Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are being awarded prototype awards for GPI (Glide Phase Interceptor) concept refinement.
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US DoD Contract Awards, Washington DC, 19 November 2021:-
- Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, Arizona, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price other transaction prototype award with a total value of $20,968,584 through the Missile Defense Agency’s authority under 10 US Code § 2371b. This prototype award was competitively solicited through the Enhanced Hypersonic Defense Broad Agency Announcement with Glide Phase Interceptor Special Topic, HQ0851-21-S-0001. Under this award, the performer will further develop and refine their concept. The work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona; and Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of September 2022. Research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
- Lockheed Martin Corp., Sunnyvale, California, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price other transaction prototype award with a total value of $20,938,788 through the Missile Defense Agency’s authority under 10 US Code § 2371b. This prototype award was competitively solicited through the Enhanced Hypersonic Defense Broad Agency Announcement with Glide Phase Interceptor Special Topic, HQ0851-21-S-0001. Under this award, the performer will further develop and refine their concept. The work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California; Huntsville, Alabama; and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of September 2022. Research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
- Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Chandler, Arizona, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price other transaction prototype award with a total value of $18,957,035 through the Missile Defense Agency’s authority under 10 US Code § 2371b. This prototype award was competitively solicited through the Enhanced Hypersonic Defense Broad Agency Announcement with Glide Phase Interceptor Special Topic, HQ0851-21-S-0001. Under this award, the performer will further develop and refine their concept. The work will be performed in Chandler, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of September 2022. Research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
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Press Release, Tucson, 19 November 2021: Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, has been selected by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) as one of the companies to develop and test the first interceptor specifically designed to defeat hypersonic threats. The weapon, called Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), will defeat a new generation of hypersonic missiles – weapons that travel more than five times the speed of sound and manoeuvre rapidly in flight.
“Raytheon Technologies systems are the cornerstone of today’s ballistic missile defences. We’re building on that knowledge to advance the missile defence system for future threats,” said Tay Fitzgerald, vice president of Strategic Missile Defense. “GPI’s speed, ability to withstand extreme heat, and manoeuvrability will make it the first missile designed to engage this advanced threat.”
GPI will intercept hypersonic weapons in the glide phase of flight, which occurs once a missile has re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and is manoeuvring toward its target. The initial development phase will focus on reducing technical risk, rapidly developing technology, and demonstrating the ability to intercept a hypersonic threat. Developed on behalf of the MDA, GPI will be integrated into the US Navy’s Aegis Weapon System, a ship- and shore-based defence system.
Raytheon Technologies’ missile defence portfolio combines sensors, interceptors and command and control networks to track and defeat a wide range of threats. Today, the company is responsible for portions of nearly every air and missile defence system deployed by the US and its allies. By evolving its missile interceptors, directed energy and cyber technologies, Raytheon Technologies is advancing counter-hypersonic solutions.
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