Cheap, Fast, Deadly: The NETFIRES “Missiles in a Box” Program (updated)
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The basic concept of NETFIRES (a Future Combat Systems program) is to develop a family of artillery-like precision attack missiles based upon a vertical launcher design. Yet the idea goes far beyond that simple description. The NETFIRES CLU box launcher is intended to be be fully autonomous, meaning it can be dropped off anywhere and operate on its own without a support vehicle. The launch unit includes power generation and control systems as well as a total of 15 missiles, each with a warhead similar in size and capability to a 155mm artillery shell.
The system is also known as Non Line-Of-Sight, Launch System, or NLOS-LS, and remains one of Future Combat systems’ most promising programs, slated for early fielding to the Army and even for integration with US naval forces.
This will be DID’s focus article for the NETFIRES program, and it will be updated as new events and contracts enter the picture. The latest news involves successful logistics and field tests for the platform, as it gears up to be part of FCS Spinout Phase 1.
- The NETFIRES Concept
- NETFIRES Missiles
- Contracts and Key Events [updated]
- Appendix A: Lockheed’s Successful Design Improvement Workshops
- Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources
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