Overview

Our heritage in Air and Missile Defense programs originates with the research, development, and engineering of the anti-aircraft variable time (VT) fuze. This critical technology greatly improved the effectiveness of anti-aircraft projectiles during World War II. When the war ended, the Laboratory was already applying science and technology to develop the U. S. Navy’s first generation of guided missiles for air defense. In those early years, the Laboratory developed the prototypes and introduced these first surface-to-air guided missiles and systems into Navy ships. At the same time, the foundations of modern systems engineering principles were established and used to develop the detect, control and engage elements of those weapon systems.

The system engineering principles have evolved and expanded with our breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise in the

• Performance of the fire control and engagement functions required to complete the target intercept
• Sensors, weapons and control systems performance in anti-air warfare (AAW) engagements of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles,
• Integration of system resources in large networks for force-wide air and missile defense capabilities, and
• Joint operations combining assets of U.S. and Allied forces into fully integrated and interdependent air and missile defense systems.

Today, these principles are being applied to transform today’s technologies into the elements of future weapon systems. We focus on devising innovative, practical and affordable technical solutions to our sponsors’ most critical challenges. The global marketplace of military and commercial technologies enables and continually presents new challenges to Air and Missile Defense systems, potentially threatening our forces at sea, ashore or even our homeland. Layers of defense systems, operating in mutual support, can provide an effective defense-in-depth. Secure networks can enable enhanced engagement efficiency and system-of-systems performance against these threats. The Laboratory is unique in its ability to address all aspects of the functions and technologies to detect, control and engage the most advanced threats. Capabilities include sensor development and integration, combat direction system design, and missile and other engagement system development.

The diverse and skilled staff works collaboratively in modern facilities to bring advanced science, breakthrough technologies and sound engineering principles to bear in making these critical contributions. Our approach to problem solving enables us to recognize and quantify operational needs, to develop responsive concepts, to perform critical experiments, and to transfer operationally validated, technical solutions to the sponsor’s industrial agents. Maintaining a continuing presence and interaction with the operational users, and working in their environments, is critically important to our work. Our staff takes pride in bringing their expertise to wherever needed— be it aboard ships at sea, at remote field sites, at production facilities, at other laboratories and test facilities, or assisting a sponsor on location.

APL Program and Project Managers maintain day-to-day contact with our government sponsors. They are responsible for overall management of technical, cost and schedule aspects of their task assignment. They are also responsible for providing and coordinating resources for the technical team that produces the critical contributions to the sponsors. Typical products report results of system performance analyses and requirements definition, document operational concepts, report conclusions of critical experiments and prototype design transition, and document performance specifications, test scenario designs and test plans. 

The US Navy and the Missile Defense Agency sponsor most of AMD’s work, with increasing amounts of tasking coming from Army, Air Force, Joint Service and DoD agency program offices.