Sensors and Seekers For Fire Control

Background and Problem Statement

The Department of War (DoW) requires advanced sensor and seeker systems to support interceptor engagements against ballistic and hypersonic threats. As these threats continue to advance, there is an increasing need for systems leveraging diverse phenomenologies capable of high-fidelity identification, tracking and discrimination under extreme environmental conditions and on short time scales. These systems must deliver high data throughput while adhering to rigorous Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) constraints inherent to aerospace and interceptor platforms. A significant challenge remains in aligning these complex technical requirements with modern manufacturing efficiencies.

To address this, the DoW seeks to leverage advancements in commercial sensing and processing to prototype sensor and seeker solutions that support endo-atmospheric and/or exo-atmospheric engagements. The objective is to transition toward designs that are affordably produced, minimize supply chain risks, and maximize scalability to meet the urgent demand for space- and interceptor-based sensing capabilities.

Desired Solutions and Key Objectives

The DoW is seeking integrated sensing solutions to support the prototyping and demonstration of LIDAR/LADAR, EO/IR, RF, and other active or passive modalities, separately or in combination – that are capable of fire-control-quality detection, tracking and discrimination.

Key objectives include:

• Threat Detection, Tracking, and Discrimination: Demonstrate capabilities to detect, track and support the engagement of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) or Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) across multiple flight phases (boost, midcourse, and glide). Advanced technologies to deliver the precise positional data and target characteristics required to reliably discriminate lethal payloads from non-threats, such as debris and countermeasures.
• Fire Control Enablement: Provide high-accuracy, real-time tracking data (including precise range, angular resolution and high update rates) necessary for successful Kinetic Kill Vehicle (KKV) engagements in endo-atmospheric and/or exo-atmospheric environments. Key characteristics for consideration:
  • Measurement type (e.g., range, angle, Doppler, intensity, polarization, spectral information).
  • The achievable measurement accuracy and update rates.
  • The processing approach (onboard vs. offboard, edge processing, AI/ML, sensor fusion).
  • How the system handles harsh environments (vibration, shock, thermal, vacuum, radiation, weather)
  • Timing or synchronization capabilities that support precise tracking (e.g., GPS-synchronized time stamping, clock accuracy, latency budget).

Key Solution Attributes

• Modular Form Factor: Sensor designs must be suitable for integration as either a primary seeker into a KKV or as a hosted payload on a space vehicle.
• Operational Durability: Designs must be compatible with a 5-year design life in Low Earth Orbit (LEO); seeker solutions must withstand high-dynamic launch and/or re-entry environments.
• Sensor Performance: Space-rated sensors are required to detect and discriminate hot or cold objects at LEO-ranges and high cross-track velocities, while functioning against both Earth and space backgrounds. This capability necessitates rapid initialization (within seconds), high frame rates, and substantial data throughput.
• Aggressive Prototyping Timeline: 
  • Lab-based demonstration (6 - 9 months from award): Benchtop or lab environment demonstration showing key performance metrics (e.g., detection, tracking, discrimination) using targets or scenes that are relevant to an engagement scenario (e.g., small, fast-moving, hot or cold objects against cluttered backgrounds).
  • On-orbit demonstration (12–24 months from award): An on-orbit demonstration as hosted payload in a relevant environment. DIU anticipates working with selected partners to integrate into a space vehicle.

Desired Attributes for Compelling Solutions

• Optimized SWaP-C: Designs that aggressively minimize Size, Weight and Power while maintaining mission-critical performance and low unit cost.
• Commercial Scalability: Solutions that prioritize "Design for Manufacturability" by leveraging commercial high-volume production processes and cross-industry components, i.e, 100+ units/year.
• Disruptive Economics: Proposers should demonstrate a path to a price point significantly lower than legacy defense-specific sensors when produced at scale.