Tag Archives: RCCTO

Ground, Ground Forces

Short Range Air Defense

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The U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, known as RCCTO, announced the successful delivery of four cutting-edge Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense, or DE M-SHORAD, prototype systems to the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (ADAR) at Fort Sill. Delivering the platoon of prototypes marks a pivotal milestone for RCCTO’s DE M-SHORAD Project Management Office, led by Colonel Steven D. Gutierrez, and represents a major landmark accomplishment for the entire team involved.

DE M-SHORAD
Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment are positioned alongside four Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) prototype systems (4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment)

This momentous delivery coincides with the historic reactivation of the 4-60th ADAR in March of 2022 and the subsequent reactivation of its Delta Battery in June of this year. It signifies the continued smooth transition of the 4-60th ADAR from the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command to the 1st Armored Division, which took place in November 2022.

To prepare for the integration of these groundbreaking laser weapon systems, 4-60th ADAR commenced training in fall 2022. Drivers underwent rigorous training utilizing a surrogate M-SHORAD vehicle specially constructed to replicate the DE M-SHORAD prototype’s size, weight, and power. Additionally, the crews skillfully simulated the execution of the structure of an attack or «kill chain» on the Virtual Crew Trainer Operating Systems provided by the RCCTO.

In March 2023 at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, crews from 4-60th ADAR and the DE M-SHORAD prototype team came together to conduct a highly successful capability demonstration during a Live Fire Exercise. The event showcased the remarkable potential of these prototypes and left a lasting impression on participants and viewers.

«The delivery of DE M-SHORAD prototypes to the 4-60th ADAR represents a transformational milestone in the Army’s modernization campaign. It is an achievement that adds what was often thought of as a next generation capability, now», stated Colonel Gutierrez. «These high energy laser systems will be a game-changer on the contemporary battlefield, a critical component of an integrated, layered, and in-depth air missile defense for division and brigade maneuver formations».

Colonel Gutierrez continued, «I couldn’t be prouder of our team. The Directed Energy Project Office took nascent technologies and accelerated their maturation and development to put hardware in the hands of Soldiers in record time. This will prove to be a deterrent as well as an effective weapon system against relevant threat sets that requires minimal logistical support versus traditional and legacy systems».

Receiving these groundbreaking systems enables the 4-60th ADAR Delta Battery to embark on collective training with kinetic variants of the DE M-SHORAD, as they were concurrently received in June 2023. This opportunity allows for enhanced evaluation of the integration and employment of these systems within the Army’s integrated and layered air missile defense architecture, as well as their structural alignment within division formations.

Lieutenant Colonel Alex Corby, former 4-60th ADAR battalion commander, notes, «The delivery of the DE M-SHORAD prototypes marks an extraordinary advancement in our military capabilities. Today, Delta Battery etches its name in the annals of military history as the Army’s first-ever tactical Directed Energy capable unit. With cutting-edge technology at their disposal, they are pioneers, forging a path towards a more formidable and agile future for our forces».

Looking ahead, in partnership with the Army Test and Evaluation Command, the Army plans to employ these prototypes in a Soldier Touchpoint in FY24. This assessment will provide invaluable insights into the capabilities and limitations of these cutting-edge systems, aiding the Army in its ongoing quest for innovation and progress.

The RCCTO, alongside its dedicated partners and 4-60th ADAR, remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation and excellence. Together, they forge a path towards a future where cutting-edge technologies like the DE M-SHORAD prototype system pave the way for an enhanced and robust national defense.

Ground Forces, Missiles & Guided Weapons

Hypersonic Weapon

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth predicted «fiscal year 23 will be the year of long-range precision fires» at Breaking Defense in 2021.

Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW)
A U.S Army Soldier lifts the hydraulic launching system on the new Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) during Operation Thunderbolt Strike at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, March 3, 2023. During the LRHW system development, the Army’s Rapid Capabilities & Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) implemented a Soldier-centered design concept which uses formal and informal Soldier touch points to obtain early feedback to influence design, speed up development, and ensure an operationally effective weapon system (Photo Credit: Specialist Chandler Coats)

In February, the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1st MDTF) long-range fires battalion, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (5-3 LRFB), deployed the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system over 3,100 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington to Cape Canaveral, Florida during Thunderbolt Strike, a full rehearsal of expeditionary hypersonic launch capabilities.

The deployment exercised critical command and control linkages between U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Army Pacific, Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), and 1st MDTF.

Soldiers of the 5-3 LRFB conducted training and practice drills with the LRHW system in Cape Canaveral.

«Our Soldiers processed real missions, with real data, in real time, to produce real effects to learn lessons and generate readiness. We’re training the way we will fight, and our Soldiers are ready to deploy and employ this critical capability forward», said Brigadier General Bernard Harrington, the 1st MDTF commander.

Thunderbolt Strike marks a new milestone between the 1st MDTF, RCCTO, industry, and numerous Army partners that generated immediate feedback from stakeholders on the complex system.

Colonel Ian Humphrey, RCCTO’s hypersonic weapon integration project manager, highlighted 1st MDTF’s rapid progress in building the technical and procedural capacity to integrate the LRHW system’s capabilities into the Defense Department’s Joint Force. «This unit is fully trained and has proven that they can be deployed away from home station and go right into whatever mission they’re given».

«Thunderbolt Strike proved the power of interagency cooperation to build the multi-domain force of the future», said Harrington. «The second half of the Army’s year of long-range precision fires will continue to represent groundbreaking strides toward integrated deterrence in the Pacific».

«Our first battery of Long-Range Hypersonic Weapons is training with their ground equipment at JBLM, and by this fall we will have our first battery of Long-Range Hypersonic Weapons, and that element will be part of our 1st Multi-Domain Task Force», Wormuth said recently in an article in Defense Daily.

LRHW
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to a multi-domain artillery battery practice operating the new Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) during Thunderbolt Strike at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, March 3, 2023. In Fall 2021, the multi-domain expert Soldiers received the first prototype hypersonic hardware at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (U.S. Army photo by Specialist Chandler Coats) (Photo Credit: Specialist Chandler Coats)
Ground Forces, Missiles & Guided Weapons, Rocket

Mid-Range Capability

The U.S. Army accepted delivery of the first prototype Mid-Range Capability (MRC) battery. The MRC provides a land-based, ground-launched system with a range between the Army’s Precision Strike Missile and the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon.

Mid-Range Capability (MRC)
Army accepts delivery of first prototype MRC battery

Building from existing U.S. Navy missile and launcher systems, the MRC provides a fires capability that has not existed in the U.S. Army since the implementation of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in 1987. Answering the call to the Army’s No. 1 modernization priority, Long-Range Precision Fires, the MRC can defeat a variety of mid-range targets.

«The MRC rapidly progressed from a blank piece of paper in July 2020, to the Soldiers’ hands in just over two years. The Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) team, as well as our joint service and industry partners, delivered this hardware so Soldiers can begin training as quickly as possible», said Lieutenant General Robert Rasch, Director of the Army RCCTO.

Initial hardware delivery occurred with ongoing support planned through December 2022 in preparation for training to begin after the holidays. The delivery includes a complete MRC ground equipment and reload capability, which comprises a battery operations center, four launchers, prime movers, and modified trailers.

The MRC achieves operational capability in fiscal year 2023 upon completion of system testing, training, and delivery of the missiles. Delivering the ground hardware first allows the Soldiers to train on the equipment, create doctrine for the system, and develop tactics, techniques, and procedures.

The MRC Project Office works closely with the Soldiers and Sailors who benefit from this system via embedded Soldier-Sailor Centered Design Events. These events provided critical user feedback throughout the design process and ensured Soldiers and Sailors were at the center of this effort.

In executing the mid-range fires system and testing, the Army continues to work in close coordination with its joint service and agency partners.

MRC
Dino Pusinsky, Director of Next Generations Solutions for Lockheed Martin with Gary Hallinan, RCCTO’s Mid-Range Capability Project Manager. The first Mid-Range Capability battery was delivered to the U.S. Army, increasing their capability to address threats and provide support in multi-domain operations (Lockheed Martin)
Ground Forces

HELWS Prototype

A General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing team has been awarded a U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) contract to develop a 300 kW-class solid state Distributed Gain High Energy Laser Weapon System. Delivery will be a 300 kW-class distributed gain laser with an integrated Boeing beam director. The objective of this contract is a demonstration of the design.

HELWS
GA-EMS and Boeing Team to Develop 300 kW-class HELWS Prototype for U.S. Army

«The high power, compact laser weapon subsystem prototype that GA-EMS will deliver under this contract will produce a lethal output greater than anything fielded to date», said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. «This technology represents a leap-ahead capability for air and missile defense that is necessary to support the Army’s modernization efforts and defeat next-generation threats in a multi-domain battlespace».

The partnership combines both companies’ expertise in Directed Energy to deliver best-in-class, combat-ready protection for the warfighter with unmatched speed, performance, safety and affordability. Specifically, the system will leverage GA-EMS’ scalable Distributed Gain Laser technology with Boeing’s beam director and precision acquisition, tracking and pointing software to provide a complete demonstrator with sophisticated laser and beam control.

Doctor Michael Perry, vice president for lasers and advanced sensors at GA-EMS describes the laser as «a packaged version of the 7th Generation of our Distributed Gain Design already demonstrated. The laser system employs two Gen 7 laser heads in a very compact and lightweight package. Recent architectural improvements have enabled our single-beam DG Lasers to achieve comparable beam quality to fiber lasers in a very simple design without the need for beam combination».

«We’re excited to take the next step in delivering this critical capability to the Army», said Cindy Gruensfelder, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s Missile and Weapon Systems division. «Our joint offering will leverage proven, deployed technologies to provide an industry-leading solution on an accelerated timeline».

Ground Forces

Hybrid Electric Drive

BAE Systems has been awarded a $32 million prototype agreement by the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) to integrate a Hybrid Electric Drive (HED) system onto a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The development program is part of the Army’s effort to increase vehicle efficiency and boost power generation to support integration of future technologies and greater mobility for combat vehicles on the battlefield.

HED systems also improve automotive performance and provide drive-by-wire mobility to support autonomy in addition to increase power generation

BAE Systems and teammate QinetiQ will use an existing Bradley Fighting Vehicle as the testbed for integrating the HED technology under the Combat Vehicle Power and Energy architecture and mobility capabilities development program. The integration work will begin this summer.

«Integrating a Hybrid Electric Drive system into combat vehicles vastly increases on-board power and provides a significant increase in mobility, lethality options, and range, all of which enable overmatching operational capabilities», said Scott Davis, vice president of BAE Systems’ Ground Vehicles product line. «BAE Systems has invested and collaborated with industry for more than 40 years to advance HED technology and develop vehicle architectures and demonstrators. A systems approach to vehicle electrification enables break-through capabilities in the current and future platforms our warfighters need to maintain battlefield superiority».

HED systems also improve automotive performance and provide drive-by-wire mobility to support autonomy in addition to increase power generation. With minor platform modifications, HED technology can be configured for various vehicles including the Bradley, the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, and the family of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.

QinetiQ is developing the electric cross drive transmission (Modular E-X-Drive), a key component of an HED system for a tracked combat vehicles. The QinetiQ Modular E-X-Drive has been tested and proven in a wide range of tracked vehicles and weight classes over the last decade. The designs have completed extensive lab and vehicle tests, including safety certifications. BAE Systems and QinetiQ have a long-standing relationship in the development of vehicle HED technologies.

The engineering activities of the HED system will primarily occur at the BAE Systems’ Sterling Heights, Michigan, and San Jose, California, facilities.  Build is planned to be completed at the BAE Systems’ Sterling Heights prototype shop.