The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to competitively award two contracts in fiscal year 2017 to integrate and test a lower power version of an airborne laser demonstrator for use in missile defense, according to an agency official.
MDA Program Executive for Advanced Technology Richard Matlock said Wednesday the goal is to eventually develop a high-power solid state laser on a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating in the stratosphere, where atmospheric disturbance to the aircraft and the laser is significantly reduced. The low power version of the demonstrator would be roughly 100 kw. MDA spokesman Christopher Szkrybalo said MDA will not be able to award the contract while under a continuing resolution (CR). President Barack Obama on Dec. 10 signed into law a CR that last through the end of April. Congressional Republicans wanted the CR to allow President-elect Donald Trump to pursue his agenda for the remainder of FY ’17.
The goal of the low power demonstrator is to determine the feasibility of destroying enemy missiles in their boost phase of flight. Matlock said MDA wants this low power system fielded as early as 2021. He said the capability should provide a layer of defense in the boost phase to take down enemy missiles or “thin the raid” and make the challenge less stressful for ground-based interceptors (GBI) in the midcourse and terminal phases.
In other sensor news, the Air Force plans to award contracts in early calendar year 2017 for its Tools-Applications-Processing Lab (TAP Lab) effort, according to Air Force Maj. Gen. Roger Teague, director of space programs for the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Teague said the service intends to award $47 million in contracts over the next five years for work supporting the both Overhead Persistent Infrared Battlespace Awareness Cell (OBAC) based, at Buckley AFB, Colo., and TAP Lab.
Teague said the Air Force currently has evaluations ongoing for 10 proposals as part of its first round of contracts with industry. Opened in April, the TAP Lab is a data exploitation lab with a goal of fostering innovation by providing space-based IR data access to a broad industry and academia base. TAP Lab in early August released a call to industry for funding ideas with over 76 white papers submitted. Ideas submitted included detecting dimmer targets using infrared and weather sensor data to assess ice conditions in the Arctic to help provide ships with better information. Another idea covered ideas on improved data dissemination techniques (Defense Daily, Sept. 16).
Teague’s and Matlock’s remarks came at a Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) event at the Capitol.