U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet CLOSE CONTROLLED STRIKE TECHNOLOGY     The Air Force Research Laboratory shield. The Close Controlled Strike Technology Portfolio is developing, demonstrating, and transitioning the munition technologies to provide the user with operational flexibility across the range of military operations. This capability will enable all-weather attack of a broad range of targets under a variety of conditions. Two key attributes are: the ability to discriminate between enemy forces, friendly forces, and noncombatants; and the ability to precisely engage the enemy with extreme lethality without undue collateral damage that could impact friendly forces or bystanders. Close Controlled Strike (CCS) is a Capability Area that is comprised of two main mission areas: Close Air Support (CAS), and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR). In CAS, U.S. and allied ground forces are engaged with, and in close proximity to, the enemy. In these circumstances, it is vital that the Air Force provide responsive support to the ground commander with air-delivered weapons to annihilate the enemy or shape the battlefield without threatening U.S. and allied/coalition forces in close proximity. The face of warfare is changing. Not only must the CCS weapons be highly effective against massed forces in a major theater war (like WWI and WWII), they must also be effective in highly dispersed conflicts like Afghanistan. The evolution to 5th generation fighter aircraft and the advent of weaponized Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) creates the need for weapons that can be carried, dispensed from fast moving manned platforms as well as slower unmanned platforms with the ability to precisely identify, track, and engage targets under widely disparate conditions. The targets may be pre-planned, or "pop-up" targets of opportunity, thus the Close Controlled Strike weapon(s) must provide extreme mission flexibility across target sets, environment, and launch platforms while also delivering the precision effects that will result in lethal prosecution of targets with minimal chance of injury or undue damage to non-combatants, friendly forces and civilian infrastructure. Three capability concept demonstrations are envisioned. The first is to demonstrate the full suite of technologies specifically designed and integrated to neutralize mobile targets in an urban environment. The second demonstration is intended to showcase technologies for a family of 3rd generation smart munitions with utility from a wide range of delivery platforms, against a broad set of targets, in world-wide conditions. The third will demonstrate enhanced capabilities by introducing greater degrees of munition autonomy and the ability to prosecute multiple targets simultaneously from a single air platform in a dynamic environment. Point of Contact: Tim McKelvey (850) 883-2503 - E-mail timothy.mckelvey@eglin.af.mil