Missile/Air Defense Product Improvement Program

Abstract

Avenger is a lightweight, ground-to-air missile and gun weapon system mounted on a High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle. The system protects against unmanned aircraft systems, cruise missiles, and fixed and rotary wing threats. Avenger provides day/night adverse weather operations, shoot on the move capability, rapid target engagement, and remote firing capability. It can be air dropped, lifted by helicopter and is air transportable. The system employs up to eight Stinger missiles to counter aerial threats and a .50 Caliber Machine Gun (M3P) for close-in ground and air threats. An Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system aids in the identification of friendly aircraft in order to minimize the potential for fratricide. The Avenger fleet of 453 systems includes 169 systems that are equipped with a digital Slew-to-Cue (STC) capability to speed target detection and engagement. The Avenger Modification - Service Life Extension Program (MOD-SLEP) consists of Project 038: Avenger Production Improvement Program (PIP) and Program Element CE8710: Avenger MODS. The ongoing MOD-SLEP addresses obsolescence of Avenger components to ensure Avenger maintains operational capability through Fiscal Year (FY) 2031. Five key MOD-SLEP components are: the Targeting Console (TC), the M3P, the Avenger Fire Control Computer (AFCC), the Mode 5 IFF and the Vehicle Internal Communications (VIC-5). Additional Obsolescence Mitigation Items include Avenger Organizational Maintenance Tool Kits, AN/PSM-95 Electronic Systems Test Set and the Avenger Remote Handheld Terminal Unit mounting kits. The Avenger MOD-SLEP is fielded in two phases. Phase I fields the TC to 169 STC Avengers. The M3P is fielded as spares through the supply system. Phase II fields the AFCC to 169 STC Avengers and both the VIC-5 and the Mode 5 IFF to all 453 Avengers. FY 2022 funding of $0.127 million ensures that several Avenger components are viable and sustainable through the end of program life. This includes continued investigation of technologies that will provide Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing capability, including the Anti-Jam Antenna and DAGR Distributed Device (D3), which will provide M-Code capability. Avenger MOD-SLEP maintains operational capability of Avenger until FY 2031.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2022
• Source ID: 0203801A_7_2040_PB_2022
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Air Defense
• Aircrafts
• Contracts
• Cruise Missiles
• Detection
• Fire Control Computers
• Machine Guns
• Navigation
• Positioning Navigation And Timing
• Surface To Air Missiles
• Target Detection
• Test And Evaluation
• Test Sets
• Tool Kits
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Weapon Systems

Fields of Study

• Engineering

Readers

• Groundwater Contamination Remediation.
• Naval Mine Countermeasure Systems Development.
• Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

• Autonomy
• Microelectronics
• Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems