Lethality Technology

This project investigates, develops, and evaluates critical missile technologies and components necessary for advanced lethal capability in support of future/mid to far term affordable short range air defense interceptor capability to defeat Cruise Missile (CM), Rotary Wing (RW), Tactical / Lethal Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), and Fixed Wing (FW) threats. This effort designs and develops technologies to provide advanced materials, seekers, guidance and control, and propulsion for reduced size weight and power and cost for Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (MSHORAD), Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD), and Lower Tier essential to maintain overmatch against mid-/far-term threats. This project will investigate, identify and develop advanced radar concepts, technologies and signal processing algorithms to enable multi-mission radar functions and expanded threat capability. This project supports Air and Missile Defense Modernization priority efforts. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602147A (Long Range Precision Fires Technology) / Project AF3 (Extended Range Propulsion Technology) and Project AF8 (Affordable Extended Range Precision Technology), PE 0603135A / Counter Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-SUAS) Advanced Techno logy/ Project A32 / Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Sys (C-sUAS) Adv, and PE 0602135A / Counter Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-SUAS) Applied Research / Project A31 / Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Sys (C-sUAS) Tech. Work in this project is performed by the Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC).

This project investigates, models, and assesses energetic material and propulsion technologies to validate novel concepts such as maximizing total energy density and power delivered on target. This project also optimizes propellant grains for increased range and altering gun configurations to increase energy on target in order to exploit the controllable/scalable energy release required for improving effectiveness and reducing vulnerability of future gun/missile systems. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics), PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project AH7 (Lethality and Scalable Effects Technologies), PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project AH8 (Lethality Materials and Processes Technology), and PE 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL1 (Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology) Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Chemical Biological Center (CBC).

This project explores multiple pathways to enhance lethal efforts for future warheads against emerging peer/near peer target sets and investigates synergistic effects of novel micro warheads using advanced materials. This project investigates innovative energetic materials and novel processing techniques for the next generation of explosives and propulsion applications to enable an increase in range, lethality, and utility of munitions. It also directly supports Army Modernization Priorities through researching and developing energetic (propellant) technologies and processes for increased performance, expanded operation temperature bounds, and improved safety and environmental compliance of missile systems. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) / Project BK5 (Adv Direct In-Direct Armament Sys (ADIDAS) Tech) and PE 0603464A (Long Range Precision Fires Advanced Technology) / Project CE9 (Armaments Advanced Technology). Work in this project is performed by the Armaments Center.

This project supports research on munitions, kinetic and non-kinetic payloads, and weapons in energetics, propulsion, flight, guidance, warheads, guns, material science, and electromagnetic device packages and sensors. This project also supports research in novel energetic materials and energetic monomer/polymer synthesis, composable design science, models for gun wear and erosion, and the development of algorithms, frameworks, and toolsets for cost-effective collaborative autonomous delivery of weapons. Electronic (e.g., jamming, spoofing) and kinetic (e.g., intercept) counters that disrupt nodes of defeat are within adversary reach. Enablers delivered in this research project provide entirely new approaches of dynamically adapting multi-functional systems of weapon systems (beyond improvements to field/air defense and cannon/missile artillery) and the means to physically realize this capability at relevant speed and size scales in collapsed formations to defeat complex, rapidly changing threats at depth. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics), PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project AH6 (Disruptive Energetics and Propulsion Technologies), and PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project CZ9 (Foundational Hypersonic Weapons Research). This Project transitions to PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project AH9 (Advanced Warheads Technology), PE 0602147A (Long Range Precision Fires Technology) / Project AG4 (Extended Range Artillery Munition Suite Technology), PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project CI1 (Advanced Armaments Lethality Technology), PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project CIA (Applied Armaments Tech for Distributed Lethality), PE 0602147A (Long Range Precision Fires Technology) / Project AF8 (Affordable Extended Range Precision Technology), PE 0603464A (Long Range Precision Fires Advanced Technology) / Project CZ8 (PrSM Modular Payload Advanced Development), and PE 0603464A (Long Range Precision Fires Advanced Technology) / Project BY2 (Advanced Hypersonics Technology). Work in this project is performed by Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

This project investigates foundational problems associated with high-speed weapons and informs the future strategic fires echelon of Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) capabilities. This project funds the research of material science subjects such as extreme thermal loading and aero-thermodynamics and control technologies for high- speed vehicles which may encounter high mechanical loads at launch. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics) and PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project AH6 (Disruptive Energetics and Propulsion Technologies), Project AH7 (Lethal and Scalable Effects Technologies), and Project AH8 (Lethality Materials and Processes Technology), PE 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL1 (Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology), and PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle) / Project BI4 (Materials Application and Integration Tech). Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Technical Center.

This project conducts experiments on single crystal diamond and diamond hetero-structure semiconductor materials, layered structures, and novel devices for Diamond Electronics and integrated photonics structures and devices for Radar, Communications, and improved Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) Department of War systems. Efforts include multiscale modeling, material and structure growth and characterization, and novel device design and fabrication as well as two-dimensional (2-D) electronics for bio-inspired neuromorphic sensors, processors, and memory. This research has application to radars, communication systems, electronic warfare, directed energy, electronics for hypersonic systems, radiation hard systems, quantum sensing, and others. This project directly supports Air and Missile Defense modernization priority capabilities by investigating essential component technologies for insertion into Multi-Mission Army Radar systems. This project addresses the challenges of integrating new materials into Silicon Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) processing flows, and electronics reliability including protection against unintended adversarial use of state-of-the-art semiconductor materials, devices, and systems for Air and Missile Defense in contested environments. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0603466A (Air and Missile Defense Advanced Technology) Project AD6 (Next Generation Fires Radar Advanced Technology). Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.

This project designs and develops engineering tools and high-fidelity modeling and simulation capabilities for materials and structural response to predict and enhance weapons performance to ensure lethality against structures and critical assets. Through dynamic impact experiments for a broad range of velocities against conventional and advanced structural materials, this project develops engineering tools and technologies to rapidly evaluate and predict weapon performance. Computational chemistry will be utilized to explore potential prediction and optimization pathways of high-energy density material formulations. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0603116A (Lethality Advanced Technology) / Project CH5 (Terminal Effects Against Critical Targets Adv Tech). Work in this project is performed by the United States Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.

Work in this project researches, investigates and develops concepts for common open architecture fire control systems to maximize distributed armament systems performance. Researches fire control architecture framework and protocols utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning to minimize target engagement timelines, reduce cognitive processes, and enable collaborative lethal effectiveness on target across weapon platforms. Develops modular fire control concepts enabling safe, lethal, and agile integration of current systems to engage emerging threats and decrease system vulnerabilities for maximize performance and combined arms effects. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0602141A Lethality Technology/ Applied Armaments Tech for Distributed Lethality, PE 0603462A Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology/ Next Generation Intelligent Fire Control, and PE 0602183A Air Platform Applied Research/ Airborne Threat Defeat Work in this project is performed by the Armaments Center.