The Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Fla., has issued a sources sought for the next six production lots (#12 through #17) of Joint Direct Attack Munitions. The service needs to replace JDAMs used in training, test, and operations and expects to buy some 28,000 tail kits to convert 500, 1,000, and 2,000-pound dumb bombs into precision weapons. The center plans to award a contract in October 2007 and have first delivery by March 2009.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.