-to-air variant. Business concepts are due by Dec. 2.
Whereas technical particulars of the missile’s design and performance aren’t included within the discover, it states the federal government will “commerce beautiful capabilities for affordability and producibility in assist of delivering portions of 1,000-3,500 per yr in full charge manufacturing.”
But it surely’s unclear how the brand new missile could be used with current air-to-air and counter-drone munitions within the Air Pressure stock.
The proposed value is lower than the service’s $1 million AIM-120D Superior Medium-Vary Air-To-Air Missile and corresponding to the present $472,000 AIM-9X Sidewinder, in keeping with figures from the Struggle Zone. However it’s considerably costlier than the service’s APKWS II jet-fired anti-drone rockets—the most expensive parts of these missiles run between $15,000 and $20,000.
Conventional floor or submarine- launched Tomahawk cruise missiles value round $2.2 million, in keeping with protection specialists.
Air Pressure spokespeople didn’t instantly reply to questions concerning the proposed advantages of this system in relation to the value tag.
The decision for trade concepts follows the passage of the reconciliation invoice this summer season, which allotted $250 million to develop, procure, and combine Air Pressure low-cost counter-air capabilities. The discover was posted the identical day as Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech to protection corporations urging them to take a position extra and transfer sooner on acquisition packages.
“This effort follows the strategic route of the [Defense Department] to innovate warfighter benefit, speed up manufacturing, and ship at scale,” the discover reads.
The discover additionally talked about the munition can be part of the Air Pressure’s “new weapon class of Enterprise Take a look at Car”—the low-cost cruise missiles at the moment being pursued by the service in partnership with the Protection Innovation Unit. Anduril and Zone 5 Applied sciences had been each chosen to maneuver to the second section of the ETV program and are progressing in direction of a live-fire take a look at this summer season, DIU introduced in September.
