- The Missile Defense Agency is seeking industry input for a next-generation forward-based radar prototype
- The effort focuses on advanced sensor technologies for missile defense missions
- MDA seeks a highly mobile system that can be rapidly deployed and integrated into existing defenses
The Missile Defense Agency has issued a presolicitation notice for the Forward-Based Mode Radar Next prototype effort, seeking new concepts for a sensor system designed to support missile defense missions.
What Is the FBM Radar Next Prototype Effort?
According to a notice published Monday on SAM.gov, the effort is intended to support the development, demonstration and evaluation of advanced radar technologies. MDA’s Mobile Land-Based Sensors Project Office plans to conduct the procurement under the agency’s Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects, or NOBLE, Multiple Authority Announcement through other transaction authority for prototype projects.
What Capabilities Is MDA Seeking?
MDA aims to prototype a highly mobile sensor system that is transportable by C-17 aircraft and tactical ground vehicles and integrates with the existing missile defense architecture. The rapidly deployable system should be capable of advanced threat detection in contested electromagnetic environments, along with remote operations and automated health monitoring, to enhance persistent tracking and discrimination of ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.
In addition, the radar system must feature a modular open-systems architecture and interoperability with its Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications, or C2BMC, system. The design should also prioritize ease of manufacturing and cost-efficiency, with a viable pathway to rapid, high-volume production at an affordable unit cost.
