AFRL Gray Wolf Cruise Missile

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Research funding to grow Air Force cruise missile portfolio slated for 2017

October 20, 2016

The Air Force Research Laboratory will soon release its request for proposals for designs of a new "Gray Wolf" subsonic cruise missile, with at least one research and development contract expected to be awarded in late fiscal year 2017. Gray Wolf, a classified science and technology demonstration program managed by the AFRL Munitions Directorate, will offer prototypes of an affordable, networked, standoff cruise missile to be used against enemy integrated air defense systems. The end products are meant to broaden the service's portfolio of weapons that can be deployed in highly contested environments.

"The operational concept is to employ Gray Wolf in concert with current inventory weapon systems to enhance overall mission effectiveness," service spokeswoman Sharon Branick wrote in an Oct. 14 email.

Air Force officials want to determine whether the missile can be effectively used in networked, collaborative formations, and to define the tactics, techniques and procedures needed to do so. The spokeswoman did not specify how the service wants the Gray Wolf to differ from other subsonic cruise missiles already in use, like Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, but noted that the Air Force is looking for ways to cut costs.

"Can the Gray Wolf missile be produced at very low unit costs and what are the associated design and manufacturing activities required to do so?" Branick asked. "For example, are there innovative manufacturing concepts that would support low costs when built at low-rate quantities and without long-lead time lines? What capabilities would need to be traded off in order to maintain the low unit
costs?"

Around 140 representatives from prime contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and the government attended industry days held at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, in August and September to familiarize industry with the development effort, Branick wrote. Attendees were briefed on "open architectures, low-cost manufacturing, networked collaboration, low-cost sub-systems and test certification processes" and "ongoing technology efforts that could be applied to the Gray Wolf program."

Lockheed Martin intends to respond to the broad agency announcement, company spokesperson Melissa Hilliard said. A request for proposals is expected out in November or December, according to a Sept. 21 notice of contract action on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The service may award one or more prime contracts to companies that propose their own Gray Wolf design in late FY-17 for the first spiral effort, followed by subsequent 18-month spirals through FY-22. Contractors will be responsible for designing, developing, manufacturing and testing their prototypes. Branick did not answer when the final product could be fielded, how much money will be awarded or other questions on specific program requirements. -- Rachel S. Karas
 
George Allegrezza said:
Interesting. Wasn't this the concept for Tacit Rainbow?
Well Tacit Rainbow was an anti-radiation ALCM, so very broadly I guess you can say yes a SEAD-focused missle would be considered it's descendant in spirit at least.
 
?

They already have this. Footage was shown by mistake on live television, an entire formation packed in tight headed to target, weaving as if they were a shoal of fish.

Then they paired off just as the footage was cut.

And I'm talking 2003 Iraq time frame.
 
Ian33 said:
?

They already have this. Footage was shown by mistake on live television, an entire formation packed in tight headed to target, weaving as if they were a shoal of fish.

Then they paired off just as the footage was cut.

And I'm talking 2003 Iraq time frame.

This?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWpXM7XvTIU

Somebody said it was "geese". ???
 
DOD Contracts

Dec. 18, 2017

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Dallas, Texas, has been awarded an $110,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity
contract for the gray wolf science and technology demonstration effort. The contract provides for the design, development, manufacture,
and testing of prototype-affordable cruise missiles to advance networked collaborative operations technologies for defeat of enemy
integrated air defense systems. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, with an expected completion date of Dec. 17, 2022.
Fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $2,814,490 are being obligated at the time of award.
This contract was a competitive acquisition, and seven offers were received.
Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8651-18-D-0002).
 

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Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, California, has been awarded an $110,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity
contract for the gray wolf science and technology demonstration effort. The contract provides for the design, development, manufacture,
and testing of prototype affordable cruise missiles to advance networked collaborative operations technologies for defeat of enemy
integrated air defense systems. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California, with an expected completion date of Dec. 17, 2024.
Fiscal 2017 and 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $3,014,590 are being obligated at the time of award.
This contract was a competitive acquisition, and seven offers received.
Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8651-18-D-0001). (Awarded Dec. 18, 2017)

* Interestingly, NG's MALI demonstrated collaborative formation flying in the early 2000's.
 
Gray Wolf: USAF Awards Lockheed Martin $110 Million for Networked, Affordable Cruise Missile

DALLAS, Dec. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) received a $110 million, five-year Phase 1 contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop and demonstrate a new low-cost cruise missile called Gray Wolf.

The Gray Wolf program seeks to develop low-cost, subsonic cruise missiles that use open architectures and modular design to allow for rapid prototyping and spiral growth capabilities. The AFRL is developing the missiles to feature networked, collaborative behaviors (swarming) to address Integrated Air Defense (IAD) system threats around the world. The Gray Wolf missile design will allow for maximum mission flexibility.

"Lockheed Martin's concept for the Gray Wolf missile will be an affordable, counter-IAD missile that will operate efficiently in highly contested environments," said Hady Mourad, Advanced Missiles Program director for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Using the capabilities envisioned for later spirals, our system is being designed to maximize modularity, allowing our customer to incorporate advanced technologies such as more lethal warheads or more fuel-efficient engines, when those systems become available."

The Gray Wolf program consists of four spiral-development phases that allow for rapid technology prototyping and multiple transition opportunities. This first phase, defined by an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, is anticipated to run until late 2019. Initial demonstrations will be from an F-16 aircraft. In addition to the F-16, the system will be designed for compatibility with F-35, F-15, F-18, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft.

"Our AFRL customer will benefit from decades of Lockheed Martin experience in building high-quality, low-cost systems like GMLRS, while capitalizing on the experience of our team in developing and integrating advanced cruise missiles such as JASSM and LRASM on military aircraft," Mourad said.

For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com.

About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
 

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Possibly Related:


L3 Technologies Inc., Communications Systems-West, Salt Lake City, Utah, has been awarded a $9,000,000
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to explore technologies enabling cooperative engagement in degraded
communication environments for the next generation of munitions. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah,
and is expected to be complete by January 2025. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition and two bids
were received. Fiscal 2017 research and development funds in the amount of $1,680,000 are being obligated at
the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8651-18-D-0015).
 
http://www.wintec-inc.com/gray-wolf-low-cost-cruise-missile-program/
 

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wonder if related ...
https://www.facebook.com/NorthropGrumman/photos/a.398118875974/10156070155230975/?type=3&theater
 

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According to AW&ST publications, the price target for Grey Wolf program is $200,000 per missile.

"... The price pressure is even greater on the Grey Wolf tactical cruise missile, with a target unit cost around $200,000 where a typical missile engine can cost upward of $100,000, Valenzuela says. ..."
 
The Air Force has confirmed its first three "vanguard" programs are Golden Horde, Skyborg and Navigation Technology Satellite-3 -- all of which are demonstrating revolutionary technology the service wants to quickly transition into programs of record. "We've funded those for the next couple years to make sure that we've got all the efforts for prototyping and experimentation that we want to move forward and progress," Gen. Arnold Bunch told reporters today at a Defense Writers Group breakfast.

 
If we refer to an application for the Jassm and the Tomahawk for the golden horde, will it be applied in the future also on the GMLRS and the PRSM of the army and on the substitute of the navy tomahawk missile, the NGLAW?
 
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Seems very unlikely to apply to GMLRS or PRSM, which won't have enough time of flight or maneuvering capability to have a human approve their retargeting and then fly to a new target.
 
Seems very unlikely to apply to GMLRS or PRSM, which won't have enough time of flight or maneuvering capability to have a human approve their retargeting and then fly to a new target.
The new version of the agm 88?
 
Seems very unlikely to apply to GMLRS or PRSM, which won't have enough time of flight or maneuvering capability to have a human approve their retargeting and then fly to a new target.
The new version of the agm 88?

Again, probably not. This is for missiles that can loiter a bit. The idea behind HARM is speed. Again, no time for a human to approve retargeting.
 
The Air Force has selected variants of the Small Diameter Bomb I and Miniature Air Launched Decoy as the initial demonstration weapons for the Golden Horde swarming munitions vanguard program, according to a service spokeswoman. Ilka Cole referred to these variants as "Collaborative" SDB I and "Collaborative" MALD

 

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is planning to start demonstrations in late 2020 of its Golden Horde networked collaborative weapons effort, one of the US Air Force's (USAF's) top science and technology (S&T) programmes.

Golden Horde is a group of technologies the USAF is evaluating for network collaborative autonomous capabilities within existing weapon systems, Colonel Garry Haase, AFRL munitions directorate commander and director at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, told Jane's on 28 February at the Air Force Association's (AFA's) Air Warfare Symposium. The service, he said, will experiment with how to have a group of weapons talk and interact with one another and pass data back and forth into a network so they can better prosecute targets and better prioritise.

The USAF wants its Golden Horde weapons to be able to reform and reprioritise targets if some are taken out. The AFRL refers to this as 'playcalling'. A play is an established collaborative behaviour enabled, or disabled, when certain predefined conditions are met by the swarm.

Golden Horde uses a collection of plays called a 'playbook'. Loaded prior to a mission, the playbook provides a choice of plays from which the weapons can choose.

The upcoming demonstration will centre around what the AFRL is calling the Collaborative Small Diameter Bomb 1 (CSDB-1), integrated by Scientific Applications & Research Associates Inc. (SARA) which is based on the Boeing GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bomb (LSDB) form factor. Col Haase said AFRL will use multiple CSDB-1s and have them work together to prosecute a target.

The AFRL will also add in a Collaborative Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (CMALD), integrated by the Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp (GTARC), to provide longer endurance and power platform. The goal, he said, is to demonstrate two different platforms talking and working together collaboratively to provide greater capability.


SARA efforts:

2018

attachment.php


Should an enemy strive to complicate the battlefield by stray or competitive RF energy, SARA’s HOJ subsystems can enable a host guided bomb or missile to engage it as the system or operator might prefer. HOJ is compact and 1/10th the production cost of prior-generation systems. HOJ uses solid state components and a common munition interface which provides rapid, low-cost integration.

 
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The Air Force Research Laboratory working with Northrop Grumman and Technical Directions Inc. (TDI) recently tested a first-of-its-kind, low-cost turbojet engine under the low-cost cruise missile program known as Gray Wolf. The TDI-J85 engine underwent a successful flight test campaign culminating in multiple inflight engine starts and operation at high altitude.

The engine met performance expectations for thrust and surpassed fuel efficiency expectations. The engines tested accumulated sufficient inflight operating time, building confidence in the design durability. The engine design focused on affordability and manufacturability, which enables increased production. Test results proved the engine capability. It is the first engine in its class and price point to successfully operate at altitude. With the success of this test, AFRL is one significant step closer to launching a low-cost cruise missile.

Gray Wolf is an Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD)-directed prototype production and demonstration of low-cost cruise missile. These low-cost cruise missiles will offer a stand-off solution with a variable payload capability, meaning the missiles are designed to cruise for distances greater than 250 nautical miles and can accommodate multiple mission profiles. Additionally, the program explored using multiple Gray Wolf missiles in a networked swarm to meet an evolving warfighter mission requirement.

“The success of this test greatly increases our confidence in the performance of the engine and weapon systems as a whole. Developing the TDI-J85 engine in parallel to the cruise missile has proved challenging, but the collaborative partnership between AFRL, TDI, and Northrup Grumman has been outstanding,” said Col Garry Haase, AFRL/RW Director.

AFRL and our partners will utilize the recent flight test data to integrate the TDI-J85 engine into the Gray Wolf Flight Test vehicles. As part of the weapon system integration and demonstration phase, the team will modify and verify the interfacing operating software, perform captive flight test, and conduct a missile release test to demonstrate the low cost cruise missile concept.

 
Has anyone given a price point on what it will likely cost? I'm sure that is payload dependent, but I keep seeing 'low cost' thrown around without anyone quantifying what is considered low in this context.
 
I remember (from somewhere) that they were talking about 3-4 missiles for the cost of a comparable cruise missile today.
 

Air Force Research Laboratory’s Golden Horde, one of its premier Vanguard efforts designed to build data links that enable semi-autonomous weapons to ‘swarm’ a target, takes a hit. AFRL planned to begin demonstrations late this year on the Collaborative Small Diameter Bomb I (CSDB-I) and the Collaborative Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (CMALD). HASC would clip $30 million from the service’s $151.6 million request for “inappropriate use of S&T funds for Golden Horde demonstration & validation.” SASC, for its part, chopped $50 million for the same reason, saying the program is “too mature for science and technology prototype.”
 
Gray Wolf cruise missile prototype1.jpg
Gray Wolf cruise missile prototype2.JPG



 
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If i can shamelessly enlist the help of forum experts, can anyone use the side view on the cart to estimate the length of the missile?;)
Or alternatively,does anyone know what type of cart that is?
 
If i can shamelessly enlist the help of forum experts, can anyone use the side view on the cart to estimate the length of the missile?;)
Certainly less than 100". Diameter looks around 14". Considering it uses Tdi-j85 with 200 lbs of thrust to maintain a somewhat same profile as a Jsow-er, it shouldn't weigh more than 700 lbs, probably carries a mission package of about 200 lbs.
 
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I tend to agree with your guesses. I am curious about size because it's unlikely to be arbitrary and points to a sweet spot between capability and being compatible with the largest possible number of airborne hosts.
 
It will would be interesting to see how much the radio/computer package costs to update the collaborative SDB. I'm assuming that this munition is being used primarily due to low cost. I'd think that the new guidance package could significantly increase the cost.
 
It will would be interesting to see how much the radio/computer package costs to update the collaborative SDB. I'm assuming that this munition is being used primarily due to low cost. I'd think that the new guidance package could significantly increase the cost.

Even if it doubled the flyaway cost, it will still only be a ~ $70k AUR. That's probably still cheaper than the non-datalink version
of GBU-69.
 
Flight demonstrations of the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL’s) Golden Horde initiative, an effort to network precision glide bombs and decoys into collaborative attack teams, may not start in late 2020 as originally planned.

The Golden Horde effort is one of the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) top three science and technology development initiatives, part of the service’s Vanguard programme. The other two high priorities are the new Navigation Technology Satellite 3 and Skyborg, an artificially intelligent mission control software program for loyal wingman unmanned air vehicles.

The USAF wants to network a glide bomb, called the Collaborative Small Diameter Bomb I, with a Collaborative Miniature Air-Launched Decoy. The bombs and the decoys are radio linked to share information and work together during an attack.

The AFRL had planned to start limited demonstrations of Golden Horde in late 2020, but now says it is not certain of its schedule, due to pending discussions with the service’s chief weapons buyer: Will Roper, assistant secretary of the USAF for acquisition, technology and logistics.

“We don’t have a timeline, but I did have a meeting earlier today on that and we’ll be discussing the way ahead with Dr Roper tomorrow, so [there is] not a timeline on a demo soon,” Brigadier General Heather Pringle, commander of AFRL, said during the Air Force Association’s virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference on 16 September.

It is also not clear if the capstone test event planned for the fall of 2021, when the glide bombs and decoys would work together to attack simulated targets, will take place as scheduled.

“We’re finding in that first generation of Vanguards that as we actually engage the [programme executive officers] and start to look at notating acquisition strategy, it starts to reshape the programme,” says Chris Ristich, director of the USAF strategic development planning and experimentation office at the AFRL. “It can change our schedule. It can change the deliverables to some extent.”

In particular, AFRL officials are talking with Roper about whether weapon networking capabilities developed within Golden Horde should be applied to just a few weapons, or a much wider array of munitions.

“The discussion that we’re having these days is, ‘Are we looking at simply transitioning a single capability to a single weapon, versus how do we get this into our entire ecosystem of weapons development and make it a foundational element of all of our future weapons?’” says Ristich.

If the USAF wants to network more weapons in its inventory it would need build a more robust design, experiment and test programme, he adds.

Ultimately, the service is looking for a way to get past the advanced anti-aircraft defences of China and Russia, while hitting targets more economically. It believes networked weapons would accomplish that.

“When each weapon shares measurements of a target’s location, combining this information reduces errors since it creates a more accurate target location for all to reference,” says the AFRL. “Ultimately, this supports the use of lower-cost sub-systems in place of more expensive systems without sacrificing capability.”

Additionally, the bombs and decoys’ ability to collaborate in a swarm would overwhelm a target, such as a surface-to-air missile battery, making it difficult for an adversary to fight back.

“Networked, collaborative and semi-autonomous weapons are advantageous since they observe and react to the enemy in real time, helping weapons overcome adversary defences before the enemy can respond with effective countermeasures,” says the AFRL. “This capability will enhance mission success rates by providing adaptability, flexibility and responsiveness in attacks and by increasing the speed and accuracy of target destruction.”

The attack team draws upon a playbook of tactics to suit changing situations. The AFRL cautions that the automation is preprogrammed and is not driven by artificial intelligence. “The system only selects from set plays and cannot violate defined rules of engagement,” says the laboratory.

 
Flight demonstrations of the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL’s) Golden Horde initiative, an effort to network precision glide bombs and decoys into collaborative attack teams, may not start in late 2020 as originally planned.

The Golden Horde effort is one of the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) top three science and technology development initiatives, part of the service’s Vanguard programme. The other two high priorities are the new Navigation Technology Satellite 3 and Skyborg, an artificially intelligent mission control software program for loyal wingman unmanned air vehicles.

The USAF wants to network a glide bomb, called the Collaborative Small Diameter Bomb I, with a Collaborative Miniature Air-Launched Decoy. The bombs and the decoys are radio linked to share information and work together during an attack.

The AFRL had planned to start limited demonstrations of Golden Horde in late 2020, but now says it is not certain of its schedule, due to pending discussions with the service’s chief weapons buyer: Will Roper, assistant secretary of the USAF for acquisition, technology and logistics.

“We don’t have a timeline, but I did have a meeting earlier today on that and we’ll be discussing the way ahead with Dr Roper tomorrow, so [there is] not a timeline on a demo soon,” Brigadier General Heather Pringle, commander of AFRL, said during the Air Force Association’s virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference on 16 September.

It is also not clear if the capstone test event planned for the fall of 2021, when the glide bombs and decoys would work together to attack simulated targets, will take place as scheduled.

“We’re finding in that first generation of Vanguards that as we actually engage the [programme executive officers] and start to look at notating acquisition strategy, it starts to reshape the programme,” says Chris Ristich, director of the USAF strategic development planning and experimentation office at the AFRL. “It can change our schedule. It can change the deliverables to some extent.”

In particular, AFRL officials are talking with Roper about whether weapon networking capabilities developed within Golden Horde should be applied to just a few weapons, or a much wider array of munitions.

“The discussion that we’re having these days is, ‘Are we looking at simply transitioning a single capability to a single weapon, versus how do we get this into our entire ecosystem of weapons development and make it a foundational element of all of our future weapons?’” says Ristich.

If the USAF wants to network more weapons in its inventory it would need build a more robust design, experiment and test programme, he adds.

Ultimately, the service is looking for a way to get past the advanced anti-aircraft defences of China and Russia, while hitting targets more economically. It believes networked weapons would accomplish that.

“When each weapon shares measurements of a target’s location, combining this information reduces errors since it creates a more accurate target location for all to reference,” says the AFRL. “Ultimately, this supports the use of lower-cost sub-systems in place of more expensive systems without sacrificing capability.”

Additionally, the bombs and decoys’ ability to collaborate in a swarm would overwhelm a target, such as a surface-to-air missile battery, making it difficult for an adversary to fight back.

“Networked, collaborative and semi-autonomous weapons are advantageous since they observe and react to the enemy in real time, helping weapons overcome adversary defences before the enemy can respond with effective countermeasures,” says the AFRL. “This capability will enhance mission success rates by providing adaptability, flexibility and responsiveness in attacks and by increasing the speed and accuracy of target destruction.”

The attack team draws upon a playbook of tactics to suit changing situations. The AFRL cautions that the automation is preprogrammed and is not driven by artificial intelligence. “The system only selects from set plays and cannot violate defined rules of engagement,” says the laboratory.

marader2048 points out the TDI-185 engines costs $38k apiece so it is difficult to see how Golden Horde becomes economically feasible..alternatives need to found..it seems none are on the horizon unless AFRL broadens the scope on contractors being looked at. Likewise returnable reloadable munitions would seem more effective for a drawn out SEAD campaign..again dont see AFRL considering the obvious.
 
The obvious would be a bomb-bay on a gremlin drone? 65kg payload is enough for micro glide bombs.
 

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