GBRD Industry Day Flyer.pdf

USSF/SSC/BMC3I Program Executive Office – Industry Day Ground Based Radar Digitization (GBRD) Discussion with Ground Based Radar Industry Representatives

Title of Event: Ground Based Radar Digitization (GBRD) – Industry Day

Audience: Members of the DoD/USSF and Industry Representatives When: 8 Aug 2025, 0800-1500hrs Where: 2424 Garden of the Gods Rd.

Suite A350 (Innovation Hub) Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Background: The U.S. Space Force maintains several Upgraded Early Warning Radars (UEWRs) and the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS). These radars are capable of detecting ballistic missile attacks and conducting general space surveillance and satellite tracking. They are located across both the United States Northern and United States European Commands.

The GBRD effort supports the National Defense Strategy by continuing missile warning (MW), missile defense (MD), missile tracking (MT), and improving space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities.

The program will:

• Digitize six radar sites (5x UEWR, 1x PARCS) to improve space domain awareness capabilities and address sustainment challenges and obsolescence

• Enhance radar performance, including increased tracking capacity, extended range, and improved object classification

• Transition to a government-owned, modular open system architecture with a high level of commonality between UEWR and PARCS back ends

• The front-end, high-power Radio Frequency (RF) components will be retained as well as the communications paths out of the radars

• All components from front-end to communications out will be replaced

Purpose. United States Space Force (USSF) is conducting the modernization of Ground Based Radars (GBRs) as part of the GBRD Program. This effort aims to digitize legacy radar systems to enhance battlespace situational awareness, reduce sustainment costs, and address obsolescence issues. The USSF is particularly interested in solutions that:

1. Leverage open system, non-proprietary architectures to ensure future scalability and avoid vendor lock

2. Utilize Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology to minimize development risks and costs

3. Incorporate existing, developed digital receiver technology as the baseline receiver for the system

4. Identify innovative solutions for radar digitization and modernization.

5. Industry capabilities that meet program objectives within the required timeline and budget

6. Determine industry willingness and ability to provide government owned, non-proprietary, and COTS based designs

The acquisition strategy for this program is still under development but considers the following approach: Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) pathway to accelerate program execution or Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for prototyping the first two sites [1x Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) and Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS)] with a follow-on production contract for the remaining four UEWR sites.

Who should attend? Contractor/Companies/ Non-Traditional Contractors that understand Phased Array Radar Systems and its components, Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar networks, and experience in modernization, digitization, and sustainment efforts.

Representatives should be technically savvy and have a firm understanding and insight into leveraging commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies to minimize development risks and buy commercial solutions. Understand modular open system architectures to enable future upgrades and reduce sustainment costs.

Industry Day Goals:

• To ensure synergy between DoD and Industry representatives

• Incorporate Industry comments into the RFI development process

• Embrace interoperability and open standards

• Communicate DoD/DAF/USSF Program Requirements

• Gain a better understanding of recent Industry developments

• Enable initial industry teaming solutions

High-Level Agenda:

• 0800hrs Welcome

• 0815hrs Introduction to the GBRD Program (Overview)

• -- Break --

• 0900-1200hrs Breakout Groups Discussions:

20 minutes industry interviews with Program Leadership

• 1200-1300hrs Lunch

• 1300-1500hrs Breakout Groups Discussions:

20 minutes industry interviews with Program Leadership

• 1500hrs “Closing Comments”

Please RSVP no later than 1700hrs (MST) 1 Aug 2025 for individual industry interviews. RSVP to the points of contact below.

Points of Contact:

John Lorme GBRD Program, Deputy Chief John.lorme@spaceforce.mil

Chris Dooley GBRD Program, Administrative Support christopher.dooley.10.ctr@spaceforce.mil mailto:John.lorme@spaceforce.mil mailto:christopher.dooley.10.ctr@spaceforce.mil