The US Air Force hopes to explore fully digital research and procurement methods through the 'Zone Attack Weapons' project
The US Air Force hopes that the "In Defense Attack Weapon" (SiAW) will become a pioneer in fully digital research and procurement methods, in order to open up new ways of weapon procurement. According to the initial contract dated May 25th, SiAW may be involved in the "extended range advanced anti radiation" program at Norge CorporationMissile”Based on AARGM-ER, research and development may be carried out, but it is also possible to completely redevelop it.
Loma, L3 Harris, and Nog companies participating in the SiAW project will engage in competitive development rather than complementary development. The US Air Force expects the project to have a 5-year development cycle and hopes to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) by 2026.
Lockheed Martin stated that it will serve as a component integrator in this project, with the goal of showcasing to the US Air Force "an open, agile digital weapon that can be rapidly upgraded through digital engineering"; L3 Harris Corporation stated that it is conducting "initial weapon system modeling and integration" work, using digital engineering to rapidly design, test, and manufacture advanced systemssensorThe weapon system is developed by an agile development team established at the beginning of this year, responsible for SiAW development work.
The US Air Force has pointed out that in addition to equipping F-35 fighter jets, SiAW should also have the ability to be mounted on B-21 bombers, but it is unclear whether this is a current requirement for the project.