U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, the director of the Missile Defense Agency and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, recently told lawmakers that his agency’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 covers a planned collaboration with Japan to develop the glide phase interceptor, a weapon meant to defeat hypersonic glide vehicles.
Collins explained during a House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing on Friday that the formal agreement on the collaboration is expected this spring, under which Japan will fund and develop propulsion elements and other key components.
The MDA director also said his agency intends to decide by the end of fiscal year 2024 on a single GPI interceptor design for continued development. RTX company Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are currently under separate MDA contracts to develop the GPI concept, according to a report by The Defense Post.
FY2025 will see GPI technology maturation and risk reduction work, Collins added.