XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc

from https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/06/u-s-navy-readies-new-compact-agile-interceptor-for-flight-tests/

(It is best to go to citation to see graphics.)

USS Farragut (DDG-99) shooting a PAC-3 MSE. Artist impression: Lockheed
Martin.
U.S. Navy Readies New Compact Agile Interceptor For Flight Tests
Focused on high-density missile defense, the Compact Agile Interceptor
will allow more packed missiles per ship with a specific focus on
hypersonic missile defense.
Carter Johnston 25 Jun 2024

Amid growing concerns of missile inventory size and VLS cell count, the
U.S. Navy is set to test a new surface-launched missile interceptor
designed to maximize capacity in their Mark 41 VLS cells. The effort
comes as production of SM-6 ramps up into the late 2020s to match
inventory requirements, alongside increased production of RIM-162 ESSM
Block II.

The Compact Agile Interceptor aims to pack multiple small diameter
missiles into one Mark 41 VLS cell while keeping high-end performance capability to intercept ‘complex raids’ of hypersonic threats. The
addition of a compact interceptor would add a third missile to the U.S. Navy’s inventory capable of dealing with hypersonic threats, coming in
behind the 13.5 inch (0.34 m) SM-6 Dual I/II and 21-inch (0.53 m) SM-6
Block IB.

US Navy N96 Improved Lethality
U.S Navy’s N96 Surface Warfare Division SNA 2022’s slide showing the
family of current Aegis-capable missiles
A leading contender for the CAI program–and a missile that has already
been tested in a virtualized Aegis environment–is Lockheed Martin’s
Patriot Advanced Capability 3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE).
It has seen action in Ukraine against hypersonic aeroballistic missiles
(the Kh-47M2 ‘Kinzhal’ or AS-24 Killjoy air-launched ballistic missile)
and reportedly against hypersonic air-breathing missiles (the 3M22
‘Zircon’ or ‘SS-N-33’ hypersonic cruise missile).

PAC-3 MSE’s diameter is roughly 11.4 inches (29 cm), a little over half
the diameter of a common missile canister used in Mark 41 VLS cells.
Despite the smaller diameter, Lockheed Martin told Naval News at Sea Air
Space 2023 (SAS) that the intention was to leave the missile largely
unchanged for integration work, ending the possibility of dual-packing
missiles for the time being.

“I think there’s a lot of studies of what you can do. Our big thing is
to keep the missile the way it is. So you have to get into things like
folding things and other stuff if you wanted to try to increase the
capacity within one cell. What we want to do is work and partner
together. So one missile comes off the line and can go to the Army, the
Navy and it’s not unique to that to that it’s just one way to go.”

Lockheed Martin at SAS 2023
According to U.S. Navy budget documents for FY2025, the propulsion
concept for the Compact Agile Interceptor has already been chosen, with
plans for the “procurement of 2-3 flight test units with [the] selected propulsion concept” this year. A wide range of propulsion options are on
the table, ranging from highly loaded grain propellants to solid fuel
ramjets, which will all likely be staged on a common first stage booster.

Compact Agile Interceptor
U.S. Navy FY2025 R&D documents outlining the Compact Agile Interceptor development effort.
PAC-3 MSE alone does not meet program requirements unless Lockheed
Martin modifies the control surfaces to fold inside the Mark 41 VLS
cell. Doing so would allow the missiles to dual-pack inside each Mark 41
VLS cell, doubling the magazine capacity. That added capacity is a
critical requirement for missiles in the Compact Agile Interceptor
program. Tom Cavanaugh of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
discussed this with Naval News at SAS 2023:

“If you begin to modify the design of the missile into a missile gap,
and that’s cost prohibitive at some point. We’d rather invest in the development of the capability we have today to support the Navy and the
Army at the same time. So I think that’s the best approach from there
rather than redesigning the missile.”

Though the PAC-3 MSE wasn’t being considered for modifications back in
2023, it could now be a contender for further modification in the
Compact Agile Interceptor program to achieve the dual-packing needed for
higher packing efficiency. Details on the chosen propulsion system have
not been made public however, but flight tests are planned for FY2025
which begins in October of this year.

TAGS Compact Agile Interceptor SAM US Navy
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin PinterestMore
AUTHORS

Posted by : Carter Johnston
Carter Johnston an upcoming freshman attending George Washington
University's Elliott School for International Affairs in the Class of
2028 based in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois. His interests
include shipyard infrastructure in the United States, ongoing
modernization efforts of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and the
politics that lead to their success.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)