AI-based battle management applied to integrated air and missile defense (SBIR/STTR Phase II) — a federal contract (USAspending)

1The MDA and the SBIR/STTR framework

This contract was awarded by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the part of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) dedicated to missile defense. The funding framework is SBIR/STTR, a program that supports small businesses in carrying out research and development useful to the government in staged steps, and specifically the Phase II stage that moves toward demonstration and build-out.

In other words, this is work positioned after an initial idea has shown promise and is being developed in more concrete form.

2Battle management as an allocation problem

The theme, "battle management," refers to the function of matching many incoming threats against the several defensive resources available to intercept them—within limited time—and directing how they are assigned and commanded. The focus here is applying this to "integrated air and missile defense (IAMD)," a framework that handles different kinds of threats such as aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles together.

Domains that require deciding among many-to-many combinations of threats and means in a short time are hard to manage by people alone, and are a representative area where AI-assisted decision-making is being explored.

3Where research funding flows

Viewed across many such contracts, this record shows which companies receive government R&D funding and for which technology themes. SBIR/STTR is a major entry point for small businesses to take part in national research and development, and as one entry in the high-interest area of AI and defense, it offers a clue for reading technology trends and the flow of awards.

The specific deliverables or end results of this work are not stated in the source data and cannot be confirmed.

4The size of the SBIR/STTR entrance

This contract is SBIR/STTR Phase II. It helps to see how many records pass through the same programme.

Battle management is the function of matching many incoming threats against several available defensive resources within limited time, allocating and directing them. A field requiring judgement across many threats and many means in a short time is hard for people alone and is a leading candidate for AI decision support.