Armament/Ordnance Development

The Bombs & Fuzes project improves conventional weapons/munitions (kinetic and non-kinetic), fuzes, and height-of-burst sensors (HOBS), and develops and integrates complementary common weapon components, data links, position, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities (i.e. GPS, non-GPS, optical, passive, active, etc.) using modern acquisition best practices, to include digital acquisition practices (e.g. government-owned open system architectures, Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and agile software development). It also provides for the development and testing necessary for a suitable manufacturing base of conventional warheads, fuzes, HOBS, and munitions materiel handling equipment (MMHE). Bombs & Fuzes also provides research, development, testing, and guidance of conventional warheads, fuzing, HOBS modifications, and anti-personnel anti-materiel (APAM) weapons to improve lethality and survivability against area, mobile, hard and deeply buried, and fixed targets. Finally, this project provides an opportunity to quickly insert emerging technologies into existing and developing aircraft munitions and fuzes and supports strategic planning to achieve compliance of AF munitions with Department of War insensitive munitions (IM) standards. - Munitions Materiel Handling Equipment (MMHE): MMHE is a continuing project to develop and improve the standardization and commonality of munitions handling and armament equipment to preclude duplication. Efforts are primarily the study, design, and development of MMHE and armament control systems; however, support may be provided to other functional areas as requested. Procurement will be performed and funded by the applicable weapons system project. - Insensitive Munitions (IM) and Emerging Technologies: IM projects support AF IM strategic planning to achieve IM compliance IAW U.S. Code, Title 10, Subtitle A, Part N, Chapter 141, Section 2389, ensuring safety regarding insensitive munitions. Develops and validates IM models against current munition performance, addresses IM explosive fill deficiencies and develops munition modifications to improve the response of conventional weapons to unplanned stimuli. This project also explores and develops Emerging Technology by analyzing and evaluating current systems to integrate new technologies for both future and existing munitions.

The Armament Ordnance Development program funds open standards development and maturation for adoption by USAF, Joint, and Coalition weapon systems for rapid integration, support, and operational use of the full range of armament capabilities. Weapons and weapon systems implementation of open armament interface standards provides rapid integration of software-defined capabilities, reduces development timelines, lowers life-cycle cost, and ensures interoperability with emerging capabilities. The Stores-Aircraft Interface project conducts stores-aircraft interface upgrades and standards development to include the Universal Armament Interface (UAI). This budget funds the Universal Armament Interface (UAI), a matured DAF-owned standard, that provides the continuous development, characterization, and improvements required to ensure integration for current, future, and legacy munitions, ammunitions, delivery systems, and subsystems. The Department of War Acquisition Transformation Strategy mandates Open Systems Architectures in all acquisition programs. UAI democratizes implementation of open architecture across the DAF, accelerating fielding of armament capabilities, breaking vendor lock and increasing return on investment for cost, agility, interoperability, and lethality operational outcomes. UAI has a direct impact on how quickly the service can implement the DoW Open Systems Architecture Initiative. The UAI delivers the standards needed to integrate new weapon capabilities on platforms at the speed of software, independent of aircraft Operational Flight Program (OFPs) cycles; thus, reducing costly regression testing for flight safety critical aircraft software. Planned implementations include Joint Strike Fighter (JSF/F-35), F-15EX, F-16, F-47, CCA, B-21, B-1, B-2, B-52, MQ-9, Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile - Extended Range (AARGM-ER), Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), SDB I & II, Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW), Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), Grey Wolf, Select Precision Effects At Range Capability 3 (SPEAR3), Joint Strike Missile (JSM), and Next-Generation Open Mission Services (NOMS) for mission planning. Funding directly supports the development, enhancement, and sustainment of open armament standards to support the emerging needs of the above adopting platforms and more.