The Army is continuing its pursuit to find a potential second interceptor solution for its new Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) Inc. 2 defeat system, noting it may award contracts in fiscal year 2025 for technology demonstrations.
A new Request for Information notice released on Thursday details the Army’s plan to hold an industry day next month to discuss the requirements and schedule for a IFPC Inc. 2 second interceptor effort.
“The new interceptor will use an open system architecture approach to establish lethal kinetic effects against select targets within the IFPC Inc. 2 threat set, specifically subsonic and supersonic cruise missiles,” the Army writes in the RFI. “The new interceptor also requires future capability growth with minimal levels of system redesign to address Objective level threat sets.”
The Army in September 2021 awarded Leidos’ [LDOS] Dynetics a $237.4 million deal for IFPC Inc. 2, which aims to field a new ground-based mobile system capable of defeating cruise missile and drone threats (Defense Daily, Sept. 24 2021).
Dynetics’ Enduring Shield launcher capability beat out a team of RTX [RTX] and Israel’s Rafael offering a version of the Iron Dome system, with the Leidos-owned company tasked with delivering 16 launchers and 60 interceptors under the IFPC Inc. 2 prototype deal.
The current interceptor that is part of Dynetics’ Enduring Shield solution for IFPC Inc. 2 is RTX’s AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.
The first Enduring Shield launchers were delivered to the Army in December following a successful test fire event, with the IFPC Inc. 2 moving into developmental testing this month and a planned operational assessment in the third quarter of this fiscal year (Defense Daily, Dec. 21).
Thursday’s RFI arrives nearly a year after the Army published a similar notice seeking industry’s information on capabilities that could serve as a second interceptor for IFPC Inc. 2 (Defense Daily, Jan. 17 2023).
The potential awards to one or multiple vendors in FY ‘25 would include technology demonstrations from FY ‘26 to FY ‘27, according to the new RFI, with the Army adding it would then intend to move into a development, qualification, and test effort.
The upcoming industry day, planned for Feb. 8 in Huntsville, Alabama, will include an Army briefing on acquisition planning and requirements for the second interceptor effort, the RFI notes.
Following the industry, the Army said it may hold one-on-one discussions with companies that have “a serious interest to bid as a prime contractor for this requirement.”
The Army has previously said IFPC Inc. 2 is “designed to defeat subsonic cruise missiles, Group 2/3 unmanned aircraft systems, rockets, artillery, mortars and other aerial threats,” while utilizing the Sentinel radar as its sensor, with the new Northrop Grumman [NOC]-developed Integrated Battle Command System serving as the fire control component.