Technology Maturation Initiatives

Abstract

Technology Maturation Initiatives (TMI) demonstrates the utility of directed energy for missile defense. The Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) directed energy plan incrementally demonstrates and improves the constituent components required to execute a directed energy kill chain; acquisition, tracking, and lethality. The efforts shaped future Missile Defense System (MDS) acquisition choices by advancing the technology readiness levels of emerging and developing technologies, while simultaneously assessing the performance and contributions to the MDS architecture. TMI included analysis, development, demonstration, systems engineering and test efforts to examine, develop, and improve directed energy systems, disruptive directed energy concepts, sensors, and future missile defense technologies. Directed Energy Demonstrator Development (DEDD) addressed technology risk reduction and maturation for high powered strategic lasers, beam control, lethality, and related technologies. The efforts remain tightly coupled with OUSD(R&E) High Energy Laser Development Road Map, and are essential to mature strategic laser technology. Discrimination Sensor Demonstrator Development (DSDD) included the development of an advanced sensor to discriminate lethal objects and integration of resulting technologies onto other MDS platforms in the future. The advanced sensor incorporated incrementally developed, integrated, and tested next-generation sensors and electronics to demonstrate Launch-on-Remote, Engage-on-Remote, discrimination and handover improvements for missile defense. These advanced sensors improved the probability of engagement success for stressing threats, expanded the MDS battle space and increased the ability to negate larger raid sizes. The sensor technologies also helped develop the associated concept of operations and provided the basis for a quick reaction precision tracking capability to augment radar. MDA may use the sensor technology to address emerging advanced threats. MDA collaborates with the Combatant Commands, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Energy, Joint Directed Energy Transition Office, Military Departments, National Laboratories and OUSD(R&E) in a systems engineering based strategy to research, analyze, develop and test directed energy weapons technology. MDA requests no funding in this program element in FY 2022 and the out years.

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Document Details

Document Type
R2 Budgetary Justification
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2023
Source ID
0604115C_4_0400_PB_2023
Change Summary Explanation
Increase of $39.2 million in FY 2022 provides the Congressional Plus-up for Directed Energy and Diode Pumped Alkali Laser Demonstrator (DPAL) Development.
Service Agency Name
Missile Defense Agency

Entities

Organizations

  • Missile Defense Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Authentication
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • Defense Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Detectors
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • High Energy Lasers
  • Information Assurance
  • Information Systems
  • Lasers
  • Product Development
  • Risk Analysis
  • Systems Engineering
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
  • Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics
  • Space

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