Space Force Takes Over JTAGS Mission from the Army

Oct. 5, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Space Force assumed official control of the Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) missile warning system from the Army on Oct. 1, one of the final milestones in the Space Force’s consolidation of many space missions across the services.

JTAGS are ground-based systems that deliver timely warnings and cueing information regarding ballistic missile launches. The systems are strategically positioned to receive, process, and distribute data obtained from overhead sensors. Its four forward-station detachments are based in Italy, Qatar, South Korea, and Japan.

For decades, these satellite ground stations have been operated by the Army’s 1st Space Brigade, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. Now, they will be overseen by Space Delta 4, stationed at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo., until Space Operations Command sets up the 5th Space Warning Squadron.

The move from the Army to the Space Force has been in the works for months now—it was first announced in January 2023.

From personnel transition to financial responsibilities, the transfer required careful planning. It began with a core group of Guardians, with Army personnel gradually transitioning out as their regular Permanent Change of Station (PCS) cycles dictated. Some individuals underwent inter-service transfers. This phased approach enabled the Space Force to maintain operational continuity while adapting Guardians to their new responsibilities.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of Space Operations Command, expressed gratitude to the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command for their teamwork during this mission handover.

“Now, it is our responsibility to uphold the same level of mission accomplishment with JTAGS as a fully integrated component of our broader missile warning mission,” Whiting said via an official statement.

Space Delta 4 is responsible for operating and supporting satellites and radar systems that provide critical missile warning capabilities. Delta 4 helps guide missile defense efforts, provides information and supports technical intelligence analysis.

The Army was originally slated to keep the JTAGS mission, even as the Space Force took over other services’ space missions. Now, it is one of the last missions to officially transfer over, after the Navy transferred over its Naval Satellite Operations Center and 13 satellites in June 2022, and Army transferred its satellite communications mission to the new service in August 2022. Those moves put all military SATCOM capabilities under the Space Force.

LOOK: New Apple TV+ Series Coming in January About ‘Mighty Eighth’ Air Force in WWII

Oct. 5, 2023 | By David Roza

The producers of acclaimed television shows that focused on U.S. Army and Marine Corps units during World War II are turning their focus to the U.S. Army Air Forces.

“Masters of the Air,” which will focus on the 8th Air Force during its bombing campaign over Nazi Germany, is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on Jan. 26, 2024, the streaming service announced Oct. 5.

The producing team of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman previously created ‘Band of Brothers,’ about paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division in their campaign through Europe, and ‘The Pacific,’ about the 1st Marine Division’s fight against Japan. Both shows were praised for their visceral, realistic portrayals of combat.

“Masters of the Air” will highlight the intense aerial combat of the war. More than 26,000 members of the ‘Mighty Eighth’ Air Force were killed during the bombing campaign, about 30 percent more than the number of Marines killed in the entirety of World War II.

The show is based on the book of the same name written by Donald L. Miller, a history professor at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. According to Apple press release, the show “follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen, and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air.”

The psychological and emotional toll is at the heart of the series, the release added. Locations include the southeast English fields and villages where bomber crews lived and worked and the German prisoner of war camps where many service members ended up.

The 100th Bomb Group lives on today in the form of the 100th Air Refueling Wing, a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker unit at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. The unit still sports the iconic ‘Square D’ badge first used on B-17 bombers during World War II.

“‘Masters of the Air’ is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II,” Goetzman said in the press release. “Tom and Steven have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our author Don Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare.’”

Two episodes will premiere on Jan. 26, with a new episode every Friday through March 15, 2024, a total of nine episodes for the limited series. The cast includes Austin Butler, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of musician Elvis Presley in the 2022 film ‘Elvis,’ Barry Keoghan, nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 2022 film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, and Ncuti Gatwa.

The Oct. 5 announcement comes four years after news first broke that the show was being developed. According to entertainment news website IGN, the show was originally bound for HBO, where “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” also premiered, “before Apple swooped in and made a deal with Spielberg’s and Hanks’ respective production companies to stream the miniseries exclusively on its Apple TV+ platform.”

Goetzman also produced ‘Greyhound,’ a 2020 film distributed by Apple TV+ in which Hanks starred as a WWII U.S. Navy destroyer commander escorting a convoy across the Atlantic.

Below are promotional images of the show released by Apple, alongside images of the actual 8th Air Force during WWII.

Space Force Awards Contract to SpaceX for Starshield, Its New Satellite Network

Oct. 4, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Space Force is bolstering its satellite network—and its ties to SpaceX—with a $70 million contract for the company’s new Starshield service.

The partnership is part of the service’s ongoing effort to leverage private-sector involvement in space operations. The Space Force is moving away from long acquisition cycles and pivoting to more commercial capabilities in different mission areas, an official at Space Systems Command told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Starshield, often described as a government equivalent to SpaceX’s Starlink network, is made up of satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and will provide several capabilities, the official added, including but not limited to high-speed broadband, space domain awareness, and alternative positioning, navigation, and timing. Starshield’s primary focus areas include earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads, as detailed on its website.

The Space Force’s contract will cover a global subscription for various land, maritime, stationary, and mobility platforms and users

While the task order for Starshield services is provided by the Starlink satellite constellation, it differs from the commercial Starlink service due to unique Department of Defense terms and conditions not typically found in commercial service contracts.

While Starlink serves consumer and commercial purposes and boasts the world’s largest satellite constellation, Starshield is intended to support national security efforts.

SpaceX has not responded to queries from Air & Space Force Magazine on further technical distinctions between the military-focused constellation and commercial communication.

While SpaceX’s contract with the Space Force is the first of its kind, the company has a history of partnering with the U.S. military and government agencies. That has included a host of launches through the National Security Space Launch program, building satellites for the Space Development Agency, and collaboration on a project for NASA.

However, the company’s involvement in defense activities has not been without controversy.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s recently released biography, written by Walter Isaacson, alleged that Musk declined to let the Ukrainian government use the Starlink satellite network to coordinate an attack on Russian warships.

Musk himself has emphasized the civilian nature of Starlink, saying it “needs to be a civilian network, not a participant in combat,” via X, formerly known as Twitter. Starshield is meant to separate out the civilian and military applications.

In response to queries about Musk’s decisions on Ukraine at last month’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman declined to comment, stating he wasn’t aware of the decision-making process behind Musk’s choice. Saltzman also noted that the matter is now “old news,” given that the Space Force has a contract in place.

Still, the revelation has triggered a congressional investigation into Musk’s actions. Sen. Jack Reed, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the panel is “aggressively probing this issue from every angle” in a statement released on Sept. 14.

Asked whether the results of the inquiry could have repercussions for the Starshield contract, the Space Systems Command official said that the Space Force will not speculate on the findings and that SpaceX will continue to execute ongoing contracts with the Space Force.

The Space Force’s contract with SpaceX is effective from Sept. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, with an option for an additional year.

Guard F-15s Arrive in Kadena As Active-Duty Eagles Phase Out

Oct. 4, 2023 | By David Roza

Kadena Air Base, Japan, saw the return of a familiar aircraft type on Oct. 3 when F-15C Eagles from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing and the Louisiana Air National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing arrived to help keep up the continuous fighter presence in the region.

The new arrivals are the latest in a series of fighters rotating through Kadena as the base’s local F-15C/D fleet phases out due to old age. Since the rotational force plan was announced in October, the Kadena-based 18th Wing has hosted F-22 Raptors and F-35s Lightning IIs from Alaska, U.S. F-16s from Germany, and F-15E Strike Eagles from North Carolina and Idaho.

Kadena has operated F-15C/Ds since 1979. Before the drawdown, about 48 of them were permanently based there in two squadrons, and at least 18 of them have returned to the U.S. so far. Air & Space Forces Magazine previously reported that all the local Eagles were due to be sent back to Air National Guard units or the Boneyard in Arizona by September, though it was unclear based on a press release if that deadline was met.

“Due to operational security reasons, we cannot provide specific timelines for departures or aircraft counts,” a Pacific Air Forces spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine in a statement when asked if any local F-15C/Ds remained at Kadena.

“Fighter deployments will continue until a new fighter aircraft is selected by the U.S. government and becomes fully operational at Kadena Air Base,” the statement continued. “This is to ensure that there will be zero-gap in U.S. Air Force fighter presence at this strategically vital location through this transitory phase.”

f-15c — An F-15C Eagle assigned to the 159th Fighter Wing, Louisiana Air National Guard, arrives at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 3, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Catherine Daniel

Located on Okinawa, a southern Japanese island only about 400 miles east of Taiwan, Kadena could be a vital staging ground for the U.S. response if the People’s Republic of China were to invade Taiwan. Also known as the “Keystone of the Pacific,” the base hosts not only fighters, but also aerial refueling tankers, command and control aircraft, and rescue helicopters. The new arrivals from California and Louisiana will work with those other aircraft as well as sister services and international partners in the region.

“Our squadron’s excited to train and integrate with Team Kadena and our bilateral partners,” Lt. Col. Jon Vanbragt, who took command of the 144th Operations Group in September, said in the press release. “Operating in the Indo-Pacific offers immense opportunities for our Airmen and allies to strengthen our partnerships and continue to refine our tactics.”

A spokesperson for the 144th Fighter Wing, Capt. Jason Sanchez, said that sharing the theater support package between two Guard units allows some of each unit to train at home while their colleagues support operations overseas.

“It’s unusual and exciting that we’re collaborating with an Air National Guard unit across the country to provide airpower,” he told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Lockheed Boss: F-35 Tech Refresh-3 Coming in Mid-2024, Will Be ‘Worth The Wait’

Oct. 4, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Lockheed Martin believes it is “manageable” to complete testing of the F-35 Technology Refresh-3 and start delivering new jets with the system by mid-2024, company chairman and CEO Jim Taiclet said Oct. 4—and he promised the resulting product will be “worth the wait.”

“We and the Joint Program Office, which manages the F-35 program, we do feel that it’s a manageable risk to get to second quarter of next year deliveries with the TR-3 program, [with] test flights completed,” Taiclet said in a discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute.

The JPO agrees that mid-2024 is a possibility, but there are risks, the program director has said.

Taiclet explained that the TR-3 is “a cutting-edge technology insertion, on a very complex platform that has to do … anti-spoofing, formation flying, counter-jamming” in a “serious” electronic warfare environment, he said.

The upgrade will be worth the wait, he said, because the F-35 will do edge computing, a complex technical capability “very similar” to autonomous drones or driverless cars, he said.

“We want to make sure this works, and the reason this is important is because the F-35 TR-2 version has the best attributes of the three areas you need to have effective edge computing node: that’s data storage [of the] size that you need; data processing capability and a robust server, how robust is your cloud; and multi-path connection to the cloud,” Taiclet said.

The capability resident in TR-3 will be an order of magnitude greater than in TR-2, he said, and with it, the F-35 will have a digital capability “unlike any other” in the world.

Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, the program executive officer for the F-35 JPO, told Air & Space Forces Magazine last month that he still sees risk in Lockheed getting TR-3 flight testing accomplished in the first half of 2024. The original estimate for delivery was by the end of 2023.

Schmidt said the TR-3 delays generally had to do with supply chain disruptions, behind-schedule software, and a late start of flight testing.

Many assumptions about getting TR-3 tested and delivered were too optimistic, Schmidt said, adding there still may be insufficient manpower and software laboratory capacity to hit the upgrade program’s timeline. The number of flight test aircraft available is also too small for the program’s needs, and the flight test infrastructure generally is “really old,” he said.

Schmidt said the TR-3—and the F-35 Block 4 upgrade, which requires the TR-3—suffered from insufficient planning and workarounds in case of delays.

“The consequences of it not being ready on time” weren’t sufficiently appreciated when the Block 4 was laid out, Schmidt said, explaining there was “no backup plan.” However, Schmidt did say the hardware “is doing pretty well right now.”

The centerpiece of TR-3 is a super-high-power computer/processor/memory upgrade, which will run the 85 or so improvements in Block 4, including new data fusion, new sensor suites, additional long-range precision weapons, upgraded electronic warfare capabilities, and interoperability with more platforms.

Task Force 99 Exploring ‘One-Way Kinetic Attack’ Drones, AFCENT Boss Says

Oct. 4, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

An Air Force task force charged with advancing new technologies is considering fielding one-way attack drones in the Middle East, the top USAF commander for the region told reporters Oct. 4.

Task Force 99, a small detachment in Air Forces Central (AFCENT), is exploring kinetic and electronic warfare options for unmanned aerial systems, AFCENT commander Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich said at a Defense Writers Group event.

AFCENT’s future drones “could include being used for one-way kinetic attack—the kamikaze drones that have been used against us,” Grynkewich said. “That is certainly something that we’re looking at.”

U.S. personnel in the Middle East have been targeted by drone attacks launched by Iranian-backed militias. In March, a drone that the U.S. said came from an Iranian-backed militia killed a U.S. contractor and injured numerous U.S. military and civilian personnel in eastern Syria.

Iranian-supplied one-way attack drones have also been used extensively by Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine.

Task Force 99 was established a year ago to develop unmanned and digital technologies and explore their application in an operational environment. It is comprised of a small team of about 15 Airmen that operates out of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and is largely unfettered by traditional service bureaucracy.

“They just happen to be the right people with the right skills that we discovered—knew how to code or knew how to 3D-print,” Grynkewich said.

The task force’s current fleet is made up of 98 drones either in its inventory or on order, with ranges that vary from fewer than 15 miles to 900 miles.

Some of its drones have already been used for operational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Unlike MQ-9s, the Task Force 99 drones can fly below cloud cover to gather information with high fidelity.

“They’ve proven capable,” Grynkewich said of the systems. “Using smaller, more bespoke capabilities that fly lower and under the weather, we’ve been able to use high-resolution cameras and get information on things that might be a threat to us. So that’s one use case that we’ve really started to flesh out.”

Grynkewich declined to definitively say Task Force 99 will field one-way attack or electronic warfare drones. But he said such capabilities might be useful.

“I call it imposing dilemmas on the adversary,” Grynkewich said. “In a way these are just low, slow cruise missiles with different payloads. So we’re looking at that as options. But it also could include something that can do spectrum warfare, something that just harasses the adversary, etc.”

A U.S. Air Force Academy cadet wears a Task Force 99 patch at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, June 22, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Zima

Grynkewich said that the Pentagon’s Replicator Initiative, which was recently announced by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, could provide an important boost for the task force. That effort aims to field thousands of new drones in the next 18-24 months, which could help Task Force 99 field drones at a greater scale.

Task Force 99 “does a really good job of surveying the innovative space for technologies, bringing them into a realistic combat environment, austere environment, a hot environment, a humid environment, and testing them,” Grynkewich said. “We can come up with concepts of operation to use them. But getting them from that next step where we need to scale is a little bit difficult.”

“I think what Replicator will do is help us make that shift,” he added.

While Grynkewich did not name commercial drones Task Force 99 has used, he did give an example of “adaptability” when asked how AFCENT might create an attack drone. Task Force 99 has 3D-printed a system it calls “Kestrel” for around $2,500 per drone with a range of about 100 kilometers.

Kestrel is “something that can be relevant on the battlefield,” he said. “$2,500, that includes all the avionics. What it doesn’t include is a payload. It can carry about a three-kilogram payload, plus or minus. That payload could be any number of things that you put in it.”

Watch and Read: How to See Every Video and Transcript from AFA September 2023

Oct. 4, 2023 | By Patrick Reardon

More than 18,000 Airmen, Guardians, industry leaders, civilians, and more gathered in National Harbor, Md., from Sept. 11-13 for AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. Over those three days, AFA captured every keynote speech and panel discussion, 50 events in all, covering everything from military families to electronic warfare to the new B-21 Raider bomber.

Find video and text transcripts of the keynote addresses by top Air Force and Space Force leaders here:

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass

Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger A. Towberman

In addition, video and transcripts for every session are now posted on AFA’s official conference page.

All of Air & Space Forces Magazine’s comprehensive coverage of the conference is compiled here, and in the October 2023 edition, to be released Oct. 7 here.

New Acquisition Report: F-15EX Unit Cost Will Be $94 Million

Oct. 3, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Editor’s Note: The original version of this story reported the cost of EPAWSS is separate from the cost of the F-15EX, but it is not. EPAWSS unit costs are applicable only to older-model F-15Es receiving the suite as an upgrade. The F-15EX unit cost of $93.95 million includes EPAWSS.

The F-15EX Eagle II unit cost will be $93.95 million per plane in then-year dollars, assuming the Air Force sticks with its plan to buy 104 of the fighters and Congress concurs, the service said in its most recent annual Selected Acquisition Report.

It is the first SAR for the F-15EX, after it shifted from being a Middle-Tier Acquisition effort to a Major Defense Acquisition Program.

In a separate report, the Air Force reported a jump in unit costs for the F-15 Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System, because the service sharply reduced the number of the electronic warfare suites it will buy to equip the F-15E Strike Eagle fleet.

The F-15EX program actually saw a unit cost decline of 5.24 percent from the 2020 baseline program, the result of the Air Force reversing course on some of the planned cuts to the fleet. Further tinkering with the final number of aircraft procured would likely affect the Acquisition Procurement Units Cost (APUC) of $93.95 million. The previous APUC, with the smaller buy, was $114.2 million.

The F-15EX report is based largely on calendar 2022 information, but it has been updated with data reflecting the fiscal year 2024 Air Force plan to increase the overall buy by 24 aircraft in fiscal 2025.

Boeing builds the F-15EX, which is based on the F-15QA built for Qatar. Changes from the F-15E include a very powerful processor, two additional weapon stations, and a fly-by-wire system. At the outset of the program, Boeing estimated a unit cost of about $80 million for the F-15EX.

The unit cost is significant in the ongoing debate over where to invest the Air Force’s limited dollars for air superiority. Other priorities include the F-35A, which in its last contract cost about $80 million per fighter; the still-in-development Next Generation Air Dominance fighter; the autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft program in development; and upgrades for the existing fourth- and fifth-generation fighter fleet.

After initially resisting the F-15EX when Pentagon leadership inserted it in the Air Force budget in 2018, the service has embraced the updated Eagle as a way to arrest the aging of the fighter fleet, with an average age approaching 30 years.

Given limits on F-35 production capacity, the immaturity of NGAD and CCA, and the urgent need to replace much of the structurally-fatigued F-15C/D fleet, the Air Force believes the F-15EX to be an expedient stopgap. The service sees the fighter as a “multirole” platform: a standoff shooter against high-end threats, a weapons truck, and in ground-attack roles after enemy defenses have been beaten down.

“Many F-15C/Ds are beyond their service life and have SERIOUS structure risks, wire chafing issues, and obsolete parts,” the service said in the acquisition report.

“Readiness goals are unachievable due to continuous structural inspections, time-consuming repairs, and on-going modernization efforts,” the Air Force noted. “The average F-15C/D is 38 years old and 75 percent of the fleet have exceeded their 9,000-hour certified service life. The oldest F-15C was delivered in 1979. F-15EX logistics, maintenance, and training will heavily leverage existing F-15 infrastructure.”

With F-15EX initially being a Middle Tier of Acquisition program, the Air Force was able to get the first two aircraft less than a year after a contract award. Now as a major acquisition program, it will “maintain the momentum to acquire F-15EX aircraft to quickly recapitalize the F-15C/D inventory,” the report stated, though the quantities quoted depend on Congress approving the Air Force’s request for a $145 million Above Threshold Reprogramming (ATR) request “to enable the procurement of two Lot 3 aircraft that cannot currently be funded due to a $77M FY 2021 rescission and $82M FY 2022 Congressional mark,” the service said.

The F-15EX’s survivability in a future fight will depend on the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), an electronic warfare and jamming suite which warranted its own report. The unit cost of EPAWSS has spiked due to the Air Force’s decision to equip a much smaller number of F-15E Strike Eagles with the system: 99, down from 217. The cost spike has resulted in a Nunn-McCurdy breach, which means the Secretary of Defense must certify the program as essential or it will be automatically canceled.

The program unit acquisition cost for the EPAWSS is $17.355 million per system in then-year dollars, the Air Force said, while the average procurement unit cost is $13.3 million. The previous baseline unit costs were $13.3 million and $10.1 million, respectively.

Boeing’s Donn Yates, executive director for Boeing fighters and trainers business development, said in a Sept. 11 briefing for reporters at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference that F-15EX Nos. 3-8 were to be delivered between the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 and the first quarter of fiscal 2024. Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6 will go to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to participate in testing, Yates said, while Nos. 7 and 8 will be the first “operationally configured” EXs, which will be assigned to the Oregon Air National Guard.

Negotiations on Lots 2, 3, and 4 were underway at the time of the briefing, Yates said, predicting “that will wrap up … relatively soon.” Boeing is eyeing production rates of up to 48 aircraft per year, and noted that Indonesia has signaled an intent to buy 24 of the jets, with other potential customers showing interest too.

The acquisition report stated that the F-15EX’s Initial Operational Capability is projected for June or July 2024, but that the program is running ahead of schedule in this respect. A full-rate production decision could be forthcoming as soon as next month, but the official schedule calls for June 2024, the Air Force reported.

Full operational capability (FOC) for F-15EX is planned in 2027, but this may also happen sooner than expected, the Air Force said. The report defined FOC as 44 aircraft with all necessary unique maintenance and test gear, spares, and maintainers and pilots trained.

The report added that the then-year, or actual cost of the F-15EX program, including development, program acquisition, and military construction, will be $12.47 billion.

Air Force Gives Raytheon $39 Million For Air Defense Software Prototype

Oct. 3, 2023 | By David Roza

The Air Force awarded $39 million to Raytheon, the defense business unit of RTX, on Oct. 3 to develop a prototype software system to command and control air base defenses against aerial threats like cruise missiles and drones. The prototype uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze threat information from sensors such as radar, then recommend to operators the best defense option, which could be missiles or other weapons.

“We’ll bring our unique decision aids along with many partner components to allow for increased efficiency and effectiveness in a complex attack, while decreasing the manpower burden to operate the system,” Paul Ferraro, president of air power at Raytheon, said in a press release.

Though the U.S. Army has traditionally led air defense, the Air Force is becoming more involved as the branch seeks to defend small air bases dispersed across the Pacific from small drones and cruise missiles. The extensive use of such weapons in the Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked increased focus on building layered air defenses that can defeat multiple kinds of threats.

“Air defense isn’t going to win the war for you,” Tom Karako, director of the missile defense project and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a seminar on the Ukraine air war in November. “But the lack of it could lose it pretty quick.”

The $39 million award comes about a year after Raytheon and the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, tested command and control software on a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, a machine that can fire several kinds of missiles to hit targets at short, medium, or long range.

During the test, U.S. Army radars fed targeting information to a Raytheon Battle Space Command and Control Center (BC3), a software that connects sensors and weapons systems, analyzes threats, and recommends defense options. The BC3 gave those options to operators at a Kongsberg Fire Distribution Center.

“The operator in the FDC used that information to close the kill chain by selecting and firing the most effective missile from the NASAMS multi-missile canister launcher,” Raytheon wrote in a press release at the time.

The system’s open architecture should allow it to pair with future sensors and weapons. Though the test last year involved AIM-9X and AMRAAM missiles, the Air Force is looking into electronic warfare and directed energy to counter large numbers of small drones with a lower per-shot cost than the AIM-9 or AMRAAM, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each. In the Oct. 3 release, Raytheon said it would build on the lessons learned from the NASAMS experiment as the company refines its BC3 software.