Next-Generation LWIR Seeker Cost Reduction and Performance Enhancement for cUAS Applications

The U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) requires advanced counter unmanned aerial system (cUAS) technologies to combat the exponentially growing threat of UAS in the battlefield. Existing systems are notoriously expensive and unreliable, which was recently seen with the employment of the Raytheon Coyote system for force protection in Syria where just two (2) elements of an incoming drone swarm were shot down.[1] To address this critical gap for force protection for the DAF, we are proposing the development of the Advanced Lethality System (ALS) which is a lowest cost in-class (just $50k/shot) dual-mode SAL/LWIR seeker solution for the existing and fielded APKWS program of record. The ALS solution will use existing program of record launchers and APKWS units that are in circulation, which will lead to streamlined deployment of this solution across the DAF and DoD. This effort in particular is aimed at developing advanced simulation tooling for ALS, developing a tip-to-tail system integration plan, enhancing tracking algorithms for cUAS seekers for reduced target engagement times, and demonstrating in test shots.