Mission Area
Precision Strike
Johns Hopkins APL’s Precision Strike Mission Area delivers critical precision strike contributions, addressing tactical aircraft, kinetic and non-kinetic weapon systems, and end-to-end capability development and demonstration. Our work spans research and development of technologies supporting emerging capabilities, technical support to major acquisition programs, and close interaction with the warfighters who use these capabilities. Our experts address integrated strike development of end-to-end solutions from detection through engagement, electronic attack development of non-kinetic capabilities, and advanced development aimed at experimentation and prototyping.
Leadership
Lisa Blodgett Sector Head, Force Projection
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Kirk Shawhan Mission Area Executive, Precision Strike
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AlphaDogfight Trials
APL served as a core member of the Air Combat Evolution program team created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the 2020 AlphaDogfight Trials, a showdown between eight AI research teams from across the United States.
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Deployed with the Fleet
In 2017, APL staff members deployed on U.S. Navy Commander, Task Force 70 (CTF-70) patrols aboard the carrier USS Ronald Reagan—an assignment that allowed our engineers to experience the fleet’s challenges and operational workflows, and gather important data to feed future analyses and technology demonstrations in operationally relevant environments.
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Golden Horde
Achieving networked, collaborative offensive weapons systems that will learn from their environment and autonomously work together to defeat integrated air and missile defenses.
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Recent News
News
Sep 25, 2024
Johns Hopkins APL’s Galfond Celebrated as an Outstanding Woman in Aerospace
APL engineer Marissa Galfond has been honored with the Women in Aerospace 2024 Outstanding Achievement Award for her technical contributions and leadership in the development of a revolutionary weapon-survivability modeling and simulation software application.
Press Release
Sep 5, 2024
U.S. Air Force, Johns Hopkins APL Hypersonic Experiment Soars and Collects Vital Data
The BOLT-1B experiment collected data about boundary layer transition (the flow of air around the skin of a hypersonic vehicle), which increases hypersonic vehicle drag and aerodynamic heating. That data will be used by researchers to validate new and more accurate modeling and prediction methods during the design of hypersonic vehicles.
News
Jun 18, 2024
AI Copilots Set to Engage the Future of Air Combat
Building on more than a decade of pushing the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can do in air combat, engineers and air combat specialists at Johns Hopkins APL have made significant progress in creating a copilot that will grant the power, speed and precision of machine computation to human fighter pilots.