Surface Optics Wins Phase II Contract for Hypersonic Missile Detection and Tracking Using EO/IR Sensors

Surface Optics Corporation (SOC), a leader in spectral imaging technology, announced it has secured a $1M Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from the United States Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). The contract focuses on developing an early-warning multispectral EO/IR aerial platform to detect, identify, and track hypersonic missiles transitioning from glide to terminal.

A hypersonic weapon travels at Mach-5 or faster, or at least five times the speed of sound. Ballistic missiles have long possessed these speeds but today’s emerging class of hypersonic weapons use aerodynamic lift to allow reentry vehicles to maneuver under guided flight within the atmosphere. While ballistic missiles follow a parabolic trajectory to their target, hypersonic missiles can reenter the atmosphere much quicker. After being launched from rocket boosters, these “boost-glide” vehicles reenter the atmosphere and are guided to their target with the ability to undertake evasive maneuvers to overcome defenses.

Within the last few years, U.S. adversaries have fielded early versions of hypersonic vehicles that are likely to penetrate current anti-missile shield systems, putting U.S. naval assets at significant risk. Therefore, earlier detection and tracking of incoming hypersonic missiles—especially in their final and terminal phases—is crucial to an overall and effective hypersonic missile countermeasure strategy.

It’s important to note that radar systems prove ineffective for tracking hypersonic missiles. As a hypersonic vehicle moves through the atmosphere, it becomes enveloped in a plasma sheath caused by the ionization and dissociation of the atmosphere surrounding the vehicle. This plasma sheath absorbs radio waves, making the vehicle invisible to conventional radar detection. However, when a hypersonic vehicle exceeds Mach 5, the intense friction with the atmosphere raises the temperature of its nose cone and leading edges to between 3,000 and 5,000 °F. These extreme temperatures, along with the missile engine’s exhaust plumes, generate a strong infrared (IR) heat signature that stands out sharply against the colder background, enhancing the missile’s detectability via infrared sensors.

This significant award is a testament to SOC’s continuous progress and commitment to innovation in the field of spectral imaging threat detection systems. It builds on the company’s previous success, having been selected for the associated Phase I to design and demonstrate the feasibility of multispectral EO/IR signature modeling for hypersonic missiles, using hypersonic aerial platform flight profiles, plasma sheath distribution, and expected EO/IR signatures available in the public domain literature.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official guidance or position of the United States Government, the Department of Defense, the United States Navy, or NAVAIR.