DefenseNews:

The U.S. Army is on a path to choose an enduring system that will counter both drone and cruise missile threats by releasing a solicitation to industry for a prototyping effort and by hosting a shoot-off for two teams at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

The service released a solicitation for prototypes for its Indirect Fires Protection Capability, or IFPC, in April.

According to several sources familiar with the activity, the shoot-off to evaluate possible existing capabilities that can be incorporated into an enduring IFPC solution began in earnest, with one team firing its offering — a combination of a launcher and an interceptor — at White Sands at the end of April.

A second team would have its chance in May.

One team is known to be an Israel-based Rafael and Raytheon Technologies pairing, incorporating elements of Rafael’s Iron Dome and its Tamir interceptor — otherwise known as SkyHunter in the U.S. If chosen, the team would launch production in the United States at a location yet to be disclosed…



Click here to read the full article.