Pentagon seeks mobile radar to counter fast-moving hypersonic missiles

In response to the growing threat posed by hypersonic missiles, the Pentagon has posted a pre-solicitation on the System for Award Management for a Forward-Based Mode Radar Next, a highly mobile sensor intended to improve early warning, tracking and discrimination of fast, maneuverable threats. The Missile Defense Agency’s Mobile Land-Based Sensors Project Office seeks prototype designs that can be quickly fielded and linked to the current U.S. missile-defense architecture.

Analysts explain that hypersonic weapons travel at speeds of at least five times the speed of sound and can alter their trajectory, making them difficult to intercept with existing systems such as Patriot or exo-atmospheric interceptors. Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, Iran’s claimed strikes on Israel, and China’s expanding arsenal underscore the urgency. The agency will employ the Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects framework and Other Transaction Authority to accelerate development, while the Space Development Agency adds new satellites to bolster space-based tracking. Parallel efforts include the Glide Phase Interceptor program aimed at destroying boost-glide vehicles during flight.