U.S. Army Stryker M1127 Reconnaissance Vehicles, assigned to third Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, are staged to exhibit anti-UAS capabilities through the static show portion of Project Flytrap 4.0 this previous July. The Army is testing built-in laser defeat know-how on its automobiles to reinforce its protection in opposition to rising threats.
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FORT BELVOIR, Va. — Like one thing out of a sci-fi film, innovative lasers might instantaneously incapacitate and disrupt know-how whereas presenting an equally grave hazard to Soldiers’ security on the battlefield. Thus, mitigating laser vulnerabilities is essential throughout a multi-domain operational atmosphere.
Dating again to the Nineteen Eighties, the U.S. Army Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center has established a longstanding legacy of safeguarding electro-optical sensors from laser-based threats, beginning when such weapons emerged and started shifting how wars have been fought.
To assist safeguard Soldiers and gear, the C5ISR Center’s science and know-how efforts have been built-in into a number of generations of Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) methods. These methods, which make the most of sensors that detect infrared radiation and are leveraged throughout goal acquisition, surveillance and low-visibility navigation, have helped guarantee Warfighters preserve an operational functionality in opposition to laser-enabled threats in all fight eventualities, rising Soldiers’ survivability and lethality.
The Center’s experience and technical data of Soldier safety methods have resulted within the institution of specialised laboratories designed to evaluate laser results, not solely on particular person parts — reminiscent of sensors, optics, and coatings — but in addition on full methods.
“These laboratories, still located throughout C5ISR Center’s footprint, remain at the forefront of laser vulnerability testing,” stated Jason Bias, C5ISR Center. “They continue to lead efforts in evaluating the impact of laser-based search systems, jamming technologies, and direct-damage laser weapons on electro-optical platforms. Our facilities continue to serve as the industry benchmark for laser survivability testing. We also support our partners by evaluating their systems and assisting in replicating test designs at their own sites.”
Additionally, the Center serves because the certification authority for its program supervisor, PM, companions, guaranteeing methods transition seamlessly to packages of document. The heart additionally validates industry-replicated check configurations to make sure all manufacturing methods meet the required safety requirements earlier than deployment.
Leveraging a deep understanding of sensor vulnerabilities to laser threats, the C5ISR Center develops superior supplies and engineers tailor-made protecting parts throughout all operational wavebands utilized by U.S. navy methods.
“We work in close coordination with system integration divisions and PM partners to ensure these protection solutions are effectively incorporated into emerging platforms — balancing survivability, affordability and performance,” stated Bias. “Our technical leadership in the development of these protective components has positioned the center as the trusted subject matter expert for PMs procuring systems that incorporate a diverse array of laser protection technologies developed in-house.”
As the Army’s sole remaining science and know-how developer centered on safety in opposition to laser weapons, the C5ISR Center performs a essential function in informing each Army stakeholders and {industry} companions on accessible applied sciences and rising threats recognized by means of the intelligence neighborhood.
The heart’s agile improvement strategy permits know-how specialists to adapt safety options to new platforms and sensor configurations. The heart lately delivered an economical safety resolution in response to evolving threats. The effort not solely met and exceeded all program metrics, but it surely additionally enabled broader utility of a short-wave infrared sensor safety throughout a number of methods. Additionally, in response to the rising use of unmanned aerial methods and counter-UAS platforms, the middle has quickly tailored current applied sciences to ship efficient laser safety for these rising domains.
“The C5ISR Center is focused on sustaining support for both current and emerging platform requirements — such as UAS protection and counter-UAS capabilities — while continuing to transition advanced protection technologies to the field,” stated Bias. “To stay ahead of evolving threats, we are preparing for the next generation of laser weapons, including ultra-short pulsed laser systems.”
These threats pose distinctive challenges attributable to their bodily interactions with optical parts and can necessitate a elementary shift in safety methods, slightly than incremental enhancements. Addressing this problem would require sustained research, experimentation, and the event of novel methods guided by a deliberate, multi-year know-how improvement roadmap.
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The U.S. Army Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center is the Army’s utilized research and superior know-how improvement heart for C5ISR capabilities. As the Army’s major integrator of C5ISR applied sciences and methods, DEVCOM C5ISR Center helps our networked Warfighters by figuring out, creating, maturing, and quickly integrating progressive applied sciences to drive steady transformation.
DEVCOM C5ISR Center is an asset of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. DEVCOM is Army Futures Command’s chief and integrator inside a worldwide ecosystem of scientific exploration and technological innovation. DEVCOM experience spans eight main competency areas to offer built-in research, improvement, evaluation and engineering assist to the Army and DOD. From rockets to robots, drones to dozers, and aviation to artillery – DEVCOM innovation is on the core of the fight capabilities American Warfighters must win on the battlefield of the long run. For extra info, go to c5isrcenter.devcom.army.mil/.