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Glide Breaker

Glide Breaker is developing and demonstrating a propulsion technology to support a lightweight vehicle designed for hit-to-kill engagement of hypersonic threats at very long range. The name Glide Breaker is a deliberate call back to DARPA's previous successful “Breaker” programs, including Assault Breaker and Tank Breaker, which were the foundations for transformational military capabilities. Tank Breaker developed long-range weapon systems to target a Soviet tank invasion [such as ATACMS], while Assault Breaker developed air-based sensors [notably JSTARS].

Glide Breaker will first demonstrate a divert and attitude control system (DACS) to enable a kill vehicle capable of intercepting hypersonic threats during glide phase. The program will then quantify jet interaction effects between the DACS plumes and the hypersonic cross flow by conducting wind tunnel and flight tests. Results of these tests will culminate into a divert propelled flight test of a vehicle at conditions relevant to glide-phase intercept of a hypersonic threat.

The Glide Breaker program began in 2018 to develop and demonstrate technologies to enable defense against hypersonic systems. The overall goal of Glide Breaker is to advance the United States’ ability to counter emerging hypersonic threats. Phase 1 of the program focused on developing and demonstrating a divert and attitude control system (DACS) that enables a kill vehicle to intercept hypersonic weapon threats during their glide phase.

In December of 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced to the world that his country had deployed its first hypersonic missile system: the Avengard. This system is an intercontinental hypersonic glide vehicle that travels at 27 times the speed of sound and is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead (Hodge et al., 2019). Like Russia's Avengard, China's Dong Feng 17 (DF-17) is a hypersonic glide vehicle capable of reaching speeds in excess of Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound).

DARPA showed off concept art of the interceptor portion of Glide Breaker for the first time at its D60 Symposium, which honors the organization’s 60th anniversary, in September 2018. The agency’s Tactical Technology Office had previously hosted a gathering to explain the project and its requirements to interested parties in July 2018. “The objective of the Glide Breaker program is to further the capability of the United States to defend against supersonic and the entire class of hypersonic threats,” DARPA said in an announcement for the July 2018 Proposers Day. “Of particular interest are component technologies that radically reduce risk for development and integration of an operational, hard-kill system.”

Initialy, there were few other publicly available details about the program. In its budget request for the 2019 Fiscal Year, DARPA did not ask for any money for Glide Breaker specifically or for research and development of hypersonic defense systems broadly. DARPA had successfully initiated “Breaker” programs, including Assault Breaker and Tank Breaker, which have laid the technological foundations for fielded military capabilities.

Some of DARPA”s efforts supporting the development of critical technologies related to hypersonic boost-glide systems can be seen in their Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) program. TBG is a joint DARPA/U.S. Air Force (USAF) effort that aims to develop and demonstrate technologies to enable future air-launched, tactical-range hypersonic boost-glide systems. In a boost-glide system, a rocket accelerates its payload to high speeds (usually hypersonic or greater than Mach 5). The payload then separates from the rocket and glides unpowered to its destination.

While current technology used to intercept ICBMs may be adequate, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) funded several promising programs to deal with long-term challenges posed by hypersonic missiles such as the pinpoint accuracy required to destroy one in-flight. Michaela Dodge, a missile defense specialist for the Heritage Foundation, said about missile defense, “It's a very advanced technology, very complicated rocket science. It's like hitting a bullet with a bullet”. The new MDA programs include energy weapons that target missiles in cruise phase as well as high explosive interceptors that can destroy or throw missiles off its course.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Small Business Programs Office (SBPO) issued an SBIR/STTR Opportunity (SBO) with a Due Date of 29 June 2021 inviting submissions of innovative research concepts in the technical domain(s) of Materials/Processes. In particular, DARPA was interested in understanding the feasibility of Additive Manufacturing of Rhenium for Propulsion Applications.

The goal is to develop and demonstrate the capability to additively manufacture (AM) rhenium (Re) components via powder-based methods such as selective laser sintering (SLS), selective laser melting (SLM), or powder directed energy deposition (DED) for use in applications requiring high thermal and pressure endurance.

Refractory metals are a class of materials offering high melting points, wear resistance, and superior strengths, particularly at elevated temperatures. These characteristics make them suitable for numerous extreme environments, including furnaces, nuclear reactors, and propulsion systems. Manufacturing methods for refractories have largely been limited to powder metallurgy, chemical vapor deposition, electrolysis, and plasma spray methods. Progress in AM of tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), and their related alloys have enabled disruptive advancements in the manufacturing of complex high-temperature capable components.

Pursuits to AM alternative refractory and platinum group metals have largely been hindered due to unfavorable cost and availability of appropriate feedstocks combined with relatively low demand signals. Recent advanced propulsion system trade studies have identified performance and mass benefits for novel Re component designs. However, the desired architectures cannot readily be manufactured via traditional methods.

The objective of this SBIR topic is to explore AM of Re structures using powder-based methods. Key challenges include addressing viable and sustainable production of Re powder feedstock production, AM processing optimization, processing-microstructure property relationships, and fabrication of scaled components with complex geometries and high dimensional accuracy.

For a defense system to be successful it will need to perform three defensive critical tasks. It will need to be capable of detecting that a launch has occurred and then track the hypersonic vehicle. It will need to intercept and disable the hypersonic vehicle. It will need a command and control system to coordinate the operation. Recognizing the complexity of the situation, the Pentagon awarded a military contract to Northrop Grumman to continue work on its Glide Breaker program to develop interceptors that utilize all three defensive critical tasks.

The Glide Breaker Phase 2 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) sought innovative proposals to conduct wind tunnel and flight testing of jet interaction effects for Phase 2 of the Glide Breaker program. Phase 2 will focus on quantifying aerodynamic jet interaction effects that result from DACS plumes and hypersonic air flows around an interceptor kill vehicle. can be found at this link.

“Glide Breaker Phase 1 developed the propulsion technology necessary to achieve hit-to-kill against highly-maneuverable hypersonic threats. Phase 2 of the Glide Breaker program will develop the technical understanding of jet interactions necessary to enable design of propulsion control systems for a future operational glide-phase interceptor kill vehicle. Phases 1 and 2 together fill the technology gaps necessary for the U.S. to develop a robust defense against hypersonic threats,” said Major Nathan Greiner, program manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

On 08 September 2023, The Boeing Co., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $70,554,525 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, excluding one unexercised option, for the Glide Breaker Phase 2 program. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (36%); Seal Beach, California (21%); St. Louis, Missouri (18%); Elkton, Maryland (14%); Buffalo, New York (4%); Gardner, Massachusetts (3%); College Station, Texas (2%); West Lafayette, Indiana (1%); and Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%), with an expected completion date of February 2027. Fiscal 2023 research and development funds in the amount of $8,169,311 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract is a competitive acquisition in accordance with the original Broad Agency Announcement HR001122S0036. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001123C0044).

On 01 November 2024, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that it had signed a contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the design and manufacturing of the new Gliding Phase Interceptor (GPI) missile, which is being jointly developed by Japan and the United States to intercept hypersonic weapons. The contract amount is 56,045 million yen , and the delivery date is March 2029. In September, the Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense agreed to adopt a Northrop Grumman proposal for the concept stage of development. The GPI, which will intercept hypersonic weapons at the gliding stage, is scheduled to be completed in the mid-2030s. The missile will have three thrusters, and the Japanese side will be responsible for the second-stage rocket motor , the third-stage attitude control system , the KV rocket motor, and the steering system . This will be the second joint development of an interceptor missile by Japan and the US, following the SM-3 Block II 2A.