Epirus has been awarded a USD 43,551,060 contract from the US Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) to help counter the increasing threat from drones.
The base contract includes delivery of two Integrated Fires Protection Capability High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) Generation II (GEN II) systems, along with associated test events, support equipment and spares with options for additional tests, components and support.
The IFPC-HPM GEN II systems will build upon the four iFPC-HPM systems Epirus delivered to US Army in May 2024 and use the company’s solid-state, high-power microwave (HPM) technology platform, developed internally for counter-electronics and critical asset protection using weaponised electromagnetic interference.
The systems will incorporate soldier feedback from IFPC-HPM Generation I (GEN I) testing, including engineering developmental testing, joint integrated air and missile defence livefire exercises and operational assessments with combatant commands. Epirus expects the IFPC-HPM GEN II systems to more than double the maximum effective range of GEN I systems and increase power by a projected 30 percent. The GEN II systems include high-density batteries for prolonged operating times and decreased external power requirements, extra-long pulse widths, a high-duty burst mode for faster multitarget engagement, new waveform and polarisation techniques against a broader set of targets, and soldier usability improvements.
“The US Army RCCTO will conduct additional system performance validation through critical parametric assessments, inform potential future Program of Record requirements and support the evolution of a broader directed energy portfolio in line with the Army Transformation Initiative,” Epirus said in a July 17 contract announcement.
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