The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
announced today that three companies have received contracts for
concept development studies for the Low Cost Cruise Missile
Defense (LCCMD) Program.
Texas Instruments, Dallas, Texas (contract amount:
$1,076,926); Boeing North American, Anaheim, Calif. (contract
amount: $182,485); and Toyon Research Corporation, Goleta,
Calif. (contract amount: $848,501), will each conduct a 12-month
effort.
The objective of the DARPA program is to develop cruise
missile defense technologies to defeat a proliferating, low-
technology cruise missile threat at substantially reduced cost.
The proliferated threat consists of large numbers of low-altitude
cruise missiles employed to overwhelm traditional air defense
architectures and/or draw fire from valuable resources uniquely
qualified to perform other missions.
The DARPA program is investigating alternatives other than
simply proliferating traditional air defense assets in order to
provide an effective defense at a substantially reduced cost.
Texas Instruments will develop a low-cost interceptor
concept which can be surface- or air-launched and has a range in
excess of 150 miles. Boeing North American will develop a gun-
launched, high-speed projectile concept and precision targeting
approaches using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based fire control
sensors. Toyon Research Corporation will develop a reusable, UAV
weapon system concept employing low-cost airframe, sensor and
kill mechanism technologies.
