Soldier Lethality - Interview Kent Savre

Part of American Conference Institute’s DEFENSE SERIES

National Technology Summit on

Soldier Lethality November 9–10, 2022 Sheraton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA

INTERVIEW WITH Major Kent Savre (USA-ret)

Senior Director Precision Weapons Northrop Grumman Defense Systems

AmericanConference.com/SoldierLethality • 888 224 2480

ACI recently sat down with Maj Gen Kent Savre, (USA-ret) Senior Director Precision Weapons, Northrop Grumman Defense Systems to discuss soldier lethality – what the current capabilities are and what future strategies for U.S Armed Forces are looking into.

Keep reading to hear his thoughts on Enabling Multi-Domain Force Protection & C-UAS to the Tactical Edge Northrop Grumman has been aggressively investing over the past few years in advancing our open architecture and platform agnostic Multi-Domain Force Protection and C-small UAS capabilities – centering on our proven core competencies in Bushmaster medium caliber cannons and advanced proximity fused and guided ammunition. We believe this is the right solution for the Army and other Services that are in critical need of a low SWAP-C, value driven solutions that can be rapidly proliferated across ALL Army formations to increase lethality and force protection leveraging the cannon they already have. We have leveraged NG’s deep capabilities in C2, AI, ML, and Autonomy to greatly reduce Soldier Cognitive Load when fighting the systems at the platoon and company level We are also fully committed to extending this MDFP and C-small UAS capability out the tactical edge – providing the network enabled Individual dismounted Soldier a cueable Precision Grenadier System (PGS) 25mm direct fire Counter – Defilade and Counter – small UAS capable system that utilizes many of the technologies we are using today in our mounted solutions. We are bringing Multi-Domain Capability down to the Soldier level.

How will advancements in networked, open architecture, multi-domain force protection systems reduce Soldier cognitive load and increase lethality?

We are leveraging Northrop Grumman’s advanced Autonomy, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning capabilities focused on fully automating the kill chain to the point of human decision for engagement.

We are laser focused on reducing operator intervention to the minimal point necessary, thereby increasing Soldier’s ability to focus on the defeating the threat NOT operating the system.

What is Northrop Grumman doing to extend Multi-Domain Force Protection and Counter-Unmanned Systems down to the individual Soldier level?

We are working closely with the Army to accelerate the Precision Grenadier System (PGS) that is a next generation, highly accurate, and highly lethal direct fire 25mm grenade weapon. PGS is truly a multimission weapon that will greatly increase not only a squad’s lethality but also their ability to protect themselves from ground and small UAS threats. Our Nation’s Sons and Daughters deserve the very best we in industry can bring to the fight in terms of Force Protection. PGS could be completely networked and receive remote cueing information to increase PGS effectiveness against small drones in all weather conditions, day or night.

Is PGS leveraging Northrop Grumman’s suite of advanced medium caliber ammunition technologies?

Absolutely, we are currently working with the Army to utilize the same common proximity fuse design we have in our larger 30mm ammunition in the smaller 25mm size required for PGS. Our 30mm proximity fused ammunition is qualified by the Army and we have repeatedly demonstrated our ability to engage drones at extended ranges. We expect PGS to be able to do the same to range of 100s of meters. This will give the Soldiers a dedicated, networked, proven kinectic capability to defeat the high threat drones we have seen used so effectively recently in Ukraine. They have no comparable capability today.

AmericanConference.com/SoldierLethality • 888 224 2480

National Technology Summit on

Soldier Lethality November 9–10, 2022 Sheraton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA

With battlefields becoming more lethal, it is mission critical that the Next Generation of dismounted and mounted soldiers have enhanced combat capabilities with increased lethality, mobility and survivability along with greater range and speed to counter emerging threats. To ensure dismounted overmatch, the Army must modernize, train, and structure the forces to build land-power capability against near-peer threats.

Our event brings together the collective knowledge and experiences from leading military, industry, and academia to advance discussions on the next generation of soldier lethality, current capabilities, future needs & requirements, and the way ahead strategies for U.S armed forces.

Key Topics Addressed Will Include: •

Next Generation Squad Weapons

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Enhanced Night Vision Goggles

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Adaptive Soldier Architecture

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Synthetic Training Environment

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EVENT TODAY

AmericanConference.com/SoldierLethality • 888 224 2480