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Ammo Strategist

Brig. Gen. Kristin K. FrenchCommanding GeneralJoint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management CommandJoint Munitions Command

Technology & Intel for the Maneuver Warfighter

September 2014Volume 5, Issue 4

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10LethaL RoundsThe future of small-caliber ammo. Historically, ammo was an afterthought in the development of a new weapon—no more!By Scott NaNce

12next-Gen uGsLetting technology do the heavy lifting when it comes to covering large areas of real estate while keeping head count down.By HeNry caNaday

Cover / Q&AFeatures

BRiGadieR GeneRaL KRistin K. FRenchCommanding General

Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command

Joint Munitions Command

16

Departments Industry Interview2 editoR’s PeRsPective3 inteL/PeoPLe14 innovations27 ResouRce centeR

chRis heavensVice President and General ManagerAR Modular RF

September 2014Volume 5, Issue 4

28

4isR in the Joint and coaLition enviRonmentReviewing the coalition and joint intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance process.By todd riSSiNger, Will la Joie aNd JeSSica VaNcleaf

7comBatinG the ied thReatGround Combat & Tactical ISR talked with David Small of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization to gauge its work over the years, its metrics of success, and its vision of future threats and counters.

21aRmoRed vehicLes in GeaRThe need for a maneuver force to be faster and more agile across a spectrum of terrain requires a powertrain that can harness the power of the engine to running gear and give the warfighter battlefield mobility.By Peter BuxBaum

24eyes in the sKiesSmall unmanned helicopters bring special capabilities to growing ISR needs.By JoHN m. doyle “The JM&L LCMC

is responsible for integrating

the Acquisition, Logistics and Technology

communities via a collaborative

effort creating a synergistic,

singular strategic direction for munitions.”

—Brigadier General

Kristin K. French

18Exclusive Ground Combat & Tactical ISR review of the leadership of the Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command.

Who’s Who at Jmc and Jm&L Lcmc

The Army, as DoD’s single manager for conventional ammunition (SMCA), receives operations and maintenance (O&M) funding to resource the acquisition planning and logistical support for conventional ammuni-tion assigned to the SMCA. Conventional ammunition includes all explosive and kinetic energy munitions but excludes nuclear and biological devices. The SMCA manages ammunition resources cradle-to-grave within the life cycle of conventional ammunition, including procurement administra-tion, storage, surveillance, distribution, maintenance and demilitarization for all services. Activities include National Inventory Control Point and depot supply operations for all conventional ammunition requirements worldwide.

O&M funding has shown a decline from $447 million in fiscal year 2013 down to $422 million in FY15. Within this budget, the SMCA manages ammunition resources cradle-to-grave within the life cycle of conventional ammunition, including procurement administration, storage, surveillance, distribution, maintenance and demilitarization for all services.

In this issue of Ground Combat & Tactical ISR, Brigadier General Kristin French discusses the ammu-nition community—military and civilian—and notes the challenges that it faces. “We are preparing for reduced requirements, funding and workload, which will have a great impact on our ammunition producers,” she said. “We anticipate a continued contraction within the base and are studying options that will ensure ongoing capability to meet all services’ requirements for conventional ammunition.”

It is not surprising that many of the capabilities that exist at the Army’s organic facilities are not dupli-cated outside the service. In fact, two-thirds of all ammunition end items rely on an organic producer for at least one component. The Army is currently working on an Industrial Base Strategic Plan for Ammunition, which is sure to emphasize the importance of maintaining the unique capabilities of the U.S. ammunition organic industrial base. According to French, “The plan will follow the same strategy that has been accepted for the Army’s hard-iron depots and arsenals. It will identify critical capabilities and identify what must be done to maintain those capabilities.”

As the intensity of combat operations has declined, ammuni-tion consumption has followed suit. Ammunition stockpiles and war reserves—with proper care and sustainment—can replenish the combat arms when deployed again. However, maintaining a strong and balanced industrial base is the only way to preserve the integrity and quality of the ammunition supply chain. Funding the O&M budget and modernizing the ammunition plants is an investment well-made.

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Compiled by KMI Media Group staffIntEL

Major General Stephen M. Twitty, deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., has been assigned as commanding general, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Colonel (P.) Patrick W. Burden, program manager, General Fund Enterprise Business System, Alexandria, Va., has been assigned as deputy program executive officer, ammunition, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

Major General Thomas S. James Jr., director, Mission Command Center of Excellence, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., has been assigned as deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg.

Brigadier General Willard M. Burleson III, deputy commanding general, 7th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., has been assigned as director, Mission Command Center of Excellence, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth.

Colonel (P.) Francis M. Beaudette, executive officer to the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., has been assigned as deputy commander, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss.

Marine Corps Major General James B. Laster has been nomi-nated for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and for assignment as director, Marine Corps Staff, Washington, D.C.

Laster most recently served as chief of staff, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base.

Major General Stephen G. Fogarty has been assigned as commanding general, Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon, Ga. He most recently served as commanding general, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, Fort Belvoir, Va.

Brigadier General David P. Glaser, deputy director, Ministry of Interior Advisory Group, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, International Security Assistance Force, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, has been assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Army Central/Third U.S. Army, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.

Colonel (P.) Richard C. Kim, executive officer to the commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea, Republic of Korea, has been assigned as deputy commander, 2d Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army, Republic of Korea.

Colonel (P.) William E. King IV, assistant chief of staff, G-3/5/7/9, Eighth U.S. Army, Republic of Korea, has been assigned as assis-tant deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7 (Readiness), U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg.

Colonel (P.) Michael J. Tarsa, senior commander-Fort Carson, Colo., has been assigned as deputy commander, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson.

Compiled by KMI Media Group staffPEoPLE

MRAP C4ISR Support

Serco Inc., a provider of professional, technology and management services, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Command (SPAWAR) System Center Atlantic (SSC-LANT) division to provide support and maintenance on mine-resis-tant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles. This contract bolsters the company’s C4ISR services to DoD and has a one-year term with a $9 million value.

Serco will provide field support representatives (FSRs) to install, integrate, repair and provide main-tenance training on the C4I equipment and systems deployed within the MRAP family of vehicles. The company will support the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marines with these efforts and be responsible for the sustainment of the MRAPs in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan.

“Serco is honored to be awarded the opportunity to support this MRAP project,” said Dan Allen, Serco Inc.’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We have an excel-lent C4ISR division and are proud to apply our expertise and skills to help the U.S. military with their defense technologies.”

Cargo Pocket ISR ProgramU.S. Army’s Natick Soldier Research,

Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) Cargo Pocket Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance program (CP-ISR) is developing a pocket-sized aerial surveillance device for soldiers and small units operating in challenging ground envi-ronments.

The CP-ISR seeks to develop a mobile soldier sensor to increase the situational awareness of dismounted soldiers by providing real-time video surveillance of threat areas within their operational environment. The CP-ISR provides an organic ISR asset to the squad level.

While larger systems have provided “over-the-hill” ISR capabilities on the battlefield for almost a decade, none of those systems deliver directly to the squad level, where soldiers need the ability to see “around the corner” or “in the next room” during combat missions.

When soldiers and small units need to assess the threat in a village or in thick canopy terrain where traditional ISR assets

cannot penetrate, the CP-ISR can provide that capability. The size, weight and image-gathering capabilities of the surrogate system are promising advancements that fulfill the burgeoning requirement for an organic squad-level ISR capability. Ultimately, this capability will provide situational awareness, safety and a decisive edge to the Army’s most important resource—the individual soldier.

NSRDEC engineers, after investigating existing commercial off-the-shelf technolo-gies, identified a surrogate CP-ISR system—Prox Dynamics’ PD-100 Black Hornet. This palm-sized miniature helicopter weighs only 16 grams and operates remotely with GPS navigation. It has the ability to fly up to 20 minutes while providing real-time video via a digital data link from one of three embedded cameras. Its tiny, electric propellers and motors make it virtually undetectable to subjects under surveillance.

Several efforts are underway to develop three different aspects of the technology to ensure it is ready for the soldier and small unit.

www.GCT-kmi.com GCT 5.4 | 3

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information pro-vides the detailed knowledge (fusion) and foresight (intelligence) into enemy dispersal, intentions and methods that enhance a com-mander’s and his subordinates’ ability to make decisions supporting effective actions against a threat. The primary objective of recon-naissance and surveillance operations is to provide timely collection support and satisfy information and intelligence requirements, including alliance, national and theater requirements.

Basis for Comparison

The current U.S. ISR and NATO collection coordination and intelligence requirements management (CCIRM) processes and tools have struggled for years to be fit-for-use and fit-for-purpose. In response to continuing technical and procedural interoperabil-ity inadequacies, the U.S. coalition interoperability assurance and validation (CIAV) team has endeavored to facilitate a response to the global and joint ISR community mission-based interoperability needs.

Continued U.S. CIAV observations and reporting have suggested that the different approaches to ISR within NATO and the U.S. have resulted in the inability to utilize automated tools to address the end-user requirements. This has caused disagreements and mis-communications among coalition partners, which has increased the latency of ISR products and led to the inefficient use of ISR support assets (people/collectors).

Throughout the analysis of the information in this study, U.S. CIAV discovered corresponding definitions and responsibilities in the NATO doctrinal and non-doctrinal publications that showed a lack of functional agreement and understanding of the alliance definition of NATO collection management practice. This funda-mental ambiguity has caused consistent difficulty in the alignment of resources, training, requirements and systems to support the alliance ISR collection.

isr management DifferenCes anD ConCerns

The United States in peace and war consistently operates ISR at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of military command. Furthermore, each U.S. combatant commander has at his disposal a cornucopia of ISR resources. Within the United States, management of the ISR force strategy is not a simple one-size-fits-all formula for optimum ISR employment.

The U.S. TCPED (tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination) cycle functions in a disciplined and specific manner. Imagery/GEOINT requirements are handed by imagery/GEOINT specialists, and so on. Collection managers rely on cadres of experienced production requirement managers to parse requests for information (RFI) into actionable information requirements. In the United States, careful coordination is necessary to manage intelligence; however, the detailed management of requirements is typically a matter of tradecraft that is left up to each command and each echelon to decide the best and most appropriate way to manage its activity based on the available resources.

The NATO CCIRM management cycle seeks to create a balance between NATO and the member nations’ intelligence personnel to create a harmonized, agreed-upon schedule for intelligence collec-tion and exploitation.

CCIRM is the processes used by NATO to govern both the priori-tization and distribution of RFIs and the RFIs’ implied information requirements among NATO nations. As defined, the process should efficiently regulate how NATO, as an independent entity, requests collection and directs support activities from member nations. Since NATO historically does not have its own standing ISR col-lection capability, careful coordination has been the cornerstone of how NATO tasks national collection platforms.

CCIRM is not only a set of procedures; rather, it is also a deliber-ate gathering of a specific staff to facilitate the CCIRM utility. Typi-cally, the CCIRM staff is comprised of the following key personnel:

By toDD rissinger, Will la Joie anD JessiCa VanCleaf

ISR in the Joint and Coalition Environment

reVieWing the Coalition anD Joint intelligenCe surVeillanCe anD reConnaissanCe proCess.

www.GCT-kmi.com4 | GCT 5.4

• Theater collection manager• ISR manager• RFI manager• Information manager• ISR planner• CCIRM liaison officer• Imagery specialist• Component collection manager• Subordinate command collection manager

(as needed for large, dispersed task forces and SOF)• ISR asset liaison officer• ISR asset mission commander• Command-level space representatives

The plan is a referential guide to who is collecting and produc-ing what to support whom through which commander’s intent. The ICP generally supports all-source collection, analysis and fusion. It is the primary intelligence requirement management vehicle.

The collection exploitation plan (CXP) is the primary vehicle for creating interoperability among nationally distributed capa-bilities. Although non-implemented, the CXP was to be used to facilitate the CCIRM process and augment RFI management. The CCIRM assumes that combined joint ISR providers have an ability to receive the CXP, manage and update the alliance CXP, and notify the alliance of their acceptance of tasking when a task leaves the

allied joint commander’s command structure, thereby exiting the allied commander organic collection arsenal.

management of isr satisfaCtion in isaf

The transfer of authority (TOA) for ISR from the United States to NATO in Afghanistan has resulted in a change in approach that is neither the U.S. ISR management process nor the NATO CCIRM methodology, but more of a hybrid of the two. The effort is managed at the ISAF joint command/ISR division (ISR-D), separated from headquarters in order to have an operational focus on collections. ISR-D at this echelon of command is very unusual per doctrinal guidance, as typically an ISR-D is part of an AOC as a component to the air component commander.

All flying assets in ISAF are coordinated through higher the-ater headquarters and at the combined forces air control center (CFACC), which is the lead for tactical airspace control.

The CFACC is responsible for de-conflicting proposed flight corridors to prevent collision of aircraft and other risks. However, the sensor tasking of ISR stays under the control of intelligence professionals. This is typically at the CAOC or the ISAF headquar-ters element; in this capacity, they are not necessarily acting as intelligence analysts, but as the liaison between the customers of intelligence (operational tacticians) and the ISR support com-munity (collections agencies). In the ISAF HQ and IJC ISR-D, a consolidated task deck plans and executes theater-organic ISR


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plans and consolidates requests to assets outside the theater, i.e. TCN-controlled sources.

Organic collection is any unit using its own operationally and tactically controlled assets to satisfy an information or intelligence requirement or for live direct support to missions, of which the goal is to provide unfettered support to the commander’s immedi-ate operational objective. Although the effects of the local unit’s actions may fulfill the objectives of higher headquarters, the assets operate autonomously in their collection efforts. This method of centralized control and decentralized execution allows military units to meet objectives without being tied up by a continuous cycle of decision making and planning.

When a situation arises for an ISR activity beyond the scope of the ISR capabilities of a particular unit or region’s organic ISR capability, a request for collection (RFC) is generated to request the support from a higher echelon unit. These support efforts are driven by operational needs and the outcome required in order to accomplish the essential elements of information (a subset of all other intelligence and information collection orders).

The RFI and RFC are used to request intelligence informa-tion from higher and lateral commands when a unit’s organic collection capability cannot satisfy the local commander’s needs. There is a division between the functional use of the RFI and RFC that is made by ISAF headquarters, subordinate commands and below. Active RFCs are assigned to available resources, creating a consolidated task matrix, also known in ISAF as the bid sheet.

The bid sheet is used to assign COMIJC’s (commander ISAF joint command) theater-owned or shared ISR resources based on operational priorities. Three sources of requirements prioritiza-tion are combined with the regional commander’s priorities to establish the prioritization and allocation of ISR tasks. The bid sheet is also a prioritization of requirements that are validated through multiple means. This is not a method of coordinating tasks, but a method of balancing how IJC’s tasks are addressed in a prioritized fashion. The full cycle of U.S. TCPED still occurs beyond this point and is really outside of the scope of the bid sheets alone to handle. However, the bid sheets provide the nations with the ability to know that they are supporting the NATO command in the way that the NATO command actually requires instead of supporting the NATO command under a nationally interpreted collection prioritization.

This conflicts substantially with the doctrinal concepts of ISR being prioritized by an intelligence-derived plan (e.g., the intelligence collection plan). The ICP tends to lean more towards how the intelligence cells will fulfill their obligation to the allied joint command and how they will prioritize their staff in the satisfaction of priority intelligence requirements and subordinate requirements. Rather, requests are almost completely pinned to the operation’s requirements and priority, not the intelligence requirements and priority.

Final closeouts are often the trickiest part of the cycle used in support of ISAF. An entire collection requirement can be closed or completely changed by a phone call, a chat message or the prosecution of a target. In many cases, a tangible product delivery occurs. Time delays in disclosure approval and a human review process (usually involving a two-person review at minimum) often create a very slow-moving fulfillment of ISR support and product satisfaction. The communications piece of the requirement has

been used as a way around the latency problem for requirements that are directly supporting a “trigger-pulling” operation. Concise and intentional positioning of U.S. persons throughout the ISAF theater remains a work-around so that, at least, the time-critical pieces of information can be relayed to decision makers while the final products are scrubbed and prepared for permanent transmis-sion into non-U.S. hands.

the neeD to Create a BriDge

The U.S. ISR cycle adapts to the needs of the American warf-ighter. The air tasking order/air combat order and U.S. ISR distri-bution can and will adjust to fit emergent national needs. Through CCIRM, NATO doctrine is fixed not to let any one nation have to adjust its national ISR process if it is not necessary. However, the only way to make that possible is to identify and provide the data necessary to create an international and intra-alliance mechanism to share ISR plans, strategy and collections posture when and how possible prior to ISR mission execution and in accordance with the legal statutes of each of the 28 nations in NATO.

The NATO CCIRM process is aimed at making national infor-mation collections available to all alliance warfighters. Simply put, nations do not know what they do not know. In a battlespace where NATO is the COMIJC, a high level of interoperability is needed to strengthen national assets to the level of alliance partners.

Both NATO and U.S. intelligence processes are doctrinally prescribed techniques to manage information and intelligence collection and production. The U.S. TCPED attempts to manage the full life cycle of the information collection and exploitation requirements as a subset of the intelligence requirements. TCPED is practiced in an intelligence discipline/effect-specific manner, as each method has an intrinsically unique body of processing and exploitation capabilities, different and specialized methodologies and internal controls to protect sensitive sources. These disciplin-ary stovepipes aid collectors and exploiters in the gathering and generation of unbiased, non-influenced single-source intelligence information.

NATO collection managers must exercise more carefully bal-anced, less concise collection requirements to ensure that require-ments can be achieved by any suitable method and by any capable nation within the NATO allied command structure.

This leads to a bridge that must be created between the two methods to effectively and accurately obtain detail when a require-ment is leveraged against a heavily ISR-capable nation such as the United States. O

Todd Rissinger is deputy, United States Coalition Interoperabil-ity Assurance and Validation National Lead Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Joint Interoperability Test Command, Coalition and Combat Service Support Branch.

Will La Joie and Jessica Vancleaf are contracting support, Coalition Interoperability Assurance & Validation ISR efforts, DISA/JITC, CIAV.

For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at [email protected] or search our online archives for related stories

at www.gct-kmi.com.


Ground Combat & taCtiCal iSr talkeD With DaViD small of the Joint improViseD explosiVe DeViCe Defeat organization (JieDDo) to gauge its Work oVer the years, its metriCs of suCCess anD its Vision of future threats anD Counters.

Q: As general background, can you provide some insight as to the role of JIEDDO and how it works with the services on route clearance requirements?

A: Specialized units, such as the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and route clearance teams within the services, are constantly refin-ing their techniques and procedures against IEDs with the assis-tance of JIEDDO personnel.

In addition to working with combatant commands, JIEDDO determines route clearance requirements through technical analy-sis of recovered evidence from IEDs that have previously detonated. Within JIEDDO, we have divisions who can interpret the needs of warfighters based on real-time evidence and intelligence derived from the combat area of operations. These two main lines of effort ensure that JIEDDO is receptive to the warfighter’s needs.

We have an open dialogue with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps engineer schools. Through this dialogue, JIEDDO gets relevant information from the engineer community on what is needed to accomplish the mission. Lastly, by assigning engineers to JIEDDO, the engineer community is able to have a voting interest in the decisions that are made at JIEDDO with regard to route clearance.

In the past, JIEDDO has funded hundreds of route clearance systems. One example is the route clearance optics system (RCOS), an enhanced optics system configured especially for route clear-ance teams. Route clearance teams use RCOS to identify IEDs and emplacement activity along routes. JIEDDO procured more than 45 systems for route clearance operations in Afghanistan and trans-ferred this initiative to the Army in 2011.

Q: How do you balance programs and spending between the various types of solution—jammers, detectors, protection, etc.?

A: The service and combatant commands coordinate for develop-ment of initiatives through the joint urgent operational needs statement (JUONS). The JUONS process is the way JIEDDO receives

demand signals from the warfighter on what they need to continue their mission.

Our JCAAMP website outlines how we balance requirements. [For more information on the process, go to https://www.jieddo.mil/bizops.aspx.]

Q: What are the challenges to measuring success in route clearance? How do you measure what didn’t explode—whether you knew the device was there or not?

A: JIEDDO’s key overall metric has been the effective attack rate. This rate is the percentage of IEDs that cause casualties divided by the overall number of IEDs encountered. The total includes effective attacks, ineffective attacks (IEDs that explode without causing casualties) and IEDs that are found and cleared without detonating.

Within this general metric, we look at the effective attack rate against different types of operations (such as route clear-ance patrols), differences among types of IEDs (radio-controlled, command-wire, victim-operated, etc.), and differences in types of targeted populations (U.S., coalition, Afghan National Security Forces, Afghan civilians).

Within the general category of effective IEDs, we also drill down to the specific combinations of factors that produce killed-in-action and the most severely (Category A) wounded.

We tend to look at these factors over time (daily, monthly, annual), incorporating knowledge of changes driven by seasons, religious holidays, military operations and significant events—elec-tions, for example.

Any analysis that we do that identifies specific factors that make our forces more or less vulnerable is classified.

With regard to challenges in measuring success, we don’t know the full ground truth about IEDs on the battlefield at any given time. JIEDDO can only gauge success against the IEDs that are found.

The level of detail in reporting is also a challenge, as some IED finds aren’t reported, thus reducing the total number of IEDs counted in determining the effective IED attack rate.


Another factor in terms of success is the persistence of clear-ance. Without some means to persistently monitor a route, a com-mon problem in the past was keeping a “cleared” route cleared.

It is not possible to measure or know about IEDs that are not detected in the absence of an explosion.

If an IED is found and cleared without an explosion, it is counted as successfully cleared. Detonations without casual-ties are also counted in the denominator when determining the effective IED attack rate. Also, the method used to find any given IED is often reported in the significant activity report so that we can gauge the effectiveness of any given IED enabler used during a patrol.

Q: Can you discuss, in general terms, the cycle of staying in step with the adversary and meeting new threats as they emerge in response to countermeasures that are implemented?

A: The enemies we face now and into the future are adaptive. We must be prepared to anticipate and defeat a myriad of hybrid threats that incorporate regular warfare, irregular warfare, terrorism and criminality.

In executing the nation’s counter-IED strategy, JIEDDO has built capabilities to meet the global IED threat with a swift counter-IED response.

The IED threat is not going away—it is global, enduring and spreading. We will continue to see tactics, techniques and proce-dures proliferate around the world.

The constant change in the threat environment has been described as Darwinian and requires a constant eye on the threat.

Q: To avoid duplication of research time and spending, how do you coordinate with the services and the command level to prevent duplication of effort and wasting of scarce resources?

A: JIEDDO implements several methods to improve coordination and reduce potential for duplication of effort. This process starts before a program is initiated and during the evaluation of a potential program through a portfolio review. These reviews are conducted with the specific purposes of identifying any similar efforts across DoD that may have similar thresholds or objectives prior to any release of funding.

In addition, JIEDDO emphasizes transparency in its acquisition process, ensuring key members from each service participate in the JIEDDO JCAAMP process.

JIEDDO has developed key partnerships across the various ser-vice labs and program offices that also help inform and coordinate our development efforts to avoid any unnecessary duplication.

Q: Are there initiatives to bring the size, weight and power down on soldier-carried/worn detectors and warning systems? Can you provide any insight/details?

A: The most recent item which would reduce the soldier load is the Stryder system. Stryder is a command-wire detection system worn

on the leg to detect IEDs, thus reducing the risk of exposure to certain types of IEDs by dismounted troops.

Q: As combat operations subside in Afghanistan, how do you see that affecting product development and funding for mitigation and standoff devices?

A: The Department of Defense made the decision to retain JIEDDO. The question is no longer “Should JIEDDO endure past Afghani-stan?” That decision has been made. The question is now “In what form will JIEDDO exist in the future?”

The department directed JIEDDO to continue to develop a plan for an enduring counter-IED capability for DoD while sizing to meet fiscal realities. Our plan was set in motion to remain supportive to the shrinking mission in Afghanistan and reflects the recent direction about current operations. As we look beyond Afghanistan, JIEDDO will continue to transform.

The department is transitioning JIEDDO to an integrated, joint organization that enables tactical responsiveness, is scaled to fiscal realities, and provides the flexibility to meet increased future threat requirements, if necessary. The president’s fiscal year 2015 budget submission supports the implementation of this strategy.

JIEDDO is working on a concept of operations with resourcing requirements to be able to endure and execute JIEDDO’s unique capabilities in counter-IED, counterterrorism and counterintelli-gence. We are working to better outline the future mission set and what kinds of things we need to have to conduct this mission, such as authorities, polities, recourses, etc.

The detailed concept of operation for the enduring organization will be presented by the JIEDDO director to DoD later this year.

Q: How will unmanned vehicles expand mission capabilities for route clearance, convoy lead and escort in the future? Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have an obvious role in IED investigation and clearance, but can they become more active in convoy leading?

JIEDDO’s Transition for the FutureAn interim report to Congress, responsive to the 2014

National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Department of Defense to report to Congress on its plans for JIEDDO’s future, was delivered June 18.

OSD has made the decision to retain selected quick reaction capabilities, including JIEDDO, developed during the last 12 years of war, that facilitate rapid response to new and evolving threats.

As such, OSD has decided to transition the essential capa-bilities of JIEDDO from its laser-like focus on countering IEDs to an integrated joint organization with a broader mission that still includes counter-IED. This scope enables tactical responsiveness and anticipatory acquisition to predict and react to battlefield surprise across a broader mission set.

The report articulates this decision, retains JIEDDO’s quick-reaction capability, and sizes JIEDDO to meet fiscal realities. It describes actions accomplished and planned during the com-ing months to facilitate JIEDDO’s transition across the next two fiscal years.


A: JIEDDO acknowledges that unmanned ground vehicles have and will continue to have a role in route clearance operations. The basic principle is that providing an unmanned system creates stand-off and reduces the risk for any warfighter. JIEDDO and the services all see unmanned systems development continuing as part of the future, which may include convoy operations.

JIEDDO is aware of the current efforts by the U.S. Army’s autonomous mobility appliqué system and the USMC to develop programs that provide driverless convoys for logistics missions.

JIEDDO also developed some initial systems deployed for evalu-ation that explored the insertion of UGVs into mounted formations for counter-IED missions. This is one of several technologies that could benefit convoys and route clearance operations, but still requires more refinement of requirements and improvements in reliability and maintainability.

Q: Can you explain the role and accomplishments of the office in developing training devices and simulations/simulators for route clearance activities?

A: Two of the most comprehensive simulators that address route clearance and counter-IED operations are the route clearance suite (RCS) and iGame (in development). Both are virtual training environments where the soldier is immersed in scenarios where counter-IED operations are being actively conducted. For the RCS, this is a series of mobile trailers that the platoon-sized element can occupy for training and reinforcing their operating procedures for route clearance operations.

In this virtual environment, the operators for the vehicles will wear goggles and discuss reactions to different scenarios that the administrator provides to the platoon. In the RCS, the administra-tor can adjust the environment to set scenarios, or adjust them on the fly—for example, [setting] crowds [that] are large/small or hostile/permissive. The RCS also enables the platoon to run drills on reaction to small-arms fire and contact drills.

IGame is still in development, but is more of a computerized gaming module that incorporates the same standards of the RCS. IGame includes the implementation of handheld detectors and dis-mounted troops working in conjunction with the main body of the route clearance patrol.

Q: With no current broad agency announcement (BAA), how do you stay in touch with industry developments and, in turn, make sure industry knows what types of solutions you are seeking? Is a new BAA planned?

A: JIEDDO constantly conducts outreach to gain insight from vari-ous working groups, industry conferences and international engage-ments all seeking to identify any new technology developments. Any future BAAs can be found on JIEDDO’s website and will be noticed appropriately. O


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With the work of the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office Ammunition at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, the future of small-caliber ammo has finally come into its own.

No longer is ammo just an afterthought in the development of a new weapon, according to Lieutenant Colonel Philip Clark, the outgoing project manager for small-caliber ammunition.

“If you go back historically and you look at requirements for weapons and ammunition—and I mean historically all the way back to the 1930s with the M2 machine gun as an example—you’ll have documents and a set of requirements that describe a weapon and then it will simply say, ‘Oh, and by the way, we want some ammunition to go with it,’” Clark explained. “Generally speaking, historically requirements for all military weapon system development have focused on the weapon—and the ammuni-tion is along for the ride, so to speak. So what we wanted to do is look at ammunition and how we can really make those gains and improvements—we have [a] family of ammunition develop-ment documents that look at what capabilities the Army wants to improve for the soldier.”

That means doing research and development (R&D) on the ammo itself, Clark said, so that in the coming years it might be lighter for a soldier to carry—or even improve a soldier’s survivability.

That sense of innovation in small-caliber ammunition is being carried on in industry as well, representatives of ammo manufacturers said.

“RUAG aims the development of new products or even new calibers mainly according to market needs and market trends,” said Peter Spatz, R&D specialist at RUAG Ammotec AG, an ammo maker based in Switzerland and elsewhere. “Yes, it is possible to make ammo easier through the use of appropriate materials,” he added.

The weapons themselves have progressed so far that it’s become crucial to advance ammunition and other “enablers” of weapons, Clark said.

“We’ve got really, really good weapons within the military. We’ve wrung everything out of weapons capability in the par-ticular calibers we have. So really, the advances that you look at

would be advances in weapons’ optics, and then what we can do terminally with the bullet,” he explained.

That’s where the ammunition enterprise has focused for the last five to 10 years and will continue to focus—improving the capabilities of small-caliber ammunition from a technology perspective.

Acknowledging the quality of weapons in the hands of U.S. warfighters, Clark explained that while the United States can certainly improve on any system, it is as much about focusing on the ammunition and other enablers for significant improvements. Overall, the goal is make the weapon, ammo and other enablers work as one seamless system.

neW teChnologies

PEO Ammo is looking at new small-caliber ammunition tech-nology from several different perspectives, Clark said.

That includes technology called one-way luminescence. Cur-rent tracer rounds have a burning compound in the back of the round that eventually will leave a big bloom and can identify a soldier’s position. “You’ve heard that tracers go both ways. That’s true—you have this huge bloom that the enemy can see to mark where you were shooting from,” Clark said.

PEO Ammo is evaluating different technologies to enhance a tracer so that a shooter can still see it but it doesn’t give away their position, Clark said. “Primarily, the big piece here is that you’re getting survivability of the soldier on the battlefield,” he added.

Another technology effort is known as lightweight small-caliber ammunition “because reducing the weight of the soldier is an enabler,” Clark said. “Any time you can make the soldier’s load lighter, you’re making them a better fighter because you make that load lighter across the board, or they can replace that weight with something more important.”

In that effort, PEO Ammo is looking at a class of materials known as polymers. “Polymers are very light, and can be pro-duced relatively cheaply. If we can find polymers that meet all those stringent requirements of the military in the battlefield environment, that will be a great benefit to the soldier,” Clark said.

By sCott nanCe, gCt CorresponDent

the future of small-CaliBer ammo.


“It won’t make the ammo more accurate, it won’t make it shoot any farther, but it will maintain all the capabilities it currently has and allow the sol-dier to reduce their carried weight.”

Yet another development effort is called reduced range training ammunition. “As we start to develop rounds that will go farther, we have range limitations at our current training ranges all across the Army. If you start rounds that go a whole lot farther, then you could run into train-ing problems with that because [the rounds] could leave the range,” Clark said. “We are look-ing at providing a reduced-range training round to complement these much higher-performing rounds so we will not impact the ability of the soldier to train.”

Based on whether requirements are approved and funded, the goal is to adopt and transition these new technologies into differ-ent small calibers, including 7.62 mm, 5.56 mm and .50 caliber.

PEO Ammo is looking even further over the technology hori-zon at future weapon systems, Clark said. “One of the things the Army has underway right now is a study looking at the caliber and configuration for ammunition.”

The Army is also looking at improving the environmental impact of both ammunition manufacture and the use of it in the field. “We’re always tracking with what environmental concerns there are for different chemicals and components—and making sure that we keep our pulse on those,” he said. That includes eliminating lead and replacing it with copper in some rounds, he added.

shelf life is fine

Interestingly, one area where PEO Ammo is not looking to improve is the shelf life of the Army’s small-caliber ammunition.

“We have really great shelf life, so we don’t really strive to increase our shelf life. We have rounds in the inventory … that were produced in the 1960s and 1970s that there is nothing wrong with, and we still use them,” Clark said. “If ammunition is stored properly and maintained to military standards, that ammunition can survive quite a long time. We do periodically test that ammu-nition. We have a surveillance program to periodically test the ammunition to make sure that it still performs well and safely.”

When looking at changes to any elements to ammunition, the PEO is always considering the impact on shelf life to the compo-nents, propellants, primers and even the packaging. This includes accelerated aging tests upfront on potential new components to ensure they are not negatively impacting shelf life, said John Corsello, lead for small-caliber ammunition R&D at PEO Ammo.

“So for me, it’s more of a do-no-harm to what I currently have than it is that we are really out looking for ways to dramatically increase shelf life,” Clark said. “We don’t want to hurt [the shelf life] we currently have, which would be anywhere from 20 to as many as 40 years. It’s a great boon to the taxpayer because we have that ammunition that we continue to use and we don’t have to throw it away.”

aDVanCes in inDustry

“The Nordic Ammunition Company (Nammo), a Norwegian/Finnish supplier, has recently devel-oped long-range cartridges in caliber 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm to meet the market need for sharpshooter ammunition,” said Fredrik Erninge, the firm’s marketing and programs director.

“The cartridges fulfill applicable military speci-fications, providing a waterproof design with safe function in extreme temperatures and after rough handling, and safe and reliable function in all machine guns and assault rifles,” he said.

Due to increased projectile mass, the projectiles show excel-lent performance at long distances, according to Erninge.

“Flatter trajectory, less sensitivity for wind drift and main-tained velocity and energy offer an effective choice for missions in open terrain, i.e., mountains, desert, etc.,” he said. “The car-tridges use an extremely temperature-stable powder, resulting in a cartridge that will have the same point of impact independent of temperature. The soldier does not have to compensate for the tem-perature differences at night and day often found in desert areas.”

Nammo, too, has been looking at how to make small-caliber ammo lighter to carry, Erninge said.

The simplest way to make the ammo lighter is to replace the material in the cartridge case, he said.

“Nammo is following the development of lightweight cases, but has so far judged the technology not mature enough to meet all military requirements,” he added. “Another way to save weight is, of course, to carry less ammunition. By using more effective ammunition … the soldier is able to get the same effect in the target using less ammunition.”

One key issue that Nammo is watching is a trend in discarding old standard ammunition in favor of high-performing, lead-free ammunition, Erninge said. “With 15 years of experience pro-ducing high-performance lead-free ammunition, mainly for the Swedish and Norwegian defense forces, Nammo is well prepared to meet this need.”

Erninge also noted that there are several international study programs investigating the capability of an intermediate caliber. “The main purpose of such a caliber is to improve the ammuni-tion/weapon/soldier system capabilities where the 5.56 mm system is considered insufficient,” he said. “Nammo has a lot of experience in developing and adapting to new calibers and is following those study programs with interest. However, it is Nammo’s opinion that a caliber shift will be too expensive. By using specialty ammu-nition such as high performance ball, long range and armor piercing, it is possible to increase the soldier capability without replacing the caliber. Nammo has focused on ‘non-conventional’ specialty ammunition and is constantly developing new innovative products to meet customer needs.” O


at www.gct-kmi.com.

GCT 5.4 | 11 www.GCT-kmi.com

[email protected]

Fredrik Erninge

Unattended ground sensors (UGSs) played an important role in both Iraq and Afghanistan, protecting U.S. facilities from intrusion and watching out for infiltration along borders and unsecured paths and roads. UGSs are one of the ultimate force multipli-ers when U.S. forces must defend or moni-tor huge areas that are open to small and difficult-to-detect light adversary forces.

As with other technologies used exten-sively in the United States’ two recent anti-terror campaigns, UGSs have improved and proliferated into many different types and specialties. Both the Defense Department and the manufacturers of UGSs can see plenty of possible opportunities—in some cases neces-sities—for their use in the future. And UGS technology itself is capable of much more development for specific tasks.

The Army has already deployed UGSs using seismic, acoustic, magnetic, infrared (IR), radar and other detection techniques suited to specific threats, explained Lieu-tenant Colonel Shane Sullivan, product manager, ground sensors in the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors.

Changes in operating environments and threats have elicited new UGSs, some more adaptable and expendable, others with new capabilities, many with better size, weight, power and cost, and some with less complex-ity. Other UGS improvements have included longer detection and communication ranges and the ability to automatically cue aerial full motion video (FMV) cameras.

But Sullivan said traditional UGSs have been large and complex, so they required trained specialists to use. The Army is now developing requirements for sensors suit-able for use by infantry soldiers with far less training. These new UGSs would be smaller and more automated, but they would still be interoperable with current equipment.

The Networked Expendable Sensor Tech-nologies Capabilities Development Document (CDD), now being drafted, is considering sev-eral improvements. For example, new UGSs should be deployable down to squad levels, intuitive, simple to operate and emplace, and

unlikely to be compromised. They should require no maintenance or recovery and produce timely and accurate reporting. In addition, they should have communication ranges and power durations commensurate with their missions. And the Army would like UGSs to allow rapid employment, camouflage and concealment.

The CDD may also seek slew-to-cue and cue-to-target interoperability with Army com-mand, control, communications, comput-ers, combat systems ISR assets, unmanned systems and weapon targeting. The Army would also like customizable detection and a positive identification capability that could be optimized for threats and terrain. Fur-thermore, UGSs should be usable by soldiers, crew-served weapons, indirect fire, and both manned and unmanned systems.

The CDD may also seek UGSs that adapt to new technologies with multiple algo-rithms, higher sampling rates and better discrimination for fewer false positives. And new UGSs should be networked to enable rapid decision-making and threat identifica-tion and to shift the communication burden to the Army’s network.

Other desirable UGS enhancements, according to Sullivan, include better scalabil-ity, better processing power, fewer external interfaces, open architecture for multiple devices, and the ability to change UGS param-eters and algorithms without recovering the device.

This all seems like a pretty tall order. But highly sophisticated firms have acquired a lot of experience with UGSs and are eager to advance the technology.

Applied Research Associates developed an expendable UGS under contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency using ARA’s Extended Range Radio Frequency (ERRF) radio. Since 2010, ARA has delivered over 48,000 of these E-UGSs to the U.S. mili-tary, said Bob Quinn, Unmanned Systems and Security Products division manager.

These seismic sensors, weighing less than 1 pound, are easily carried and emplaced by individual soldiers to provide footstep alerts from miles away. Low cost makes them

expendable, so they do not need recovery when deployment ends. Long-range ERRF radio eliminates the need for costly, complex and bulky networks with multiple relays to provide long-range alerts.

Quinn said ARA constantly improves its E-UGS technology while keeping prices low and devices easy to use. For example, battery life has been more than doubled without changing configuration. Seismic sensitivity has been increased and new detection algo-rithms have been developed. ARA has reduced receiver size by 95 percent, and E-UGS can now distribute alerts to smart personal devices, creating what Quinn called “security in your pocket.”

Seven Technologies Group offers a com-prehensive capability for remote, covert detection and alerting, summarized Busi-ness Development Manager Jon Turner. The firm’s Sentinel system is simple, yet flexible enough to provide user options for receiving the alerts depending on operational environ-ment. For communication, Sentinel uses commercial satellite infrastructures such as Thuraya and Iridium, cell-phone infrastruc-ture and data radios to give users both tactical and longer options.

Turner said Seven’s UGSs can be used for both friendly-force protection and adversary alerting. The Sentinel equipment uses several sensor types, including seismic, magnetic and passive IR.

Seven provides power options to allow users to deploy sensors for long periods of time—for example, for border protec-tion operations. And Seven’s Sentinel is fully interoperable with its own and other sys-tems, including remote cameras. The sensor typically powers up the camera with an alarm and then transmits camera images until turned off.

Sensor alerts are delivered as audible alarms and flashing symbols according to whether the event is an alert or tamper detec-tion. A line of text allows alarm investigation and can be relayed to a cell phone through short message service.

Seven is now working on several variations for specific uses. These include lower-cost

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solutions with high-resolution still images and transmission over satellite systems.

Turner said the key benefits of Sentinel are simplicity, flexibility, ability to work with many products and the range of its deploy-ment options. Seven plans to offer a techni-cally more complex solution while reducing user burdens.

Seven is enhancing Sentinel to work with multiple sensor types and transmit alarms on multiple back links. The new system will be mesh capable with local storage and security. Most notably, Turner said many dif-ferent sensors will be processed, including video motion detection and facial recogni-tion video, radio frequency range detection and analytics, dry-contact alarm inputs and several others. “This broadens the traditional UGS concept to a whole other level.”

Qual-Tron makes a wide variety of UGSs, including seismic, magnetic, acoustic, IR, break beams and break wires, said Bob John-ston, director of business development. The firm started 35 years ago by manufacturing to the designs of a government intelligence agency, then hired its own engineers and now sells to the military and law enforcement. Qual-Tron recently developed a Web-based application so that cell phones can control its sensors.

Johnston said Qual-Tron RF frequencies are crisp, clear and easy to receive, as they are transmitted over Iridium relays. “Customers tell us that is why they buy from us.”

The firm now does all its design and manufacturing in-house. “If customers want a change we can do it. We are small enough to change fast, but big enough to do it well.”

The family-owned Qual-Tron has done substantial work for the U.S. military. “Spe-cial operations is a big user.”

All Qual-Tron detection systems operate on standard 9-volt direct-current batteries, require minimal training and can be pro-grammed in one to three steps using a small screwdriver.

Textron Systems has provided UGSs for the U.S. Army for a number of years, is now approaching Customs and Border Protec-tion (Department of Homeland Security) and international customers and will be ready when the Army comes out with its new UGS requirements, summarized Dean Frost, program director for UGSs at the company’s weapon and sensor systems.

Textron’s MicroObserver system is multi-mode and highly scalable. It starts with seismic sensors, which cue IR or daytime imagers. MicroObserver can comprise a few

or hundreds of sensors in one system, which can cover up to a 1-kilometer grid. And it is durable. “It is networked through a low-power network, so it can last up to two years,” Frost added.

Once cued, cameras take pictures and decide if these images are worth showing to command and control (C&C). Algorithms decide on the significance of these images to minimize purely nuisance alarms.

MicroObserver can interface with Tex-tron’s C&C center or with the user’s C&C infrastructure. There are options also for communications. Textron offers off-the-shelf backhaul at 900 megahertz up to 50 kilome-ters. The firm is also considering using com-mercial satellites in a system with multiple nodes so that failure at one point would not compromise the link.

Frost said the images provided by MicroObserver are essential if users are going to take actions such as sending patrols or even drones to investigate alarms. But to keep the system practical, low-cost images are needed. Daytime images are in color, but both these and night IR images are essentially three to five frames over one to two seconds, enough to see motion, but not true FMV. This approach minimizes power and bandwidth requirements.

The Textron approach is highly flexible. Users can deploy only seismic sensors with-out cameras, and they can mix cameras and sensors in whatever proportions meet their mission needs in the local landscape. “For typical uses, we recommend five to six seis-mic sensors for each imager,” Frost said.

MicroObserver aids covertness as its seis-mic sensors can be buried up to a half inch in the ground and detect movement at up to 50 to 75 kilometers. Imagers can stand off at a dis-tance behind seismic devices, behind bushes or other camouflage. The devices can be installed fast and activated with one switch and no spe-cial mission setting, another aid to stealthy use.

Textron is testing MicroObserver with Customs and Border Protection, and an Indian agency has signed a memorandum of understanding intending the use of the system by Indian security agencies. Frost expects the U.S. Army will want a new pro-gram of record in one to three years for a UGS that is smaller and lighter and that has a smaller, logistical footprint. “We think we can do that.”

Durability, scalability, ease of use, stealthy deployment and imagers to reduce false or nuisance alarms all distinguish MicroOb-server, Frost argued.

Digital Barriers calls its UGS RDC for remote detection and classification. “RDC is a seismic sensor that is designed to detect vehi-cles and people,” explained Ed Godere, vice president for Digital Barriers North America.

RDC has a unique form factor, as it is designed for rapid installation using a very simple tool. “The sensor is like a large screw that twists into the ground,” Godere stressed. “This form factor provides many benefits.”

RDC is easy to install and there is no debris to dispose of. At just under 1.5 pounds it is very light, allowing one person to carry many sensors, and is easy to conceal. And because it is screwed into the ground, RDC achieves very good coupling to the earth, which is important for good seismic detection.

RDC’s sensor itself is solid state with no moving parts, unlike typical seismic sensors. It is not sensitive to orientation. The sensor communicates alarms over a self-healing mesh network back to a master node that can either directly connect to monitoring devices or use RF backhaul links by cellular, point-to-point or mesh radio or satellite to connect to monitoring devices. RDC alarms can be monitored by PCs, laptops, tablets, iPhones or other smartphones.

Digital recently developed a new algo-rithm to detect digging near the RDC. Gen-erally, RDC sensors detect people out to 50 meters, vehicles out to 100 meters and dig-ging out to 30 meters.

Godere said RDC is distinctive in using Digital’s remote video surveillance technol-ogy to instantly verify alarms by slewing a camera and streaming very low-latency, 200- to 300-millisecond video over the same backhaul links used to send alarms. Digital’s video solution allows it to send full-motion streaming video over very low bandwidths, he emphasized. It streams video using half the bandwidth of conventional H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10 or advanced video coding video streaming and can thus stream full-motion video down to 9 kilobits per second. “This is important when deployments of the RDC are in degraded communication environments in remote areas.”

Overall, a lot of the individual UGS fea-tures the Army is looking for are out there or under development. O


at www.gct-kmi.com.


InnoVatIonS

DCGS-A Standards-Based Architecture

Under a two-year award, Jericho Systems Corp. will develop a standards-

based architecture and prototype that enables single-sign-on (SSO) and

ABAC security for RESTful services for Distributed Common Ground System

(DCGS)-Army. The Phase II effort provides important next steps toward

fielding interconnected net-centric systems that meet mission and data

security requirements.

Representational state transfer (REST) is a popular Web 2.0 architectural

approach that supports highly interactive, browser-based user sessions and

real-time access to cloud-based resources. For the Army to benefit from

REST-based services, REST must be integrated into the enterprise’s identity

and access management security architecture.

Jericho Systems will reduce the Army’s information technology burden by

providing technical guidance for an integrated, cost-effective RESTful solution

that can be deployed in Phase III. Phase II deliverables will include use cases,

a concept of operations, a prototype and a roadmap to implementation. Use

of architectural standards, including WS-Trust and WS-Federation, will enable

diverse SSO credentialing mechanisms within the overall enterprise capability.

“A standardized RESTful access control architecture will benefit the Army

in multiple ways,” said Jericho Systems Cybersecurity Architect Bill Doyle.

“It will improve user experience, promote system interoperability, maximize

software code reuse and enhance warfighters’ ability to work together in

secure, collaborative data exchanges.”

Jericho Systems’ commercial off-the-shelf ABAC software, EnterSpace

Decisioning Service, will provide the enterprise-ready authorization engine

for the prototype; additional new components will be delivered as part of the

Phase II effort.

Ground-Penetrating Radar Improvements

One objective of route clearance operations is to

detect threats comprising anti-personnel landmines, anti-

tank landmines and improvised explosive devices. The

Husky Mine Detection System (HMDS) is in widespread

use with the U.S. military and combines a mine-proof

vehicle with a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) sensor

developed and supplied by NIITEK, a Chemring Sensors

and Electronics Company, part of the Chemring Group.

Minelab’s single transmit multiple receive (STMR)

metal detection array was developed to be added to any

vehicle platform and includes the ability to be integrated

with other detection sensors. STMR utilizes Minelab’s

unique and superior pulse induction technology, thereby

achieving unprecedented high probabilities of detection

and low false alarm rates. The STMR system has been

used in humanitarian demining operations for the past

eight years and has undergone continuous improvement

and development.

In an effort to increase the capability of HMDS,

and in collaboration with NIITEK Inc., Minelab has

been awarded a development contract from the U.S.

Army through NIITEK that will focus on the integration

of the array with NIITEK’s GPR sensor as well as

productionization and ruggedization of the STMR

system.

“The selection of STMR for integration with HMDS

is an exciting award for Minelab and supports the

potential we recognized in this product when it was

first developed. Additionally, Minelab is delighted to be

collaborating with NIITEK, which builds on other projects

in which both companies are engaged,” said Peter

Charlesworth, executive general manager, Minelab.

Once development is completed in June 2016,

STMR will be available for integration with the existing

U.S. fleet of HMDS vehicles.

Military Modular Weapons and Ammunition Storage

Traditionally, U.S. military bases have relied on costly permanent bunkers or

stick-built structures to securely store weapons and ammunition. But most of

these are WWII-era bunkers and were not constructed to fit today’s equipment

and weaponry. Furthermore, building new permanent structures can be particularly

challenging in a time of diminished resources after base realignment and closure.

Constructing conventional, military-compliant, stick-built weapons and

ammunition storage vaults requires frequent inspections during construction.

Each wall and ceiling must be inspected before concrete is poured, requiring

construction delays as well as the granting of access passes to inspectors and

workers. Construction is also subject to delays due to weather, labor, logistics

and scheduling, which can further extend the delivery date and lead to significant

cost overruns.

One option is portable, modular Armag vaults, which are custom-

manufacturedby Bardstown, Ky.-based Armag Corporation and approved for

ammunition and weapons storage by all branches of the U.S. military in accordance

with DoD 5100.76M, AR190-11, and OPNAVINST 5530.13C. The company, a U.S.

federal contractor verified vendor, is recognized by the U.S. military as an authority

in highly secure, modular buildings, and served as a consultant to the U.S. Navy

in developing the Type 2 specification for explosives storage.

In contrast to stick-built structures, such modular weapons and ammunition

storage vaults are pre-fabricated modular structures constructed offsite in

a controlled environment. The modular buildings are not subject to on-site

construction delays and cost overruns due to weather-related issues.

Like permanent structures, the most robustly-constructed portable, modular

weapon and ammunition storage vaults are built to last. Most Armag vaults built in

the 1960s and 1970s are still being used today.


Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

MAAWS for SOCOM

Defense and security company Saab

has signed a new framework contract with

SOCOM for the company’s Carl-Gustaf

man-portable weapon system (MAAWS;

multi-role, anti-armor anti-personnel weapon

system). The contract is a follow-on agreement

to a previous five-year contract for the 84 mm

recoilless rifle system. In connection with the

contract, SOCOM issued an initial order with

a value of $14.3 million.

The framework contract enables SOCOM

to place orders for weapons and ammunition

over a five-year contract period up to a total

value of $187 million.

“This is another great milestone for Saab

and the Carl-Gustaf system,” said Görgen

Johansson, senior vice president and head

of Saab’s business area Dynamics. “This

new order demonstrates the continued belief

by the customer in the capabilities and

versatility of our product as well as its future

potential.”

“The Carl-Gustaf has repeatedly proven

itself in the most demanding environments

and is a versatile, powerful tool for the

soldier. The fact that the system is also being

fielded to U.S. Army light infantry combat

teams speaks for itself.” said Lars Borgwing,

president and CEO of Saab Defense and

Security USA.

The Carl-Gustaf system has a

successful history and has successively

been modernized and adapted to meet new

requirements. Anticipating future operational

needs, a new, lighter-weight version of the

Carl-Gustaf is currently under development.

The next-generation system will also include

additional functionality that will greatly

increase the capability of the already-

formidable weapon system.

Other recent advances to the Carl-

Gustaf system include the release of the

new 655 CS (confined space) high explosive

anti-tank round designed to reduce back

blast and allow soldiers to safely employ

their weapon in confined spaces, minimizing

the hazardous effects of traditional shoulder-

fired munitions.

Man Transportable Robotic System

The Project Manager of Robotics Systems

Joint Project Office (RS JPO) located at the United

States Army TACOM Life Cycle Management

Command in Warren, Mich., is seeking to

identify sources capable of manufacturing a

commercial off-the-shelf robotic system to

support the proposed man transportable robotic

system (MTRS) Increment (Inc) II program with

the following potential applications: chemical,

biological, radiological or nuclear, explosive

ordnance disposal, and combat engineering.

The MTRS Inc II system will provide a

standoff capability for soldiers and Marines to

detect and confirm presence, identify disposition

and counter hazards by providing an unmanned

platform for payloads in support of current and

future missions. The system is intended to be

vehicle-transportable and capable of being

carried by two soldiers. The system will be highly

mobile and used in mounted and dismounted

operations. MTRS Inc II will be a multi-mission

modular system that can be reconfigured

by adding or removing sensors, manipulator

arms and mission module payloads, allowing

this capability to operate together with sensors

through an operator control unit.

JLENS

Should the United States or its allies need

enhanced protection against cruise missiles,

hostile airplanes, sea-borne threats or unmanned

aircraft, military commanders will have a new

system at their disposal. Raytheon Company has

finished preparing a blimp-borne radar system

previously used for testing for use as a rapidly

deployable strategic asset.

JLENS is a powerful airborne radar system

that floats at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet,

suspended from two 80-yard-long, helium-filled

blimp-like aerostats tethered to ground stations

via a rugged cable. It helps defend critical

assets, population centers and infrastructures

against a variety of threats, such as manned and

unmanned aircraft and missiles.

“By putting JLENS in strategic reserve, the

Army is giving combatant commanders around

the globe the ability to pick up the phone

and, in short order, receive this incredible air

defense capability in their area of responsibility,”

said Raytheon’s Dave Gulla, vice president of

Integrated Defense Systems’ global integrated

sensors business area.

The U.S. Army has procured two JLENS

systems to date. In addition to keeping one

system in strategic reserve, a second system

is scheduled to participate in an operational

evaluation at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., in

fall 2014. JLENS completed early user testing in

the third quarter of 2013, and concluded system

design and development in the fourth quarter

of 2013.

“JLENS has proven its ability to extend

the air-defense umbrella by integrating with

our nation’s land-, sea- and air-based air

defenses to detect and intercept threats such as

airplanes, drones and cruise missiles,” said Doug

Burgess, Raytheon’s JLENS program director.

“The success of this operational evaluation

is another significant step forward because it

will demonstrate that JLENS has unmatched

defensive capabilities. Raytheon is doing its part

to get both the soldiers and the system ready.”


Brigadier General Kristin K. French assumed the duties of com-manding general of the Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command and Joint Munitions Command on July 2, 2013. The JM&L LCMC executes integrated life cycle management and provides effective, available and affordable munitions and lethal-ity to U.S. military services. The overarching goal of the JM&L LCMC is to have the best munitions in the right place, at the right time, at the right cost.

French is a native of Glen Rock, N.J. She graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 1986 and was com-missioned into the Army as a lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps.

After completion of the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, she was assigned to the 13th COSCOM at Fort Hood, Texas, from 1987-1990, where she served in both the 565th Repair Parts Company and the 553rd Supply and Service Battalion. After attending the Quartermaster Officer Advanced Course in 1990, she served in the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Kitzingen, Germany from 1991-1994. While in 3rd Infantry Division, she commanded Alpha Company, 703rd Main Support Battalion.

French left Germany to attend the Logistics Executive Develop-ment Course and Florida Institute of Technology at Fort Lee, Va., and obtained a master’s degree in logistics management. Following graduation, she was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., from 1995-1997 where she deployed to Zagreb, Croatia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor.

After graduation from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., she returned to the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Stewart, Ga., from 1998-2001. While in 3ID, she deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Fox.

French moved to Fort Carson, Colo., in 2001 and assumed duties at the 43rd Area Support Group. She assumed command of Regimen-tal Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, in June 2002 and deployed her squadron to Iraq for one year in support of Opera-tion Iraqi Freedom. After command, in July 2004, she transferred to Fort Hood to the 4th Infantry Division.

In July 2005, French attended the U.S. Army War College. She received a master’s degree in strategic studies in June 2006. Follow-ing graduation, she assumed command of the 406th Army Field Sup-port Brigade at Fort Bragg. In June 2008, after brigade command, she served at the Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir, Va. In June 2009, she was assigned to the Pentagon and became the military advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Mate-riel Readiness in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In June 2011, she assumed command of the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) at Fort Knox, Ky., and in April 2012

deployed the unit to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

French’s awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (four Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and Army Achievement Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster).

Q: What would you characterize as the primary functions of the Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command?

A: The primary mission of the Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command is to develop, acquire, field and sus-tain conventional ammunition for servicemembers throughout the Department of Defense. The JM&L LCMC is responsible for integrat-ing the Acquisition, Logistics and Technology communities via a col-laborative effort creating a synergistic, singular strategic direction for munitions. JM&L LCMC is drawn from the “Ammunition Enterprise” of the Program Executive Office Ammunition, the Joint Munitions Command and the Armament Research, Development and Engineer-ing Center, and integrates the people, organizations, infrastructure and processes necessary for the effective life cycle management of conventional munitions.

The overarching objective of the JM&L LCMC is to have the best munitions in the right place, at the right time, at the right cost.

Brigadier General Kristin K. FrenchCommanding General

Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command

Joint Munitions Command

Ammo StrategistDeveloping, Acquiring, Fielding and Sustaining Conventional Ammunition

Q&AQ&A


Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges to the JM&L LCMC in 2014?

A: We are preparing for reduced requirements, funding and workload, which will have a great impact on our ammunition producers. We anticipate a continued contraction within the base and are study-ing options that will ensure ongoing capability to meet all services’ requirements for conventional ammunition.

DoD policy states to “maintain a base of government-owned facili-ties for those industries determined essential to defense production, when private investment is inadequate or unavailable.” Elimination of organic installations needs to be balanced against the cost to sustain them, the costs to potentially close them (i.e., environmental reme-diation, explosive clean-up, moving equipment, movement of stock, impacts to communities, etc.) and the cost to re-establish capability if required (i.e., time to re-train the workforce, obtaining environmen-tal permits, money for property, equipment, etc.)

Our experience has shown the value of maintaining certain gov-ernment-owned production capabilities when the capability is avail-able only from a single source within the private sector. For example, Holston Army Ammunition Plant produced concentrated nitric acid until 1998 at its magnesium nitrate facility (Maggie). In 1999, a new contractor took over operation of the facility and purchased concen-trated nitric acid from El Dorado Chemical Plant more cheaply than it cost to make it. We halted production with the Maggie, but main-tained the capability as a risk mitigation or contingency option in case the concentrated nitric acid supplies were ever insufficient.

In 2012, an explosion at El Dorado destroyed the plant’s concen-trated nitric acid production capabilities. At that time, no other source in the continental United States could meet the DoD requirements, so we reactivated the Maggie. This reactivation averted a production shutdown at the Holston plant that would have stopped the supply of high explosives needed for munitions. Furthermore, it may have taken years, instead of months, to re-establish concentrated nitric acid pro-duction capability if the Maggie had not been available for reactivation.

Q: What is the health of the industrial base during current budget constraints?

A: Two-thirds of all ammunition end items rely on an organic pro-ducer for at least one component. This underscores the importance of maintaining the unique capabilities of the U.S. ammunition organic industrial base. Many of the capabilities that exist at the Army’s organic facilities can be found nowhere else. We are currently work-ing on an Industrial Base Strategic Plan for Ammunition. This plan will follow the same strategy that has been accepted for the Army’s hard-iron depots and arsenals. It will identify critical capabilities and identify what must be done to maintain those capabilities.

Q: How have budget changes affected the way you do business with small businesses? How significant are small businesses to your overall product support quality?

A: Decreasing budgets have caused programs to decrease in size (quantity), which makes it more difficult to keep production lines warm for multiple contractor facilities. The end result is small busi-nesses and second and third-tier producers go out of business. Even-tually the government ends up in a sole-source situation, possibly paying a higher price for products.

Small businesses play an important role in ammunition produc-tion. Small businesses have proven they are capable of producing quality parts in the required timeframe at a fair and reasonable price. They also provide innovative and creative ideas that directly support our military. Small businesses tend to be leaner, agile and more responsive to changing requirements.

Q: What is the Joint Munitions & Lethality Life Cycle Management Command’s future?

A: As we look at the three legs of the Life Cycle Management Com-mand, we need to understand and capitalize on the expertise that each leg brings to the total mission. ARDEC [Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center] brings the engineering and technology, PEO/PMs bring the acquisition and total life-cycle man-agement, and JMC provides the logistics expertise. As we move into the future, it is crucial for all of these functions to continue to work together as part of the ammunition life cycle.

Q: There is a continuing undercurrent about the greening of ammunition. What are the challenges, benefits and drawbacks of greener ammunition?

A: Ammunition with a greener footprint is beneficial to the environ-ment, life cycle management and the servicemember. Benefits can include lower toxicity to users and the environment, reduction of weight, and lower costs in sustainment. A prime example of environ-mental benefit is the reduction of lead with the advent of the 5.56 M855A1 enhanced-performance round.

Improvements can also result in extended ammunition lifespan and reduced maintenance, demilitarization or remediation expenses.

Greening improvements to the ammunition and/or the pro-duction process also present challenges. We must ensure that the greener munitions retain critical capabilities for our service-members. Another serious consideration is the impact to the ammunition producers, since greening efforts must be able to be implemented in the production environment, not just in design. Each decision to green a process or product is unique and requires cooperative communication and partnering. A life cycle approach considers both short- and long-term impacts, thereby balancing costs and requirements in production against the overall sustain-ment strategy.

Q: Tell me about the management of the production and storage facilities. How important are partnerships with industry? Why is the Department of Defense in the business of manufacturing and why not just procure from industry?

A: There are statutes and policies that provide direction regarding the management of the industrial base. The policies and statutes provide a framework for integrating industrial base considerations into Army planning to include identifying, developing and sustaining the entire industrial base while assuring we maintain an essential nucleus of government-owned industrial plants for immediate use to supply the needs of the armed forces in times of, or in anticipation of, a national emergency. These statues and policies, combined with the Industrial Base Strategic Plan for Ammunition, our supply-chain management efforts, industrial base assessment tools, and our collaborative efforts with our industry partners, allow us to manage our industrial base


JMC AND JM&L LCMC

ArmAment reseArch Development AnD engineering center

Barbara Machak(Interim) Director

Col. John Scott TurnerMilitary Deputy

Pete GlikerdasChief of Staff

Joseph KennedyHolston Army Ammo

Plant

David CastellanoExecutive Director

Weapons and Software Engineering Center

Kevin Hayes(Interim) Executive Director

Enterprise and Systems Integration Center

Cmnd. Sgt. Maj. Anthony Bryant

Command Sergeant Major

Brig. Gen. Kristin K. FrenchCommanding General

Lt. Col. Michael TriplettIowa Ammunition Plant

Col. Lee HudsonBlue Grass Army

Depot

Lt. Col. Greg GibbonsHawthorne Army Depot

Sgt. Maj. Dewey BlakeSenior Enlisted Advisor

John HedderichExecutive Director

Munitions Engineering Technology Center

JMC AND JM&L LCMC

Joe GormleyChief of Staff

Joint munitions & lethAlity lcmc

Joint munitions commAnD peo Ammunition

Brig. Gen. Kristin K. FrenchCommanding General

Lt. Col. Luis OrtizRadford Army Ammo Plant

Rhonda VanDeCasteeleExecutive Director for

Ammo

Col. Roger McCreeryTooele Army Depot

Dottie Olson(Interim) Chief of

Staff

Patricia HuberDeputy to the Commander

Col. Chad BauldPine Bluff Arsenal

Col. Joseph DalessioMcAlester Army Ammo

Plant

Lt. Col. Shane UptonLake City Army Ammo

Plant

Britt LockeMilan Army Ammo

Plant

Col. Robert (Joe) Dixon Jr.

Crane Army Ammo Activity

Lt. Col. Bryan Fowler

Letterkenny Munitions Center

Lt. Col. Wendell (Shayne) Moore

Anniston Munitions Center

Richard HansenScranton Army

Ammo Plant

John CurranProject DirectorJoint Products

Col. Steven CummingsProject DirectorJoint Services

James ShieldsDeputy PEO Ammunition

Brig. Gen. John McGuiness

PEO Ammunition

Col. Paul HillProject ManagerManeuver Ammo

Systems

Col. Willie ColemanProject Manager

Combat Ammo Systems

Col. Richard HornsteinProject Manager

Close Combat Systems

Chris GrassanoChief of Staff

to achieve efficient and effective operations, a quality product, and on-time delivery.

The partnerships we have with industry allow us to review, discuss and develop solutions to keep the industrial base, both organic and commercial, viable in order to provide the right solution at the right time and place. These partnerships are invaluable in our support to the servicemembers.

Certain sectors of the organic industrial base have unique capa-bilities and capacities not available in the commercial sector. These include capabilities available in the commercial sector, but the com-mercial sector’s capacity is insufficient to meet total demand. By virtue of being government-owned, retention of the organic industrial base’s capacities remains under the control of the government.

Commercial capability can, and likely will, be divested based on market conditions, regardless of military readiness objectives. But, the organic industrial base capability/capacity can be leveraged for expansion or to meet un-forecasted requirements. The government-owned facilities have available footprints, facilities and infrastructure to meet unforecasted requirements. But it’s a balancing act. In order to have these large government-owned footprints, facilities and infrastructure, it is essential to maintain them, but systematically modernize them.

Most of the government-owned facilities were constructed during or shortly following World War II. Maintenance and modernization of these large World War II-era facilities cost millions of dollars annually.

Q: How do you go about managing ammunition inventory, tracking and forecasting usage?

A: JMC manages inventory at both the wholesale and retail levels. The wholesale level includes storage depots from which we ship assets. Wholesale asset management is performed by the Logistics Mod-ernization Program (LMP). With LMP, we manage every detail of an asset down to its precise location inside a storage building. JMC uses LMP to manage accounts for all military services, other government entities outside the Department of Defense and foreign countries. The LMP electronically updates service systems so all records are in sync on a continuous basis. During shipment from our storage locations to ammunition supply points, we track shipments using the Munitions Transportation Management System.

At the retail level, the Army uses the Standard Army Ammunition System Modernization system to account for assets that are being held at our ASPs. These supply points use the Training Ammunition Management Information System-Redesigned system to forecast ammunition requirements so that JMC ships assets as needed. Using these systems helps manage limited storage space at ASPs and also minimizes expensive shipments of excess ammunition back to the depots.

Q: How well do the services communicate and coordinate to try and sync ammunition requirements? Does your command facilitate those communications?

A: JMC successfully supports our joint forces’ conventional muni-tions requirements. We are directly responsible for joint ammunition readiness. As the SMCA (single manager for conventional ammuni-tion) field operating activity, JMC provides logistics and sustainment support to all services to include storage, inventory, distribution and demilitarization. We lead monthly meetings with the other services

and are in continual contact with them to forecast and fulfill ammo needs. In fact, liaisons from the other services staff offices at our head-quarters, which further facilitates coordination.

Q: How did the Joint Munitions & Lethality Life Cycle Management Command support the war?

A: JMC has supported all U.S. military services with their ammunition requirements during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom with approximately 333,000 short tons of ammunition to date. To visualize this amount of ammunition support, imagine 20-foot containers lined end to end that extend for 90 miles. JMC also provided acquisition support to the PEO Ammunition, their program managers and continued logistics and readiness missions.

We’ve supported ammunition requirements in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility by providing quarterly resupply ves-sels, which supports requirements for all services.

JMC has maintained steady deployments of ammunition logistics assistance representatives, quality assurance specialist (ammunition surveillance), and ammunition managers to support the deployed force.

We also have been retrograding ammunition back from theater since 2007. With the exception of 200 short tons to support forces remaining in Afghanistan, all ammunition is scheduled to be removed by the end of 2014.

Q: How has ammo logistics changed through the years?

A: Within JMC, we’ve developed an Enterprise Integrated Logistics Strategy to manage and transform our logistics business. In the 2000 timeframe, prior to 9/11, we supported the major commands through a pull system. This resulted in too much ammunition on the ground at ASPs and an inability to support the units when and where needed.

In 2002, JMC stood up a process called Centralized Ammunition Management (CAM). CAM is a Chief of Staff of the Army Logistics Transformation Task Force initiative that bridges the gap in ammu-nition between wholesale and retail using supply chain principles. Simply put, we know exactly how much ammunition is in each ASP in the continental United States, so we are able to push ammunition to meet training requirements. CAM enables the ASPs to operate more efficiently.

In 2006, we evolved into a regional strategy focused on require-ments for contingency and outload. We analyzed our storage require-ments, modified our regions and positioned ammunition for unit training and outload.

In 2011, we expanded our strategy to include all workload, manufacturing and third parties, in order to understand the capability requirements our customers needed and assure an effective/efficient enterprise. This initiative has enabled us to better support the instal-lations and assures we can adapt to the future operating environment.

Aligning itself with current and future trends, JMC has integrated a number of automated information systems at its headquarters through data transfer links, and leveraged numerous automatic iden-tification technology strategies at its depots to streamline business process models, modernize system architectures and make better use of available resources in managing the Class V supply depot opera-tions mission. We continue to improve our business processes and expand our capabilities to better and more efficiently support our customer—the warfighter. O


Armored Vehiclesin Gear

the army is searChing for more poWerful transmissions for heaVy ComBat VehiCles.By peter BuxBaum, gCt CorresponDent

A request for information (RFI) for a heavy combat crossdrive trans-mission released earlier this year by the United States Army Tank Automo-tive Research, Development and Engi-neering Center (TARDEC) represents a continuation of current trends seen in the design and development of transmissions for military vehicles. In a nutshell, TARDEC is seeking a more powerful transmission for heavy combat vehicles that will take up no more space under the armor than current models. Transmission designers and manu-facturers have been striving to achieve these goals, which have been a TARDEC requirement, for the last number of years.

TARDEC issued the RFI as part of a future demonstration of a power-dense propulsion system designed for a tracked vehicle in the 60- to 70-ton range. That would put the M1 Abrams in a position to benefit from such a new transmission. According to the RFI, the transmission will be installed to the propulsion system to achieve a system power density of 4.5 horsepower per cubic foot.

The plan calls for the transmission design to achieve a technology readiness level (TRL) by March 6, 2019. TRL 6 means

that the transmission will meet perfor-mance requirements—in this case defined as completion of a 75-hour durability test—in a laboratory environment. TRL 7 refers to examining performance once the transmission is installed in a vehicle. The response date for the RFI was May 30, 2014. TARDEC is currently evaluating responses.

“The design should include architec-ture that maintains high energy efficiency across the operating speed and load range of the transmission,” said the RFI. “The transmission architecture will need to be reconfigurable and developed to meet the interface requirements of the other propul-sion system components. Products offered are desired to be already developed or under development.”

“The Army must be capable of operat-ing wherever it is sent and TARDEC sup-ports this expeditionary strategy for the future force,” said Craig Effinger, program manager at TARDEC research and technol-ogy integration. “From the Pacific Rim to the desert and mountainous regions of the world, ground vehicle platforms must be capable upon arrival. As such, our research and technology efforts focus on enhanced mobility developments that will optimize

ground vehicle capabilities in multiple environments.”

“TARDEC is considering the acquisi-tion of a new crossdrive transmission,” acknowledged Sony Zanardelli, acting dep-uty for powertrain integration at TARDEC. “The purpose is to develop a transmission synchronously with compatible powertrain components to improve vehicle mobility. [The goal is] a more compact, mechani-cally efficient design, optimized for vehicle mobility in terms of compatible powertrain components.”

The challenge for transmission design-ers and manufacturers is to provide higher rates of propulsion in the same, or even smaller, spaces. “Any transmission can be improved or upgraded, if the space claim constraint is relaxed,” said Pete Ostrom, vice president for business development at L-3 Combat Propulsion Systems. “The trend from the customer has been in the other direction, however, where vol-ume under armor has been sought to be reclaimed, allowing more space for the crew.” In other words, TARDEC would like to see less space taken up by the propulsion systems so that crew space can be enlarged, providing greater comfort to personnel.


“The Army has driven industry for years to reduce size, weight and power,” said Ostrom. “We don’t know if expanding crew space is going to be a firm requirement in the next program of record, but it is defi-nitely the direction in which the Army has moved. At the same time, [we would like to] have the power train perform better than it does today.”

L-3 CPS has adopted that thinking in its transmission designs by maintaining the current transmission space claim and using leap-ahead technology to make transmission upgrades a drop-in replacement, not requir-ing the vehicle manufacturer to allocate more space to accommodate the upgrade. “This provides significantly increased per-formance in the same space as before,” said Ostrom. “For example, we developed an 800-horsepower transmission that takes up no more space than our previous 600-horse-power transmission. It has 200 horsepower of more power but because it operates at higher efficiency, it takes up no more space than the earlier model.”

According to Ostrom’s information, TAR-DEC intends to use one or two M1 Abrams chassis as test rigs for a new tank propul-sion system. The testing would include not only a new crossdrive transmission, but also new engines, suspension systems, auxiliary power units and batteries, as well as a new electronics architecture. These are intended to be demonstrated in 2019. A separate RFI addressing the integration of new power train components is currently pending.

“The TARDEC program for the trans-mission is part of a very smart larger effort to spend the next five years maturing leap ahead and advanced technologies, which will have been matured to a TRL 6 and, at the right time, are ready for incorporation into a new program of record,” said Ostrom.

L-3 Combat Propulsion Systems has responded to TARDEC’s RFI. “The response provides TARDEC technical input about technologies that will achieve their objec-tives of increased efficiency, reduced size and weight, reduced fuel consumption, and lower costs,” said Ostrom. “Based on infor-mation provided by TARDEC, our approach and submitted technologies meet TARDEC’s desired goals in the time frame to achieve TRL 6 or higher and subsequent integration for vehicle demonstration within the next five years.”

L-3 Combat Propulsion Systems trans-missions are already installed in the entire Bradley fleet, the multiple launch rocket

system, and the Paladin PIM M109A7, as well as in multiple international platforms. “Combat Propulsion Systems is currently the lead on all four of the modernization paths for the Army’s transmission road map,” noted Ostrom.

The platforms currently carrying L-3 transmissions are in the medium weight class of not more than 50 tons. “TARDEC is pushing for a new transmission for heavy vehicles of up to 70 tons,” said Ostrom. “What they really want at that weight class is an engine and transmission that are smaller, lighter, and much more efficient so that fuel economy goes up.”

A partnership between QinetiQ and BAE Systems has also responded to the TARDEC RFI. The partnership has offered its E-X-Drive transmission as meeting the RFI’s requirements.

“The E-X-Drive is a cross-shaft configu-ration,” said a QinetiQ spokesperson. “This innovative approach is scalable across a wide range of system weights and has been dem-onstrated with a TRL up to 7. An E-X-Drive transmission is not only smaller and lighter than comparable conventional transmis-sions, but enables novel configurations of power pack design and location to improve packaging efficiency, survivability, agility and mission success.”

The E-X-Drive transmission was sup-plied to the Army’s Future Combat Sys-tems manned ground vehicle and the later ground combat vehicle, both of which were teamed with BAE Systems. “On these pro-grams, E-X-Drive transmissions were suc-cessfully designed, built, delivered and operated, and have performed extremely well, meeting all requirements,” said the QinetiQ spokesperson. Both of those pro-grams have since been canceled.

The E-X-Drive transmission represents a recent advancement in transmission tech-nology, noted the spokesperson. “It combines the proven principle of mechanical steering power transfer via a cross-shaft arrangement with compact and efficient traction motors, providing a compact transmission that can be used in diesel electric or full hybrid configurations,” the spokesperson explained. The transmission also features permanent magnet electrical machines with high torque density, improved manufacturability, lower cost, and compact and efficient gear change stages and steering differential.

As the medium weight class of tracked vehicles has grown in weight over the years, L-3 has partnered with several design firms

to increase the power capability and effi-ciency of the transmission while not increas-ing the size of the transmission so as to not impact the platform chassis. This effort has led to several innovations in transmis-sion technology, such as multi-geared and staged pumps, coplanar gearing, and higher-efficiency braking.

“What these technologies allow you to do is to increase the efficiency of the transmis-sion and keep it as small as possible while delivering more torque to the vehicle,” said Ostrom. In each case, these technologies attempt to prevent the loss of power from the time it is put out from the transmission and until it reaches the wheels or tracks of a vehicle.

“Because there is a metal-on-metal inter-face, even through it is lubricated, some of the energy is lost,” Ostrom explained. “When we talk about efficiencies in the transmission world we are talking about minimizing those losses. So, the objective of our 800-horse-power transmission is to deliver 800 horse-power of energy to the sprockets that turn the track.”

The technology developments incorpo-rated into L-3’s newer transmissions attempt to enhance efficiency by conserving the transmission’s power as it is delivered to the vehicle’s tracks. Coplanar gearing refers to a very high-efficiency gear set. Multi-staged gear pumps reduce the power required by the transmission from the engine.

“There are hydraulic oil pumps inside the transmission that require energy,” explained Ostrom. “That sucks power away from the engine, which in turn drives the transmis-sion. A multi-stage pump doesn’t have to be driven at full speed all the time. You only run it as much as you need to.” High-efficiency braking reduces the energy and pressure within the transmission required to brake the vehicle. (In military vehicles braking is accomplished through the transmission.)

L-3’s newest transmission, the HMPT-800 High Efficiency, will be fielded with the Bradley ECP II Program and the Paladin PIM M109A7. “The HMPT-800 is a high-efficiency improvement to the MPT-800,” said Ostrom. “The significant efficiency gains associated with the HMPT-800 come from its continu-ously variable transmission. Through a set of balls and blocks, this allows the hydraulic fluid to essentially create an infinite number of gears so that [the vehicle] is very efficient and very powerful.”

The new transmission takes up no more room than its predecessor, allowing it to be


dropped into the vehicle without having to crack the hull. “If you have to push the bulkhead backward, it impacts the crew space,” said Ostrom. “If you have to redesign the vehicle to accommodate a new transmis-sion, you might as well start a whole new program. This ability to drop in transmission upgrades has allowed the Bradley to be in combat-ready useful service for decades and will allow it to continue to be so for decades to come.”

The scalability of the E-X-Drive trans-mission means it can be designed to suit the physical constraints of existing vehicle hulls with minimal changes, according to the QinetiQ spokesperson. “The inherent flex-ibility of the E-X-Drive design lends itself to retro-fit solutions where existing hull space constraints exist,” said the spokesperson. “Moreover, the packaging flexibility of the electric powertrain further supports the inte-gration into existing vehicles.”

Ostrom foresees hybrid transmission sys-tems enhanced by electrical power to become more important in the future. “They will have significant value to the warfighter, help-ing to achieve reduced fuel consumption, silent watch, and burst dash speed capabil-ity,” he said. “Lithium ion battery technology has been maturing quickly and this will help provide the power required, not only for the drive train, but also to run the communica-tions and air conditioning systems inside the vehicles themselves.” L-3 has successfully developed and demonstrated such systems in the past and will shortly unveil a hybrid 1,000-horsepower power package.

“The E-X-Drive based series hybrid elec-tric drive system enables force protection and improved mobility in a lighter vehicle, while providing the capability for growth in power requirements and new technologies,” said the QinetiQ spokesperson. “In some instances, where demands for energy storage are low, application as a pure electric drive solution may be more appropriate solution. The underpinning permanent magnet motor and closely integrated gearbox technology at QinetiQ would enable the technology to be applied to wheeled vehicle electric drive applications. QinetiQ has previously designed and built in-hub drive systems for high-mobility off-road wheeled vehicles and has concepts for wheeled vehicles using in-chassis drive arrangements.”

For all of the advancements in this area, Ostrom warned that the U.S. industrial base in this area is fragile and requires addi-tional congressional funding. “Right now

this nation has only three combat vehicle transmission manufacturers,” he said. “The industrial base is critical to the future and very fragile as we look out at future Army requirements.

“In situations like this, U.S. Congress has stepped in to maintain these capabilities,” Ostrom added. “There are some things we can do as a joint team to lower costs to the Army, retain industry investment, and posi-tion this national capability for the future that does not rely on Congress bailing it out every year. As we are seeing in the 2015 defense bills, Congress is poised to inject additional funding, but they are also saying that the threat of sequestration is returning in 2016, meaning that 2015 will be the last year they can help. We all as a team need to

start now collectively taking action steps or the Army may not have anyone to build and repair transmissions.”

As for TARDEC, it hasn’t yet made any decisions on how, or at what pace, to proceed with a new heavy crossdrive transmission. Zanardelli noted that a related RFI address-ing the integration of new power train com-ponents is currently on the street. “After that closes,” she said, “there is potential for a request for proposals.” O


at www.gct-kmi.com.

The less times tankers spend changing out or working on transmissions, means more time available for operations. [Photo courtesy of DoD]


Reductions in force and budget cutbacks have U.S. com-manders increasingly turning to unmanned aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), while the low-intensity conflicts springing up around the world in both urban settings and remote areas without finished airfields increase the need for vertical take off and landing unmanned air vehicles (VTOL-UAVs)—from the full-sized Northrop Grumman Fire Scout to tiny pocket-sized quad-copters like Prox Dynamics’ Black Hornet.

One of the largest and longest serving VTOL-UAVs is Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout. Designed to provide the U.S. Navy with intelligence, situational awareness and target acquisition for ground, air and sea forces, the 3,150-pound Fire Scout is derived from the Sikorsky/Schweizer 333 manned helicopter. Powered by a Rolls Royce engine running on JP-1 or JP-4 aviation fuel, it has a maximum speed of 85 knots and can stay aloft for up to five and a half hours, depending on the payload. It has a service ceiling of 12,500 feet. The sensor package includes full-motion video and electro optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras with a laser range finder and illuminator.

Three MQ-8Bs were deployed in Afghanistan for 28 months providing ISR to ground commanders, and others flew off of U.S. Navy missile frigates on counter-piracy patrols in African waters. In June, the MQ-8B began test flights with the AN/ZPY-4(V) multi-mode radar that Northrop Grumman said will improve the Navy’s long-range surface search capabilities and increase situational awareness in a high-traffic littoral environment.

The newest version, the MQ-8C, with a design based on the larger airframe of the Bell 407 manned helicopter, is bigger, faster and has longer endur-ance, range and payload capability than the MQ-8B. The MQ-8C has a maximum speed of 135 knots, a maximum ceiling of 16,000 feet, and can carry a combined fuel and payload weight of 2,800 pounds (1,270 kilos), compared to the earlier version’s 1,150 pounds (kilos). It can stay aloft from 11 to 14 hours, depending on the payload.

“The [ground-based] area is there for us to go into in the future, but right now it’s all about the Navy,” said Northrop Grumman Fire Scout spokes-man T.J. Ortega.

Saab’s Skeldar was developed for both the land and maritime environment. The medium-sized VTOL UAS is being marketed as an ISR asset that can fly into and out of confined spaces—as little as 30 by 30 feet—like a shipboard landing area or a small woodland clearing.

Skeldar is powered by a two-stroke, 59-horsepower engine run-ning on heavy fuel such as JP5, JP8 or Jet A1, which is economical, easy to obtain and less flammable—an advantage aboard ship, said Johan Hansson, vice president for aeronautics marketing and sales at Saab North America.

The Swedish VTOL UAV has a composite carbon fiber, titanium and aluminum fuselage. The system includes two to four air vehicles for uninterrupted operational availability. The unmanned helicopter is 17.1 feet long including rotor blades, and stands 4.3 feet high, with a maximum takeoff weight of 518 pounds. With a payload of 88 pounds, it can stay aloft for six hours. Maximum speed is 75 knots and, with recent data links upgrades, its mission radius 90 miles. The Skeldar operates both day and night in diverse weather conditions and requires just 10 minutes of flight preparation time. Skeldar is “much, much smaller than Fire Scout,” said Hansson, “but capable of many of the same missions.”

Skeldar was deployed on a Spanish Navy vessel on counter-pirate patrol off the Horn of Africa in 2013. Hansson said interest in tacti-cal ISR has been building. Regarding sensors, “we’re agnostic as to what you can do with Skeldar,” he said, adding, “There are new

areas all the time.” Skeldar has a low heat signature thanks to exhaust pipes that point up, making it hard to detect from the ground. Typically, it takes just three or four people to launch, operate and recover the UAV.

“Our system is very modular,” said Hansson, not-ing it has dual payload capability and rail-mounting that enables quick payload changes between mis-sions. The basic payload is a high-resolution EO/IR camera on a gimbal mounted below the fuselage. With other payloads, Skeldar can perform ISR, target acquisition and fire control missions.

Schiebel Aircraft Industries describes its Camcop-ter S-100 as a multi-mission unmanned air system (UAS). “We’ve sold pretty much all over the globe. We operate in the desert, the Arctic, the mountains and the tropics,” as well as over three oceans, said Chris Day, Schiebel’s head of capability engineering. Cam-copter has won favor mostly with land forces because maritime services “tend to be late adopters” who “like their technology a bit more mature,” said Day.

But that’s changed in the last year, as the Cam-copter’s ability to land and take off from really small or severely confined areas became widely known.

Johan hansson

the SkiesEyes in

Chris Day

small unmanneD heliCopters Bring speCial CapaBilities to groWing isr neeDs.By John m. Doyle, gCt CorresponDent


“The maritime market has really, really exploded,” Day said. In recent months, Schiebel has run Camcopter demonstrations for the Brazilian Navy and the Dutch Coast Guard.

“Most people don’t realize how small we are,” said Day, explain-ing that the 243-pound, 122-inch helicopter can be transported by aircraft, ship or truck. It can carry a payload of up to 110 pounds but can stay aloft for a maximum of six hours with a 75-pound payload. Camcopter’s maximum take-off weight is 440 pounds. It has a ceil-ing of 11,500 feet.

Programming for an autonomous mission is controlled by a point-and-click graphical user interface with payload imagery trans-mitted to the control station in real time. There are also redundant navigation systems and GPS. Schiebel doesn’t make sensors for the Camcopter, Day said. “We provide the sky platform to hang payloads on,” he said, like Thales’ lightweight I-Master ground surveillance radar. The Brazilian and Dutch tests included the L3 Wescam MX-10 electro-optical sensor.

Boeing is Schiebel’s Camcopter representative in the American defense market. It has a license with the U.S. government for the S-100, “which we purchase from Schiebel as a commercial off-the-shelf product. We then modify it—adding sensors, payloads and other capabilities—to meet customer requirements,” said Alison Sheridan, a Boeing spokesperson. “The S-100 is used primarily for ISR and typical payloads would include EO/IR cameras to provide imagery, as well as communications relays or other electronic pay-loads,” Sheridan said in an email.

Lockheed Martin has a quad-copter small (SUAS). Developed by Lockheed Martin’s Procerus Technologies unit in Vineyard, Utah, the 4.8-pound Indago can fly for up to 45 minutes in low hovering flight and go as fast as 30 mph. The SUAS is equipped with a Kestrel 3.1 autopilot system and a hand controller with a large, outdoor-readable screen. Operated with the controller, Indago has a range of a little over 3 miles, but that range can be extended with directional communications devices.

Powered by a lithium battery, the Indago is very quiet. “You won’t find a quieter vehicle than Indago,” said Reed Christiansen, Indago’s program manager, adding: “You will not hear it.”

The SUAS gimbal mount includes EO/IR cameras sensors and a laser illuminator to provide continuous 360-degree panning capability. Indago can be deployed in minutes and is collapsible into a man-packable unit that requires no tools for assembly. Air Force and Marine Corps special operations commands have been looking at Indago, said Dave Pringle, program manager at Procerus Technologies. “It’s been tailored to the Defense Department since the very beginning,” he added. Lockheed Martin announced in April that Indago had moved from the research and development stage to operational readiness.

Canada’s Aeryon Labs also makes a SUAS, the SkyRanger quad-copter, that is used by several mili-taries in North America, the Middle East and Asia, including U.S. Special Operations Command, said Cameron Waite, the Waterloo, Ontario company’s North American sales director.

Aeryon offers the SkyRanger for a number of land and maritime missions, including covert ISR, convoy and compound security, and shipboarding operations.

The 5.3-pound quad-copter can stay aloft for up to 50 minutes with a payload. It has a 40-inch diameter and a height of 9.3 inches and can fold up into a suitcase or custom backpack. Despite its small

size, the SkyRanger can handle sustained winds of 40 mph and gusts of up to 55 mph. It is operated with a point-and-click touchscreen for both navigation and camera control.

The battery-powered small drone has a beyond-line-of-sight range of 1.9 miles.

Integrated payloads contained in a gimbal hung below the aircraft include stabilized, simultaneously streaming dual EO/IR high resolution cameras. “The majority of the payloads we’ve developed ourselves,” said Andrea Sangster, senior marketing manager. Datron of Vista, Calif., is Aeryon’s main distributor for the Scout and SkyRanger in the U.S. military market. Conversely, “We work with those countries that the U.S. can’t work with, but Canada can,” said Sangster.

SkyRanger is a larger, updated version of Aeryon’s Scout SUAS. In November 2009, a Scout was used to supply ISR for a military-led raid in Central America on a suspected drug lord’s compound. In the summer of 2011, rebels fighting the regime of Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi acquired a Scout to obtain intelligence on enemy positions and coordinate operations.

One of the smallest unmanned helicopters being used for tactical ISR in Afghanistan is Prox Dynamics’

Dave Pringle

[email protected]

Reed Christiansen

Vertical lift systems offer a range of tactical advantages. [Photo courtesy of Schiebel]

Rotary wing unmanned systems are suitable for land operations but can also fill a maritime role with ease. [Photo courtesy of Saab]


PD-100 Black Hornet. The palm-sized nano helicopter moves at 16.4 feet per second and can fly at treetop level or zoom down to 1.31 feet above the ground.

Because it is so small, just over half an ounce, the Black Hornet doesn’t have a gimbal beneath its fuselage. Instead, the tiny gray helo comes with three internal full-motion video cameras pointing in dif-ferent directions to give a 110-degree range of view, said the Norwe-gian company’s vice president for business development, Ole Aguirre. “You can just hover above someone’s head and use the downward-pointing camera to take snapshots,” he said, adding that the subjects won’t see or hear the battery-powered UAV. The Black Hornet is also equipped with built-in GPS, internal sensors and an autopilot that allows pre-programmed autonomous flight or operator-controlled flight. Despite its tiny size, the Black Hornet can handle wind gusts of up to 20 knots with the GPS and auto pilot correcting its flight if it is blown off course.

The tiny single-rotor helo can stay aloft for 25 minutes, enough time to fly over a building or compound and allowing the operator, using a handheld control unit, to spot potential threats without get-ting dangerously close. The Black Hornet is described as a “personal reconnaissance system” that includes two UAVs and the control unit, which has a 7-inch monitoring screen. It all weighs just 2.87 pounds, but it can show an individual soldier operating from a safe distance instead of a squad going in harm’s way if there’s a threat around the next corner. “That’s where we bridge the gap between an aerial sensor and a ground sensor,” Aguirre said, and that makes the Black Hornet a force multiplier.

The Black Hornet Block II system, already in production and introduced at this year’s Eurosatory expo in Paris, can fly out to 3,937 feet without problems, Aguirre said. And with an extended antenna, the range grows to 6,561 feet, he added. “This is something available right now,” said Aguirre. The Black Hornet has been tested by the U.S., U.K. and Norwegian militaries and has been used by the British Army since 2012 in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The United Kingdom has acquired more than 300 Black Hornets through British surveillance manufacturer Malborough Communi-cations Ltd. And the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center has awarded Prox Dynamics a $2.5 million contract to develop a pocket-sized UAV for infantry and special operations troops.

In the United Kingdom, a Welsh company, Torquing Tech-nologies, has begun rolling out its nano drone, Sparrow, and new communications technology for operating it. Sparrow has machine-to-machine communication technology allowing multiple Sparrows to communicate with each other and fly in swarms. “It’s a simple communications protocol that can render its own mesh network,” said Ivan Reedman, Torquing’s director of research and development.

The unique way it is produced has turned Sparrow into “a flying circuit board,” said Reedman. The tiny UAV has a number of sensors integrated and fused together. All of the layers are manufactured almost like a line of model train cars, then snapped off the produc-tion line, layered on top of each other and housed in the drone’s composite material shell. The sensors stacked inside the 4.23-ounce nano drone include a tiny GPS, inertial navigation and inertial compensation capabilities so the pocket-sized Sparrow can calculate accurate movement in 3-D space.

Reedman said the final production version of the Sparrow will be able to carry payloads between 1.2 and 1.8 times its weight, or about 6.35 and 7.05 ounces. A built-in Linux webserver takes the data gathered by the onboard and payload sensors and can transmit

it to almost any modern Web-browsing device—from an iPhone to a Kindle Fire—possessing the proper permissions and protocols. And using Torquing’s C3 operating system, any Web-enabled device can control the UAV via an encrypted signal. That means the Sparrow can be controlled through a tablet, smartphone or laptop device.

C3 also allows one operator to control hundreds of Sparrows because the small UAVs are autonomous. “You task it, you don’t fly it,” Reedman explained. Therefore anyone who can use a website can use C3 “to control any number of Sparrows and also seamlessly integrate them with other field assets” like soldiers or heavy vehicles, he said.

In Fort Collins, Colo., Scion UAS is developing two VTOL air-craft, the full-sized optionally manned SA-400 Jackal, which has been acquired by the Naval Research Laboratory for testing, and the smaller SA-200 Weasel. “The SA-200 is very versatile for ISR,” said Steen Mogensen, chief executive officer of Scion UAS. Like the SA-400, SA-200 is a carbon composite modular design with the same auto pilot technology, but the 150-pound Weasel is small enough to fit in the back of a standard long-bed pickup truck. The Weasel can stay aloft for about four hours and carry a payload ranging between 5 and 15 pounds.

“The SA-200 is an up and coming product. It’s kind of in the future,” said Jim Sampson, Scion UAS board chairman and manager. Because the larger SA-400 can carry a pilot and fly in unrestricted airspace, most flight testing is being done on the bigger aircraft while the SA-200 is undergoing ground testing. Both aircraft are similarly designed to be payload agnostic, Sampson said. “We try to build the generic pickup truck because every user has a different payload in mind for their mission and every mission is going to require a dif-ferent suite of payloads,” he noted. On both aircraft, Scion UAS has integrated a number of hardpoints and electrical connections on the fuselage, “so it is a very straightforward thing to switch from a cam-era platform to a belly-mounted radar, for example,” Sampson added.

That will lead Scion UAS to offer the SA-200 with two or three engine options: a gasoline-burning piston engine, a dual fuel-burn-ing Wankel and a heavy fuel burning turbine for naval operations. “We’re going to provide multiple options because each mission is going to have its own fuel requirements,” Sampson explained. O


at www.gct-kmi.com.

With operational hours, vertical lift unmanned systems have operated both ISR and supply missions. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy]


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Educated in Britain to degree level in telecommunications and microwave tech-nology, Heavens has worked in engineering, project management and business manage-ment around the world over the past 40 years, with 20 years in business management and for the last 10 years as division executive for AR Modular RF in Bothell, Wash.

Q: Could you tell our readers about some of the solutions that AR Modular RF offers to the military and other government contractors?

A: AR Modular RF offers a very wide range of RF amplifiers to our total customer base. Military and government customers are offered a narrow subset of products aimed at tactical and non-tactical radio communica-tions systems.

Q: What unique benefits do AR’s tactical amplifier products provide its customers in comparison with other companies in your field?

A: AR Modular has been designing and building RF amplifiers for 43 years. Our amplifiers are designed for 24/7 operation and over the long term, we have evolved design practices that produce very rugged and reliable products.

Our designs aim to keep the operation of the product intuitively simple, yet at the same time offer a product that can interface with a wide range of radios from multiple vendors. They can also deal with both the legacy and modern networking modulation formats all in the same system rather than having to offer multiple products limited to just one type of transmission. This [versatil-ity] allows the operator the opportunity to focus full time on their real task at hand rather than worrying about the setup of the radio system.

Q: What are some interesting new programs or initiatives at AR Modular?

A: Military software defined radio (SDR) sys-tems have evolved into very complex units

offering a wide range of functionality to the operators. Additionally, the operating frequency spectrum has expanded upward to 2GHz, so AR Modular has been busy adding new products for portable and vehicle use that offer wideband networking capability as well as legacy waveforms such as our AR55L and the AR20R. In this marketplace, small, compact products are the order of the day; therefore, we have brought out a new smaller and lighter 20-watt VHF/UHF por-table amplifier called the AR20.

Q: How is AR positioned in the market for expansion?

A: Business schools teach that you grow or die. After 43 years in the business, AR has moved with the market by bringing new products to market using the latest state-of-the-art technologies. Our new product road map takes us forward for the next three to five years.

We’ve partnered with new vendors who offer improved services and quality and who can keep pace with our business needs. Glo-balization has meant that a number of these vendors are no longer in our backyard.

Q: Can you provide a few success stories?

A: A large radio vendor came to us with a requirement for a SINCGARS-only 50-watt amplifier. At the time we didn’t offer such a product and they only had two months before they needed to receive a production run. We completed a redesign of our exist-ing AR50 product, successfully put it into production and delivered it on time.

Another client needed a brand-new 400-watt RF amplifier design to fit into a spe-cifically sized package and interface with an existing tactical radio. Given that informa-tion, we successfully designed, built and delivered from scratch a completely new physical and electronic design in less than six months.

Q: What are AR Modular’s objectives in 2014-15 for the government market? Which of your sectors have experienced fast growth and why?

A: As I said earlier, the radio market tech-nology continues to evolve, so we must also evolve with it. Therefore, our objective is to continue to be a leader in the tactical communications amplifier market offering new, advanced amplifiers to match the SDR radios becoming the norm for all services, especially multifunctional special operation forces. The SDR radios were slow to come to market due to their highly complex struc-ture, but now that they have been fully proven, volume is rapidly rising and the need for matching amplifiers like our new AR55L, AR20R and AR20 continues to rise, so we see a good future ahead for many years.

Q: How are AR Modular’s solutions custom-ized to meet the needs of the government?

A: Manufacturers all love to design and ship “standard” products. However, it rarely seems to happen. Take our 50-watt VHF/UHF tactical booster: the AR50 was conceived with the intent of being a universal solution for all users. Now, after four years in the field, at least six versions of it were designed to match a specific set of customer tasks or features.

Q: Any closing thoughts?

A: Although the military market isn’t our whole business, it’s a very important part of our business not only from a fiscal point of view but from a sense of purpose. It’s not just smart technology—it’s technology that supports a group of very special people who maintain our freedom. O

InduStrY IntErVIEW ground combat & tactical ISr

Chris HeavensVice President and General Manager

AR Modular RF


FeaturesFull Motion VideoFmV represents a higher level of intel, but the ability to bring it down to the operator in a digestible form is where it pays off.Soldier WeaponSFirearms manufacturers are offering a range of weapon options for the individual warfighter.energy attenuating Vehicle SeatSarmor may protect the vehicle, but the kinetic energy transfer of a mine or IEd blast is just as dangerous as the explosion. Seat design can mitigate some of that risk.poSitioning, naVigation & tiMingPnt is a top priority of the army, at the direction of assistant Secretary of the army aL&t Heidi Shyu and PEo IEW&S Stephen Kreider.

night ViSionbasic night vision can be found in a nursery room monitor these days, and even if opponents have night vision devices, technological advantages are still possible.

October 2014Vol. 5, Issue 5

Insertion order deadline: September 19, 2014 ad material deadline: September 26, 2014

Cover and In-depth IntervIew wIth:

Brig. gen. david g. BassettPEo

u.S. army ground combat Systems


auSa issue

who’s who speCIal supplementu.S. arMy intelligence, electronic WarFare & SenSorSExclusive interview with Stephen Kreider, PEo IEW&S, plus a pictorial review of the PEo IEW&S organization and its various program and product managers.

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