Right now, soldiers can’t do much once a rocket careens their way besides maneuvering and hoping for the best. But the Pentagon is trying — yet again — to give them something to shoot the thing right out of the sky.
Counter-rocket technologies have vexed the military in recent years, despite myriad efforts at developing an effective system. But the Pentagon’s giving yet another rocket-destroying system a try. This one’s called the Accelerated Improved Intercept System, or AI3. Earlier this week, the Army awarded manufacturer Raytheon a $79.2 million contract to develop the apparatus. And the Pentagon wants the job done fast: They’re hoping to test the device in a mere 18 months.
To hasten the process, Raytheon will rely mostly on preexisting technology, including a launcher and a control system being provided by the military. There’s no indication it’s doing anything super-ambitious, like incorporating rival Artis’ white-knuckle Iron Curtain system, which waits until the last moment before a rocket hits a truck to fire a missile downward at a 90-degree angle. Raytheon will basically develop a new interceptor missile for AI3.
Using an interceptor missile is a bit of a surprising choice, as missiles have often been dismissed as too expensive for the job. At least one company, Saab, has already developed a rocket-stopping system that relies on a Mongoose missile interceptor. But because each missile runs $50,000, the systems are outrageously expensive. That might render the finished product, expected in 2014, prohibitively pricy for a cash-squeezed military.
Maybe Raytheon can come up with a cheaper alternative — though the company has yet to offer any specifics on its development plan. It’s closer to Saab’s approach than some other counter-rocket technologies the U.S. has recently used. The Phalanx Centurion, used in Iraq, uses bullets to shoot down rockets and mortars — specifically, a 20mm Gatling gun. But the Centurion, a modified Navy gun, is hampered by a limited range and magazine capacity.
No matter what Raytheon comes up with, the award indicates that the false starts haven’t shaken the Pentagon off its desire to protect trucks from armor-puncturing rockets. And it’s not just the United States. Israel’s remarkable Trophy system is essentially a tank outfitted with sensors that can detect an incoming projectile, and then unleash rounds of explosively formed penetrators that shred the missile up before it detonates. Whether Raytheon’s can compare to Trophy — or to other counter-rocket systems like Iron Curtain or Crosshairs — remains up in the air, heading for impact. LINK