The US Army is planning to develop a new interceptor and has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to identify potential interested sources.
The RFI states that the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation and Missile Center Missile Science & Technology (S&T) capability area lead for Air and Missile Defense aims to “develop a new Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher compatible missile (and/or contributing component) technologies with greater range than the current Stinger for the Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) mission in support of the eXtended Range Counter-sUAS (XRC) S&T programme”.
Interested parties are requested to describe concepts and/or component technologies at any development stage that could be matured to a system/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in that timeframe.
The XRC programme objectives are to investigate, design, and develop C-sUAS kinetic missile interceptor capabilities and/or component technologies that increase range, reduce reaction time, increase lethality, improve reliability, and reduce reload time for fixed site and mobile C-sUAS configurations. According to the RFI, the missile concept would maintain lethality against traditional MSHORAD targets.
“The project will provide manoeuvre forces a quick-response, high speed, long-range kinetic interceptor capability against Group 3 sUAS that operate at higher altitudes with greater standoff ranges for Multi-Domain Operations,” the RFI states, adding that “XRC may be integrated with Army air defence and C-UAS systems to support fixed, semi-fixed, mobile, mounted, and dismounted (objective) C-sUAS operations”.
A prototype demonstration is expected before fiscal year 2030.
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Image: US Marines fire a FIM-92 Stinger Missile near Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic, North Carolina, July 12, 2023. (Screenshot from Marines Corps video by Cpl. Nicholas Cox)
