This week the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) asked industry about “disruptive technologies” for its missile defense mission needs in a Request for Information (RFI).
The RFI, published April 20, said the agency is “seeking innovative solutions from commercial and defense industries to develop new designs, adapt existing technologies in other fields, or re-design existing capabilities to fulfill our needs.”
The request is coming via MDA’s Disruptive Technology Program Office, which identifies and explores “innovative and/or groundbreaking solutions to the Science and Technology capability gaps within the Missile Defense community.”
The RFI notice explained a disruptive technology need covers “any advancements or revolutionary uses of existing technologies in the areas of global communications, command and control, threat/target interception (components or systems), sensors, optics and IR, and threat tracking capability.”
The capabilities may also include improved uses for modeling and simulations, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and systems engineering.
The notice said disruptive technologies can be an existing or demonstrated capability already under development for military or commercial industrial uses that could also be adapted to provide a solution to MDA capability gaps.
MDA said the RFI asking for white papers is not limited to defense contractors, with non-traditional contractors “encouraged to reply.”
White paper responses are due by June 30.
The notice underscored the paper must clearly identify the disruptive technology or capability recommended and its use in the missile defense context and include a rough order of magnitude cost estimate for proposed technology development and final unit acquisition cost, if known.