The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking research proposals on novel technologies that provide protection against airborne threats.

As part of this development, DARPA has issued a request for information (RFI) to explore ideas and approaches to improve the protection of fixed and mobile ground and naval forces against a variety of threats and tactics posed by adversaries using small unmanned air systems (sUAS).

The potential technologies developed under the programme would be able to quickly detect, identify, track, and neutralise sUASs, while mitigating collateral damage.

DARPA programme manager Jean-Charles Ledé said: “DARPA is interested in identifying novel, flexible, and mobile layered defence systems and component technologies to address this increasingly important issue as well as conventional threats.

“We’re looking for scalable, modular, and affordable approaches that could be fielded within the next three to four years and could rapidly evolve with threat and tactical advancements.”

The proposals received will be evaluated by DARPA to assess technology and system relevance, potential performance capability, and technology maturity.

"We’re looking for scalable, modular, and affordable approaches that could be fielded within the next three to four years and could rapidly evolve with threat and tactical advancements."

DARPA is seeking conceptual designs and performance capabilities, including substantiating preliminary performance data.

It is looking for both fully integrated systems and subsystems that have the ability to address other threats, as well as to integrate third-party subsystems.

Private or public companies, individuals, universities, university-affiliated research centres, not-for-profit research institutions, foreign entities, and the US Government-sponsored laboratories can submit their proposals.

Image: A rendering of possible sUAS technologies. Photo: courtesy of DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY.