Aerospace & Defense Electronics

WASHINGTON - DRS Network & Imaging Systems LLC, Melbourne, Florida, was awarded a $55.7 million cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for engineering services in support of the Improved Bradley Acquisition Subsystem (IBAS).

Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2029. No funds were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-26-C-0018).

Source: DRS Technologies
Associated URL: http://www.defense.gov

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. - The U.S. Air Force’s Point Defense Battle Lab (PDBL) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to identify qualified vendors capable of providing Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS) kinetic hard-kill solutions for Group 1-3 systems. The initiative seeks industry collaboration to improve the service's market understanding and support the PDBL's mission to develop and validate Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) for drone detection, tracking, interception, and neutralization. The PDBL intends to utilize the responses to shift installation defense toward a more proactive posture and rapidly evaluate advanced technologies to protect Air Force assets and personnel.

To meet the Air Force's operational requirements, proposed technologies or services must be easy to use with minimal training, transportable via palletized cargo, and deployable by a team of four or fewer personnel within two hours. Additionally, systems must withstand extreme weather conditions, including ambient temperatures of -40 degrees and winds of 20 to 30 mph. The PDBL is specifically targeting several kinetic hard-kill technologies, including Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) launchers, 30mm gun-based airburst systems, automated small-caliber weapon stations, and autonomous 3-D printed drone-on-drone interceptors. Despite the kinetic nature of the RFI, the effort also seeks information on high-energy lasers (2-20kW), and high-power microwave systems.

Source: Forecast International
Associated URL: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/29ee623b12bf4239a8ef226388d1c0a8/view

CAMAS, Wash. - nLIGHT, Inc., a provider of high-energy lasers for mission-critical directed energy applications, today announced it has been selected for a Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement supporting the U.S. Department of War’s (DoW) next-generation cruise missile defense architecture.

The initial award has a value of $44 million, with a total program ceiling of up to $627 million, inclusive of follow-on development, integration, and potential production options.

The JLWS program is led by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) SCADE CTA to transition directed energy capabilities from demonstration prototypes into field-ready, production-oriented platforms. By developing containerized high-energy laser weapons, the Department aims to provide combatant commanders with scalable, cost-effective intercept solutions for asymmetric and high-tier adversary threats. These prototype systems offer critical operational advantages over traditional kinetic systems, including speed-of-light engagement, exceptionally deep magazines and significantly lower cost-per-intercept, attributes essential for countering high-volume UAS swarms and advanced cruise missile threats.

To address urgent operational demands, initial JLWS prototypes will be rated at approximately 150 kW. Subsequent iterations will be scaled to reach the 300-500 kW threshold required for robust cruise missile defense.

Source: nLIGHT
Associated URL: https://www.nlight.net/