The U.S. Army is seeking ideas from the industry to procure a second interceptor for its Indirect Fire Protection Capability to destroy cruise missile threats. The IFPC Increment 2 system is designed to defend fixed and semi-fixed sites from rockets, artillery, mortars, cruise missiles, and drones, using RTX’s AIM-9X missile as the first interceptor. The Army has completed a successful risk-reduction flight demonstration with the Raytheon-made AIM-9X Sidewinder interceptor.
The new interceptor for IFPC Inc 2 will use an open system architecture approach to establish lethal kinetic effects against select targets, specifically Subsonic and Supersonic Cruise Missiles. The Army aims for a competitive award for a second interceptor in fiscal 2025, and plans to take a selected vendor or multiple vendors through a technology demonstration in the FY26 through FY27 timeframe.
Brig. Gen. Frank Lozano, program executive officer for missiles and space, said that one of the driving factors for the second interceptor is magazine capacity, as well as the capability to achieve certain altitudes and ranges with a rocket motor that can decrease flight time to its target, deflect electronic warfare countermeasures, and feature enhanced seeker performance.
When the Army last asked industry for information on potential candidates for a second interceptor over a year ago, RTX, Lockheed Martin, and companies in Israel, such as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, submitted proposals. The Army is hosting an industry day in Huntsville, Alabama, on Feb. 8.
