Pentagon seeks affordable anti-drone missile developers
Photo: The Pentagon is looking for developers of affordable anti-drone missiles (rtx.com)
The US Army has begun seeking companies to develop a new surface-to-air missile capable of effectively countering drones, according to the US government.
The initiative is being implemented as part of the Next Generation Counter-Small UAS Missile (NGCM) program. Its goal is to develop a new-generation missile with increased range, rapid launch, and reduced time to target compared to existing interceptors.
According to the technical requirements, the new missile must be capable of destroying small and medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles at ranges exceeding 16 km at altitudes of up to 6 km, as well as at ranges exceeding 25 km at altitudes of up to 8 km.
It is specifically noted that the missile must leave the launcher within less than five seconds after receiving a command from the operator. At the same time, its unit cost must not exceed $150,000, provided that at least 5,000 units are purchased.
Other requirements include compatibility with the Coyote Launcher without significant design changes. In addition, the missile must integrate with the US counter-drone system, be compatible with Sentinel A3/A4, LTAMDS, Patriot, and TPQ-53 radars, and be equipped with an all-weather radio-frequency homing seeker.
Testing of the new weapon is scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2027, and the military expects to receive the first batch of 50 missiles in early fiscal year 2028.
Earlier, Reuters reported that, according to their source, the US Army had used almost all of its high-precision, long-range anti-aircraft missiles during the war with Iran. In particular, there was a shortage of ATACMS, PrSM, and Tomahawk missiles.
According to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the US and Iran are one step away from a peace agreement if they can reach an agreement on control of the Strait of Hormuz. Media reports indicated that Iran had scaled back its demands.
