Posted by John Keller
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J., 7 Feb. 2010. U.S. Army researchers plan to ask industry to develop a radar sensing and fire-control system to help protect forces on the battlefield by aiming specially designed 50-millimeter bullets accurately enough to destroy incoming rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds.
The Medium and Cannon-Caliber Munitions Division of the Army's Munitions Engineering Technology Center at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., issued a presolicitation Friday (solicitation number W15QKN-10-R-0204) for this kind of fire-control system as part of the Extended Area Protection and Survivability (EAPS) Integrated Demonstration (ID) Army Technology Objective (ATO) Program.
The idea is to develop technologies that support a ground-mounted gun system that defends against incoming rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds in a 360 degree hemispherical extended area to provide wide-area force protection and to protect high value assets on the battlefield.
Army officials want industry to demonstrate a mature, sophisticated radar sensor and fire-control system to detect incoming rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds, as well as aim, track, and control 50-millimeter interceptors fired to destroy the incoming threats.
These 50-millimeter interceptors are 2-inch-diameter bullets (1.97 caliber) with directional thrusters that can correct their courses to hit incoming rockets and mortar rounds. These special bullets will be controlled via RF communications links to the radar sensing and fire-control system.
Army officials are particularly interested in developing command functions and communication data-links between the fire-control sensor system and the outgoing interceptors, as well as fire-control software algorithms.
A formal request for proposals for this enhanced tracking radar suite will be issued online on or around 22 March at http://procnet.pica.army.mil. This site only supports Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5 or above.
For questions or concerns, contact the Army's Gherin Fracasso by e-mail at gherin.fracasso@us.army.mil or Timothy Jensen at tim.jensen@us.army.mil. Companies interested in participating must respond by 15 April 2010.
More information is available online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/5219a13ad379334399c15e4072984a0a.
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