The Air Force's Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office this week issued a request for information to industry partners about directed-energy weapons to counter unmanned aircraft systems.
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The Air Force is looking for more information about laser weapons to use against drones
The Air Force is asking firms to detail their ability to produce directed-energy weapons for use against unmanned aircraft.
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The request is market research ahead of an experimentation demonstration that comes as part of the Air Force Directed Energy Weapons Flight Plan, which was issued in May by the branch's secretary and chief of staff.
The SDPE is asking interested parties for information about their ability "to provide a directed energy weapons system for targeting group 1 and group 2 unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) during a counter-UAS operation."
The request outlines a directed-energy counter-UAS system that works with existing command-and-control systems and "may employ a modular structure capable of interfacing with existing weapon system platforms and sensors to tailor configuration to tasking."
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"Proposed systems must be robust and have integrated sensors used to find, fix, track, and target single and/or multiple UAS targets," the request states. It expresses interest in command and sensor systems to rapidly detect and identify drones and integrate with weapon systems that can "interdict, defeat or deny enemy use of UAS through the use of directed energy (high power microwaves and laser weapon systems)."
The document said the Air Force had issued the request to "explore cost-effective acquisition options to provide this capability starting in" fiscal year 2018.
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