DOD launching joint-service applied research project in hypersonic infrared target sensing

The Defense Department is set to fund a research project to develop infrared seekers for hypersonic weapons for use across military services in the amount of $45 million over three years, the department announced Wednesday.

The Hypersonic Infrared Target Sensing (HITS) joint-service project will be conducted by the Naval Research Laboratory, Air Force Research Laboratory and the Missile Defense Agency -- all led by the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory. The cooperation of these teams will facilitate the collaboration of more than 50 federal scientists and engineers across military service labs.

The project comes from a proposal submitted for the department’s annual Applied Research for the Advancement of Science and Technology Priorities (ARAP) program award competition. Eligible submissions were required to include funding proposals for applied research “addressing specific technology or capability gaps while enhancing collaboration across the military services and DOD agencies,” and proposals had to “demonstrate a clear pathway from research to product fielding,” according to the Pentagon’s announcement.

The HITS project will specifically address challenges developing infrared seekers for hypersonic weapons -- including “locating targets throughout hypersonic flight, advancing gimbal-free target discrimination in extreme hypersonic turbulence, developing high-temperature infrared materials and addressing thermal distortion through the seeker window,” the release said.

“Investments into our military labs and facilities are imperative for the DOD to invest in technological solutions that attract and retain the future workforce,” Aprille Ericsson, assistant secretary of defense for science and technology, said during a check-presentation ceremony at the Pentagon with the project team, according to the release.