TISR 2-1 (Feb. 2012)

Actionable Intelligence for the Warfighter

UAS Manager Col. Tim Baxter Project Manager Unmanned Aircraft Systems

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February 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1

Aerostats O Deployable ISR Assets O Secure Comms Detecting IEDs O Situational Awareness

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Tactical ISR Technology

February 2012 Volume 2 • Issue 1

Features

Cover / Q&A The Floating Eye Aerostats have become an invaluable force protection asset and communications multiplier. Stable design and utilitarian payload capacity have made them a perfect ISR tool in deployed environments.

By Peter A. Buxbaum

4 Detecting IEDs The tools used to detect IEDs can’t be simply categorized, as the number and variety of solutions being brought into service is expanding almost daily to match the equally complex and varied range of threats being faced in theater.

By Adam Baddeley

7

17 Colonel Tim Baxter Project Manager Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Powerful Knowledge 21st-century situational awareness tools keep soldiers safer and provide a distinct tactical advantage on the battlefield. Gathering the right amount of focused information provides the tactical advantage.

By J.B. Bissell

Departments 2 Editor’s Perspective

10

3 Army Unmanned On Several Levels, Securing Communication In order to ensure that hard won information and communication advantages stay secure, encryption techniques must satisfy the need for security and an almost conflicting need for immediate access.

By Hank Hogan

Aircraft Systems

14 ISR Kit 27 Calendar, Directory

21 Fast Eyes In The Field

24

Powerful and sophisticated ISR capabilities also have to be rapidly deployable to benefit the tactical warfighter.

The nature of war in Iraq and Afghanistan has required surveillance tools that can be carried easily, set up rapidly and start providing useful information almost immediately.

By Henry Canaday

Industry Interview

28 Steven Reid

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Senior Vice President and General Manager AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Tactical ISR Technology

Volume 2, Issue 1

February 2012

Actionable Intelligence for the Warfighter Editorial Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com Managing Editor Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com Online Editorial Manager Laura Davis laurad@kmimediagroup.com Copy Editor Laural Hobbes lauralh@kmimediagroup.com Correspondents Adam Baddeley • Peter Buxbaum • Steve Goodman Scott Gourley • Kenya McCullum • Joan Michel

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EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE The challenges of collecting data/information/noise that can be combined, culled and analyzed, and then pushed out to the right people with enough time to take appropriate action, are immense. The issues are fundamentally the same regardless of the scale, although consequences will certainly differ.

Everyone always talks about the Big Picture. If a civil affairs team needs information about a particular village in Afghanistan, their view to some will appear particularly narrow, but for the boots on the ground deciding whether or not to enter the village, there is no bigger picture than what is in front of them. On a different scale, for the analysts poring over images, conversations, Jeffrey D. McKaughan communications and everything else available regarding the Iranian nuclear Editor-IN-CHIEF program, the Big Picture will have a different definition. For a country that has been building many tunnels since the Iran-Iraq war, how does someone on the outside determine if a tunnel is a bomb shelter for protection or a cavern for nuclear development? We have lots of Big Pictures.

DoD has gone to great lengths to say that ISR capabilities are fundamentally important and will receive the funds needed to ensure no loss of those capabilities. The same cannot be said of the intelligence communities outside of the DoD sphere of funding.

Recently, CIA Director David H. Petraeus, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Army Lieutenant General Ronald L. Burgess Jr. accompanied the Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. during testimony on Capitol Hill. Hopefully not meant as a self-fulfilling prophecy, Clapper in his opening remarks said, “Maintaining the world’s premier intelligence enterprise in the face of shrinking budgets will be difficult. We’ll be accepting and managing risk more so than we’ve had to do in the last decade.”

As this issue was going to print, the Air Force announced that it was planning to cancel the Global Hawk Block 30 program, instead favoring a use of manned reconnaissance aircraft like the U-2. While not a done deal, the total ownership costs of the Global Hawk pushed it too far above that of the U-2—even if looking at earlier higher operating costs of the U-2. The plan, if pushed through, will not affect other aircraft or the next-generation rendition known as the Block 40, which is targeted as an export version for Europe as part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance program.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

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ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS PM UAS Priorities Shaped By Niche Missions The Project Manager (PM), Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems, is keeping pace with unmanned demands while making crucial upgrades and advancements in UAS technology. UAS capability has grown quickly within the Army. When Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003, there were only three systems (13 aircraft) deployed in support of combat operations. With U.S. combat forces no longer present in Iraq, UAS support has been redirected to Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region. Today, there are 410 systems (1,188 aircraft) providing 24/7 support to Operation Enduring Freedom. As of February 1, 2012, Army unmanned aircraft systems have flown 1.46 million total hours; 90 percent of these hours—1.3 million—were in support of OIF and Operation New Dawn.

Gray Eagle

The MQ-1C Gray Eagle acquisition strategy capitalizes on competitive forces, bringing cutting-edge improvements at the best cost and value. Key improvements include: a heavy fuel engine, advanced data link technology and enhanced overall battlespace awareness through the liberal dissemination of data and metadata, teaming with manned platforms and steps toward integration of UAS into National and International airspace.

Gray Eagle addresses an ever-increasing demand for greater range, altitude, endurance and payload flexibility, while maintaining a greater than 80 percent system operational availability rate.

The number of available unmanned aircraft is finite, requiring the need for plug-and-play type multiple payload packages as a workable solution. One solution that PM UAS is working is the Triclops sensor package, which allows for three independent users to guide and direct three independent sensor payloads from one Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft. This initiative essentially increases combat capabilities and usability by threefold. Other important additions to the Gray Eagle platform are the Starlite synthetic aperture radar (SAR), moving target indicator payload, as well as an initiative to streamline acquisition efficiency with integration of the common sensor payload (shared with Predator).

Better Buying Power/Efficiencies

According to Colonel Tim Baxter, PM UAS, “with the exception of the multi-role vertical takeoff and landing UAS, the primary acquisition emphasis will be upgrades on existing Gray Eagle, Shadow and small UAS platforms. Sensors of interest include SAR with vehicle and dismount moving target indication, electronic warfare payloads of tailored capabilities, weaponization of USMC Shadows, communications support payloads and specialty payloads.”

Interoperability in accordance with the standards of the Program Executive Officer Aviation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Network Integration Evaluation will be crucial to vendor product acceptability throughout all of these acquisitions.

Current generation single payload, single sensing modularity platforms will give way to multi-intelligence, multi-sensor platforms. These new platforms will be capable of finding targets down to dismount and IED size with great efficiency and effectiveness. Future systems will have increased intelligence and autonomy on the vehicle systems to expand on the capability per person force structure. In other words, more processing of information will be done on the platforms, therefore www.TISR-kmi.com

By Marty Shelton

streamlining the processing exploitation and dissemination process for personnel on the ground.

Interoperability Profiling

Advancements in the interoperability profile development continue to strengthen MUM-T [manned unmanned teaming] capability. This allows the manned aircraft pilot to guide and direct unmanned aircraft 10 to 15 kilometers ahead, maintaining a greater standoff distance from combatants and create the opportunity for greater lethality.

Advancements in interoperability profiles resulted in the OSRVT recently being named a POR. OSRVT and bi-directional capabilities will provide the ability to achieve full interoperability among manned and unmanned aircraft systems.

Universal Operators

According to Rich Kretzschmar, deputy project manager UAS, “There are currently 1,200 or so U.S. Army unmanned aircraft in direct support of deployed combat forces. These numbers of systems represent a huge opportunity to gain efficiencies through introduction of a universal control system.” Ongoing efforts of PM UAS and the Aviation Center of Excellence to introduce a universal UAS operator combined with the UGCS, will provide commanders with the capability to tailor their UAS vehicle and force structure to quickly adapt to the tactical situation.

Efforts on the UGCS have been bearing great fruit recently and are being realized. The vision of standards-based interoperability for acquisition efficiency and tactical flexibility was demonstrated during the September 2011 Manned Unmanned Systems Integration Capability exercise. One UGCS with two “universal operators” were coupled, enabling the operation multiple medium and large UAS from one UGCS. This teaming resulted in demonstrating a fluid and agile ability to control Hunter, Shadow and Gray Eagle, as well as using the OSRVT Increment 2 to orchestrate operations of each individual aircraft and respective payloads.

FSCAB Update

The Army’s combat aviation brigade standard makeup has undergone sweeping change as it seeks to restore balance within the aviation community. The hybrid aviation brigade configuration, known as full spectrum combat aviation brigade (FSCAB), became reality in early FY12 when the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade received two platoons of Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft (eight aircraft total) with personnel.

This variant literally frees up Kiowa aircraft for use as dwell aircraft or potentially to stand up supplemental aviation organizations.

Another piece of the FSCAB calls for the integration of Gray Eagle UAS. Fielding initiatives are set to begin in early 2012. The F/227th Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas, has been designated as the first unit to be equipped with a company of Gray Eagles, and acquisition actions and table of organization and equipment changes have been initiated. The notion of replacing manned aviation assets with unmanned systems is a game changer for combat aviation units, as this places the organic MUM-T capabilities in the hands of the FSCAB commander. O Marty Shelton is a Wyle/CAS contractor with the UAS Project Office.

TISR 2.1 | 3

The Floating

Eye

Aerostats have become an invaluable force protection asset and communications multiplier.

By Peter A. Buxbaum, TISR Correspondent available in varying sizes for maximum efficiency and they have been An NCO stationed at an installation near Sadr City in Baghdad deployed around the globe. When hostilities broke out in Iraq, the U.S. was the first to come up with the idea of using aerostats to facilitate Army deployed their aerostat there. At that time, the company grew the extended line-of-sight radio communications. She wanted to improve 15-meter to a 17-meter to allow additional payloads on the aerostat. In her radio communications by placing the antenna on the aerostat while total, the U.S. Army deployed 28 TCOM tactical systems to Iraq. keeping her radios securely on the ground.

As tactical requirements grew for the Army and Navy in AfghaniThe result of her curiosity was that Syntonics received an order stan, TCOM designed 22- and 28-meter systems—both of which are from the Army to develop and deliver such a capability. Syntonics part of PGSS. When asked what factors differentiate TCOM, company delivered its FORAX-HARC (fiber optic remote amplifier extension, President Dave Barlow replied, “TCOM’s unmatched team of more high antenna for radio communications) system, a radio frequencythan 60 full-time engineers dedicated to the development and support over-fiber communications technology that enables the tethered PTDS of aerostats enables us to react quickly to design, produce, and field aerostat to serve as a radio tower. The system extended the range of sophisticated new systems to meet our customer’s rapidly changing radios and penetrated the urban canyons of Baghdad to provide line-ofmission landscape. Our customers report that TCOM’s systems are sight communications. unmatched with respect to their reliability and durability.”

This story is illustrative of the innovations being applied to a Raven Aerostar and TCOM provide aerostats to technology that is anything but new. Some of the the Persistent Ground Surveillance System (PGSS), companies providing aerostats and their payloads to a Department of Defense rapid fielding initiative. The the U.S. military have been doing so for many decades. program will be providing 60 25,000 cubic foot aerostats But conditions of current U.S. military operations—the to forward operating bases in Afghanistan. Thirty of the skies are uncontested—combined with innovations to units have already been delivered over the last two years. the aerostats themselves and the payloads they carry, The basic proposition for the use of aerostats have allowed aerostats to provide very useful and costrevolves around their cost-effectiveness and flexibility. effective capabilities to today’s warfighters.

“Aerostats cost as little as $200 an hour to put up,” said The same attributes that made aerostats popular at Lon Stroschein, vice president and division general sporting events make them equally useful for military manager at Raven Aerostar. “This compares to tens of operations. Aerostats are able to provide persistent Lon Stroschein thousands of dollars per hour for an unmanned aerial surveillance more efficiently and cost-effectively than vehicle. And with a UAV, you still have a crew and an manned or unmanned aircraft. Newly-developed payaircraft to maintain.” loads, such as the FORAX-HARC system, allow aerostats “All aircraft have some capability to provide airborne to function as a communications hub. There are a ISR and communications support,” said Ron Browning, number of aerostat systems used by the U.S. military. business development manager, Mission Systems and PTDS was first put into service as part of the effort to Sensors Division of Lockheed Martin. “Consequently, defeat improvised explosive devices (IEDs) deployed to when looking at the long endurance mission, the chalIraq in September 2004, and has since been deployed lenge lies with the concept of operations and the resultto Afghanistan as well. Today, 37 PTDS systems are ing allocation of resources.” deployed and another 29 are in production.

To maintain persistent coverage over a given area TCOM has been at the forefront of innovative develin Afghanistan for a month at a time would require an opments in tethered aerostat systems for over 40 years.

Ron Browning orbit of several conventional aircraft or UAVs to provide It is considered by many as the industry pioneer that the same capabilities as PTDS, according to Browning. introduced most of the revolutionary advancements ronald.browning@lmco.com “With each aircraft orbit comes the respective resource in tethered aerostat systems. For the ISR community, allocation for fuel, personnel and bandwidth to execute the mission,” TCOM’s experience has been successfully applied to deployment in thehe said. “And even then, there may be gaps in coverage due to weather atre in support of the military and intelligence communities globally. conditions. The resulting cost would be significantly higher, and overall Foreseeing the need for defense and homeland security needs, TCOM mission performance would be significantly lower” than to perform the was the first to convert aerostats to militarized systems which covered same mission with the PTDS. all three levels of war: tactical, operational and strategic.

Aerostats can also stay aloft much longer than aircraft. “A Predator TCOM has designed, built and deployed the largest off-the-shelf or Global Hawk can provide 48 hours of service at a time,” said Stroschein. selection of aerostat systems, with more than seven models currently 4 | TISR 2.1

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The U.S. Army’s Persistent Threat Detection System is a tethered “Aerostats can provide hundreds of hours of service before topping off aerostat-based force protection, communication, intelligence, surveilthe helium. A high-end camera can look out and provide surveillance lance and reconnaissance system. Lockheed Martin’s 74K Aerostat for miles.”

System was selected by Army for PTDS. The 74K A tethered aerostat by definition is not mobile and aerostat hosts multi-mission payloads and is functiontherefore not suitable for every mission for which a UAV ally integrated with the overall command information is capable. But it turns out that they are quite robust architecture. when it comes to withstanding enemy fire,” noted “PTDS provides near-constant communication Bruce Montgomery, president of Syntonics LLC. relay and video dissemination to response teams with Stroschein categorizes aerostats by volume. The day and night, 360-degree detection, surveillance and size of the vehicle will dictate the weight of the paytarget marking capability in hostile weather and operloads it can carry, the altitude at which it hovers, and ating environments,” said Browning. “PTDS has the the kinds of missions it can perform. Small aerostats ability to maintain persistent surveillance in an area of of 6,000 cubic feet or less require two individuals to coverage extending more than 23,500 square miles for quickly launch and recover and are used for tactical Bruce Montgomery periods exceeding 25 consecutive days. It operates at missions. bruce.montgomery@ altitudes up to 5,000 feet above ground level.”

“They can carry a carry a small camera, radar, lissyntonicscorp.com PTDS provides several advantages over potential tening device,” said Stroschein. “The quick launch and alternatives, according to Browning. “PTDS provides round-the-clock recovery within minutes makes them suitable for tactical missions.” surveillance for weeks at a time,” he said. “PTDS has more than Mid-sized aerostats of 6,000 to 50,000 cubic feet and large aerostats 400,000 hours of in-theater mission time and flies when other airof over 50,000 cubic feet are normally moved atop trailers and are craft are grounded due to weather. PTDS hosts concurrent multihandled by crews of five or more. They can take several hours to deploy. mission payloads that are easily upgradeable as new sensors become “These aerostats stay on site for weeks at a time,” said Stroschein. available.”

“The large aerostats fly high enough to be out of reach of small arms The PGSS aerostats can monitor many miles around a base. fire. They are less mobile but they can carry more payload.” The mid“They are able to watch roadways leading up the base and to monitor sized and large aerostats are often used for personnel protection at convoys as they approach,” said Stroschein. Thanks to the surveillance installations such as embassies and forward operating bases.

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TISR 2.1 | 5

began shipping the wide-area cameras to Afghanistan provided by the aerostat payloads, there have been sevlast summer. eral instances in which insurgent activity in the vicinity Syntonics’ FORAX-HARC system “can extend radio of forward operating bases has been thwarted, accordcoverage for as far as the antenna can see,” said Monting to Stroschein. gomery. “Data throughput for networked radios is also The persistent surveillance provided by the aeroincreased because you are avoiding an extra relay hop.” stats is enabled by wide area motion imagery sensors, The system capitalizes on the existing FORAX technolessentially a low-rate video that snaps pictures at the ogy to fly the antennas for as many as four SINCGARS rate of two per second. Wide area capabilities allow radios and two Enhanced Position Location Reporting users to look at a much broader expanse of real estate System (EPLRS) radios on aerostats. FORAX-HARC and multiple users can find different targets in the field uses a single optical fiber in the aerostat’s tether to conof view of the sensor.

John Marion nect ground radios to antennas on the aerostat.

Logos Technologies provides those kinds of cam“High antennas improve line-of-sight radio covereras to both PTDS and PGSS. Most aerostats can’t jmarion@logos-technologies.com age over long distances as well as into congested urban carry payloads of much over 100 pounds, noted John areas and over mountainous terrain,” said Montgomery.

Marion, director of the company’s persistent surveil“This auxiliary payload allows commanders to commulance division. This required the miniaturization of the nicate over 50 to 70 miles instead of five to seven miles, cameras Logos Tech provides to other platforms such as and over hills and down in urban clutter.”

Constant Hawk. “The payloads are identical for the two Aerostats can carry high antennas inexpensively. programs,” said Marion. “They provide 360 degree over“We are piggybacking our payload on an existing asset,” watch to look at an area 100 square kilometers around said Montgomery. Syntonics expects to complete deliva forward operating base. The wide area cameras also ery of 30 units in early 2012. service to cue other sensors on board the aerostat.” The GE Intelligent Platforms provides subsystems for quality resolution of the resulting imagery is intermedipayloads carried on aerostats and other aerial vehicles. ate. “It’s not as good as a fully zoomed-in spotter,” said Scot Wesolaski “Military programs are increasingly calling for more Marion, “but we cover 100 square kilometers and they processing on board the sensor,” said Scot Wesolaski, are covering 100 square meters.” Logos Technologies the company’s industry manager for ISR. “Our products provide those capabilities and functionalities to airship payloads.”

Two key-related capabilities that enable both persistent surveillance and onboard processing are secure data storage and video compression.

“They want to download data to the platform as opposed to the ground,” said Wesolaski. “They want actionable intelligence to be delivered to the guys on the ground.”

Compression allows massive imagery files to be reduced to levels that can be handled by the processing power of onboard payload sensors. The GE video compression card “allows the delivery of information quicker, faster and better,” said Wesolaski. “We also provide graphics processing units that provide much better image quality and the capability to do parallel processing on the platform itself.”

Aerostats may not be new, but nor is the technology standing still.

“Since first introduced, PTDS has continued to evolve in response to increasing mission requirements,” said Browning. “As a result, enhancements in almost all areas of the system have been introduced to respond to these requirements. We see this trend continuing as new technologies and capabilities become available for inclusion in PTDS.” Raven Aerostar is currently in the process of manufacturing its first aerostat out of a new fabric called high strength laminated aerostat material (HSLAM). “HSLAM cuts the weight of the material anywhere from 35 percent to 45 percent,” said Stroschein. “It is also much stronger than the fabric we have been using for last 50 years.”

Stroschein anticipates that PGSS aerostats will be able to upgrade to HSLAM simply by replacing the standard envelope. “That way,” said Stroschein, “the aerostat will be able to carry 35 percent more payload, and more sensors will provide more surveillance for the exact same platform.” O For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.tisr-kmi.com.

6 | TISR 2.1

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Defeating the unseen enemy

By Adam Baddeley TISR Correspondent objects of interest and then followed by neutralization, command and The tools used to detect improvised explosive devices (IED) can’t control, recovery, and overwatch platforms. That is really the route the be simply categorized, as the number and variety of solutions being U.S. has for now decided on.” brought into service is expanding almost daily to match the equally Concepts of operation for GPR are still evolving. Other approaches complex and varied range of threats being faced in theater. require a different implementation. In an assured mobility mission, The exploitation of intelligence, along with focused tactics, techusers don’t necessarily want to dig up what they find—they just want to niques and procedures, have enhanced the ability to determine where go around it safely. In Afghanistan and other theaters, tighter off-road and by whom IEDs are built, as well as likely placement points. terrain where a vehicle like the Husky does not always fit could lead to Standoff detection capabilities are also improving to better allow a MULE type UGV operating in front of dismounted patrols. forces to determine, with a high degree of confidence, whether the Pye commented on the complexity of the user interface and the raised pile of dirt on the trail is simply that or something else entirely. degree of information that needs to be interpreted versus a simple A key technology in seeking IEDs below ground has been the use danger-safe display. “When people talk about GPR data they talk about of ground penetrating radar (GPR), typically mounted on vehicles, it being a clutter dominated problem. What that means is that you can allowing stand-off detection on anomalies beneath the ground in real see everything but you don’t necessarily know what you are looking at. time with onboard software then tasked with determining whether the At that point it becomes a software exercise to sort objects of interest object is natural, manmade but benign, or a threat. from those naturally occurring in the background. The 3d-Radar GPR The linkage between GPR provider 3d-Radar AS and system intesensor uses a set of serialized scans to build up an image of what you grators Exponent Inc grew out of a 2008 requirement to increase the are looking at. Additional sensors bring in information number of Husky Mounted Detection Systems by the that builds a better picture. The combined information Rapid Equipping Force (REF), the organization tasked is then used by the software to make a decision as to with quickly filling operational gaps with immediately whether a target is present.” available technology. Exponent, providing engineering “It starts with red light-green light but then you and integration support to the REF, responded and have to go further. The trick is not in finding something. competitively down selected 3d-Radar’s solution in I can do a red light-green light on finding something.

September 2008.

The trick is in helping the operator make the right deciThomas Örnevik, managing director, 3d-Radar said, sion after you show him the red light. You have to help “From there we built the first system: a real-time the operator interpret the sensor data to reduce false Husky-mounted GPR without any software enhancealarms as far as possible. A missed target is obviously ment. That was tested in Yuma in December 2008.

Thomas Örnevik the worst case scenario, but too many false alarms can It was not, however, good enough for theater as the also be bad. This is especially true for route clearance probability of detection was too low.” Exponent then tornevik@3d-radar.com missions, where too high a false alarm rate slows down added detection software and a new user interface to the the rate of progress unacceptably. For assured mobility missions where package and after a successful second test at Yuma in February 2009, you are just trying to avoid things that look like targets, you can simply the first systems were deployed two months later in Iraq. Since then, drive around suspicious areas. It is when you really have to know what a significant numbers of systems have been deployed through the REF is under the ground that is difficult to do.” and other programs.

The use of GPR in a military environment is not new, but since This work has led to the jointly developed GeoScope-X product, Iraq there has been a switch in focus from the detection of mines to with 3d-Radar building the antenna array and radar control unit and IEDs. The previous 20 years of research and development has seen a Exponent providing user interface, target detection and vehicle integralarge body of knowledge created around the detection of mines, a stantion. The design is vehicle agnostic, only needing to connect into the dardized mechanically produced item. In contrast, an IED’s design and vehicle’s power and hydraulics to operate. components can change depending on who is making them and what In addition to the Husky, the radar has been successfully integrated parts were readily available. with a teleoperated quad bike platform from Idaho National Labs, on a Pye said, “That leads you down a whole different route of how you HMMWV for a proof of concept evaluation using GPR and other senbuild your software. We got to the game when the problem was essensors as a detection platform, and outside the U.S. on vehicles including tially IEDs, not mines. We started with the notion that you could never the RG-32. tell exactly what the object was you were looking for, so our job moved Dr. John Pye, corporate vice president and practice director at away from finding an object that met a certain set of parameters to Exponent, said, “The dedicated highly armored sensor vehicle is a good finding one that doesn’t belong. That being said, there is a continuous approach for a very specific mission set. In the U.S. concept for a route process of software training to establish what is normal and what is not proving and clearance mission package, you have multiple specialized normal to get the last little bit of performance out of the system.” vehicles in a convoy, led by an armored sensor platform that marks www.TISR-kmi.com

TISR 2.1 | 7

“Right now, if you drop your phone off a three-story window, it would GPR-based IED detection is becoming a standard for route clearbe pretty much done,” said Langdon. “That is where our robot is really ance teams. The U.S. Army’s next generation route clearance program different. It is designed to be thrown and dropped.” of record is currently in the requirements definition phase with an iniDetecting the emplacement of IEDs has clear value in immediate tial RFP expected in mid 2012. The solution will be Husky based with a force protection benefits for convoys and patrols, and it also enhances manned/unmanned element and may include other sensors. the intelligence picture used to roll up IED networks, from the For patrols operating in complex terrain, the use of unmanned factories and workshops that produce the devices to the command ground vehicles to investigate suspect objects that would otherwise structures that organize their use. This has seen the widespread use of have required a warfighter to go into harm’s way as well as to go into unattended ground sensors to provide long-term covert surveillance crawlspaces, drains and culverts that were previously impossible for of likely areas for attack, replacing manpower with an unblinking them to access has been a key enhancement in their counter-IED unattended sensor. toolbox.

The U.S. is the largest customer for Seraphim’s MUGI (mini unatHundreds of Recon Scout micro unmanned ground vehicles tended ground imaging) sensors, with 80-90 systems now sold. Gadi (MUGV) are in service with several branches of the U.S. military. In Bar-Ner, vice president, marketing and sales at Seraphim, outlined an 2009, an initial Recon Scout Throwbot order was placed with Reconoperational scenario in which MUGI might be used: Robotics for 150 Recon Scout IR robots, and in 2011, “They have various IED problems such as barrels filled another 700 Recon Scout XT micro-robots were ordered with explosives, placed under overpasses and insurgents under the aegis of the REF. trying to infiltrate into bases. They strategically place Ernest Langdon, director of military programs, one or two MUGIs, depending on the size the section outlined the Recon Scout XT’s role in this manner: they need to survey, in places where they cannot be “Troops use our micro-robot as a portable device that seen, and they watch. Whenever something happens the they always have with them,” said Langdon. “The issue operator gets the video feed from the MUGI(s) and he with some of the larger robots that have more capabilianalyzes if it is an innocent person [e.g., a sheep herder] ties is that they are just too big to be carried around all or a real threat [someone placing IEDs].” the time. They are typically company-level assets and Other customers have requested integration with are not usually with the fire teams during dismounted Ernest Langdon seismic and acoustic sensors as part of an area coverpatrols. Since our complete system is only three pounds, a soldier can take it with him wherever the ernest.langdon@reconrobotics.com age suite, with the MUGIs being the electro-optics system triggered by these sensors, directed to it and mission takes him, giving him the ability to examine providing visual verification of the alarm. A single base a suspected IED or explore a structure from a safe disstation can be connected to 32 MUGIs. Gadi added, “If tance. His fire team can then make an informed decision you are viewing systems 1-4 and system number 27 about what to do next, and that information can save ‘shouts,’ you automatically get a video feed from there, their lives. The Recon Scout XT can to look into the next telling you that the system has woken up and has seen room, inspect a vehicle’s undercarriage, get eyes into a something.” crawl space and be thrown over a compound wall to look The MUGI’s video motion detection (VMD) card has for IEDs. Our 1.2 pound robot can be thrown up to 120 variable remote settings for optimizing performance for feet, and still perform perfectly time after time.” specific targets and operational scenarios. Gadi said, “If Another key feature in explaining the XT’s success you are waiting for a truck you can set the system for is the fact that it requires no training, allowing the something as big as a truck and only then will it trigger capability to be shared throughout the fire team. For Gadi Bar-Ner the alert mechanism and start the video feed.” When 24-hour operations and operations in low or zero light MUGI operates, there is no external movement, although there is an conditions, an IR illuminator is integrated. internal mechanism that allows it to have a field of view of 80 degrees “There are lots of places that it can go, but it is not going to jump by 30 degrees. A single MUGI can monitor an area of two square kiloover small buildings. It can, however, be thrown onto the roof of a meters. The system also uses a number of anti-glint and other features three-story building and in that respect the XT is completely unique,” designed to enhance covert operation. Everything is inside the body of explained Langdon. “In addition, its small size can become a big advanthe MUGI with a mirror taking the light beam down into the body of tage, particularly when following trails in Afghanistan, which can be the device. Gadi describes the system as a “black hole for light beams, less than a foot wide,” Langdon continued. “Because it is so small, it so nothing gets emitted out.” can go places that a larger robot can’t. The larger one may have more The company’s Chameleon UGS has been developed specifically terrain capability but it is often just too wide to fit through many openfor urban environments. Gadi said that it retains the same features of ings, and it really can’t be thrown at all.”

MUGI except for range. “MUGI allows recognition of a moving person ReconRobotics also guards against adding capability at the cost at 1.6 km at night and up to 4 km at daytime. For Chameleon the range of added weight. Langdon said, “If you want to be larger and heavier is between 100-400 m depending on the cameras. They are quite small in order to do more and carry more, that is very easy. The problem is and can be easily hidden in an urban environment.” keeping a micro-robot small and simple as you add capabilities. That The MUGI and Chameleon normally consume around 7-8W per is really difficult. Our goal is for the fire teams to have this lifesaving hour, but in hibernation mode, this drops to less than 0.23W. Gadi reconnaissance tool with them all the time. They can carry it in a small outlined what this means in practice: “You can have a system buried in MOLLE pack or in the cargo pockets of their pants.” Langdon also the ground in hibernation mode for two years and simply waiting for notes that the robot, irrespective of its reconnaissance performance, something to pass its field of view.” O also has to withstand very high G forces to absorb the impact of throws.

8 | TISR 2.1

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Powerful Knowledge 21st-century situational awareness tools keep soldiers safer and provide a distinct tactical advantage on the battlefield.

By J.B. Bissell TISR Correspondent

awareness (ESA) setup, which is centered around their driver’s Warfighters of the United States armed forces are outfitted vision enhancer (DVE), and comprised of a DVEwith the most sophisticated and intimidating Wide, DVE-UltraWide, and two DVE UltraLite weaponry systems in the world. Yet, the pieces of sensors. “As a system, it provides a flexible, vehiequipment that should probably instill the greatcle-mounted platform for all-around situational est amount of fear in our enemies—especially awareness in all weather conditions, day or night,” on the modern, 21st-century battlefield—are the Benet said. information-gathering devices that can provide In short, the DRS ESA makes it possible for warfighters with up-to-the-second comprehensive a driver, commander and anybody else inside to situational awareness, and ultimately help ensure be completely aware of anything that’s happening mission success. outside—and all around—the vehicle. “It provides There was a time, of course, when “up-to-thean easily integrated suite of cameras that supply second” wasn’t exactly the best way to describe Rich Benet multiple views on a single screen,” added Benet. available situational awareness. Data offerings back then consisted mainly of a good topographic map and a collection of promising intelligence reports. On top Video Is The Thing of that, “today’s battlefield just doesn’t include a predictable enemy or defined geometry,” said Rich Benet, senior manager, Those video screens are becoming ubiquitous on the battlebusiness development for DRS Technologies’ Reconnaissance, field. “Everybody wants live video,” explained Jeff Goldfinger, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) group. “Deliverdirector of business development at L-3 Interstate Electronics. ing capability to warfighters today is so much more difficult “They want to get eyes on the target area, they want to watch because in any given scenario a soldier may require his gear to their own troops, they want to watch what the enemy is doing, extend several kilometers to ensure he achieves weapons standand want to keep an eye on neutrals.” off, only to require that same gear to provide incredible fidelity Turns out, getting live video isn’t much of a problem—there at much less ranges that allow him to determine intent of a are drone planes, mounted cameras, and so on for that. But L-3’s non-combatant.” sales and engineering teams were tasked with figuring out how DRS is helping warfighters motor across all those kilometers to best put that footage to use for the military. What they came in a safe fashion by developing the RSTA enhanced situational up with is VideoScout.

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“It was originally designed as a stand-alone device to help the intel community,” Goldfinger explained. “It started as how do we work with all that video to help complete the mission—enhancing it to pull out different features, adjusting the color and texture, or taking a single frame and doing a John Madden: circling a target, annotating it and drawing some line diagrams, and then pushing that back out to the troops.”

They did such a good job making it downright user-friendly that the people in charge eventually decided it made sense for the actual operators to take the VideoScout into the field and perform some of the functions on the ground as the situation played out.

“It can process multiple real-time video streams coming from manned and unmanned platforms,” Goldfinger continued. “You can then view the video in real time or use the built-in DVR functions—just like your DVR at home, but instead of only having two or three channels, VideoScout can do as many as 12 simultaneous streams.

“So, while you’re conducting a mission, you can freeze the frame you’re looking at, go backwards and pick up some nuance, all the while in a separate video window you’re still seeing the live image, and in a third window, you can actually call up the same viewpoint from yesterday or last week—enhancing your mission effectiveness by comparing what’s happening in real time to yesterday or video from three hours ago.”

The second advantage is all about adapting to the ever-changing battlefield and how to maintain continuous situational awareness in such as space. “Warfighters at the edge are never stationary,” Arndt continued.

“So these radios provide ‘mobile ad-hoc networking.’

That means they’ll transparently form themselves into networks as they come in range of each other.”

The bottom line, as Arndt said, is that “these features provide greater access to mission-critical applications at the edge.”

Jeff Goldfinger

Operating At The Edge

Video screens and radio transceivers get the majority of users’ attention, but none of today’s advanced situational awareness devices would function at all without a reliable operating system inside. Wind River supplies three—VxWorks, Wind River Linux, and the Wind River Platform for Android—and has a 30-year history of success in the field.

“Our VxWorks real-time operating system has been at the heart of many situational awareness devices, including radar systems, software-defined radios, misKenneth Arndt sion computers and unmanned vehicles,” said Joe Wlad, senior director, aerospace and defense, Wind River. “It provides the capability to respond to events in real time, thereby satisfying key performance and mission objectives, such as rapid target identification, fast boot up time, and real-time vehicle control.”

The Linux system is utilized in many of the same Share the Wealth sorts of devices, especially when the design goals include making use of open source software, and Wind The ability to gather and use all this informaRiver’s dedicated Android platform “allows designers of tion—video and other forms—dramatically changes situational awareness devices to customize applications the warfighter’s battlescape. Just as important to specific to their mission, whether it is a mission-planoverall situational awareness, though, is the capacity Joe Wlad ning computer or secure, customized communication to share it with fellow soldiers, so the Harris Corporation continues to push front line communications joseph.wlad@windriver.com device,” Wlad said.

Secure communications are certainly paramount forward. for operators and Wind River’s technology is up to “Harris is providing the military with dramatically the challenge. “Rockwell Collins is using the VxWorks enhanced situational awareness,” said Kenneth Arndt, MILS Platform to enable its SecureOne Processor and a product manager at Harris RF Communications.

SecureOne Guard,” Wlad explained. “These systems “Our Falcon III AN/PRC-152A handheld and AN/PRCrequire that sensitive information be protected while 117G manpack radios provide soldiers at the tactical also allowing the transmission and display of more edge with multimedia communications. This includes sensitive information when required, and SecureOne the ability to send and receive video, chat in a collaballows multi-level security control on a single platorative fashion across the battlespace, access secure form. The ability to mix in different levels of security networks for intelligence reports, log and access bioimproves situational awareness because more informametric data, share position location information, and Norman Lange tion is deliverable on a single device.” conduct other SA and ISR tasks.”

Warfighters need as much information as possible, The goal, of course, is to never be out of touch; nlange@bdatech.com but equally important is ensuring that they aren’t overto facilitate this objective, these radios make use of whelmed with it. This was one of the prime directives at Systematic wideband networking waveforms such as the Adaptive Networking while developing their latest battle management software: SitaWare Wideband Waveform and the JTRS Soldier Radio Waveform.

Frontline. “The key issue in designing and creating products for “These provide two principal benefits,” Arndt said. “First, they today’s military is to start from the users’ point-of-view,” said Christian supply the necessary bandwidth for soldiers to transition from Nørkjær, a former mechanized infantry company commander and a ‘stovepiped’ legacy voice and low bandwidth data communication current product manager for battle management systems at Systemlinks to a richer multimedia networked information environment. atic. “We are focused on making exactly the functionality that will It’s roughly the equivalent experience of an upgrade from dial-up to make a difference for the user, no more, no less.” broadband.” www.TISR-kmi.com

TISR 2.1 | 11

SitaWare Frontline delivers that functionality via an intuitive interface that’s easy to operate on touch-screen devices, and “offers exceptional performance over intermittent, low-bandwidth tactical radio networks,” Nørkjær said, and can be “configured to holding only the most useful tools that soldiers would need in the field, i.e. situational awareness, messaging, sketching, etc … and has the ability to store all mission data on a secure USB key, so users can plan, execute, and change missions without being tied to the vehicle.”

“Frontline is especially designed for the battlefield commander to use in highly mobile environments,” added Nørkjær.

Mobilized Intelligence

moving map,” continued Lange. “He’s got his SA right there; he knows where his guys are, he knows where he thinks the bad guys are, he can see any supporting elements.”

Aside from the fact that the MTS is a truly integrated arrangement, as opposed to a “piecemeal kludge of components from various suppliers,” one of the things that makes it stand out is that it was designed with a lot of “tactical help from some of the end-user communities, in particular Army Special Forces,” Lange said. “Our guys were in the field observing them operating with it and learned things like ‘don’t put that here, put it there’ or that a cable needed to be two inches longer.”

In the end, “the MTS went through seven iterations during its development cycle,” Lange added. “But we built an entire system that integrates into their body armor so that our equipment is not in the way of the warfighter getting to his ammo, getting to his water, or getting to his weapon.”

Maintaining mobility with all these gadgets can be problematic. How does a soldier move freely—in and out of vehicles, around obstacles, and through the battlefield—without being hindered by extra gear?

“That’s what we felt needed to be addressed,” said The Future Is Now Steve Motter Norman Lange, director of product development for Black Diamond Advanced Technology. “We set out to Industrial Electronic Engineers’ (IEE) latest offersmotter@ieeinc.com develop a product that allowed the operator to do his ing shouldn’t get in the way, either. It’s a handheld job on the move literally.” device that features a three-dimensional display, and while it’s at the The result was Black Diamond’s modular tactical system (MTS), beginning of its life cycle, it is sure to play a crucial role in situational a wearable computer that’s truly intended for on-the-go C4ISR. “Pull awareness in the very near future. “It has a 4.8-inch, wide format, one piece of Velcro and the screen deploys so the soldier can see his VGA display,” said IEE vice president of business development, Steve Motter. “We offer the 3-D in collaboration with 3M; they have a 3-D enabling film that allows it to be autostereoscopic: 3-D without the glasses.”

There’s plenty of technology and science that makes IEE’s 3-D screen easy to use (and easy on the eyes), but in terms of situational awareness, the device presents a number of truly intriguing possibilities.

“We’re introducing this now at a product capability level,” Motter Expanding the Military’s said. “It’s still in the early phases of what applications are really going Intelligence Gathering Capabilities April 23-25, 2012 to grab that 3-D and what they are going to do with it. One we’ve Washington DC Metro Area identified is remote operation, which would be useful in the robotics community where a roving device has to go in and touch or articulate something. Having 3-D allows the operator to see depth that you don’t get with a 2-D display.

“The second application is taking images or data and spreading Invest your tIme those into that third dimension so you can see the relative positions of networkIng wIth leaders of the things—what’s closer to me, what’s further away—or to make specific ntIsr communIty and hear brIefIngs on: data that’s more important pop up and be more obvious to the opera• Current effects and future guidance of NTISR policy tor than the rest of the background.”

• The role of Non-Traditional ISR in combat effectiveness It may sound like a cliché, but the potential benefits of 3-D situ• Cost savings from utilization of nontraditional assets ational awareness on the battlefield are nearly limitless, and as Motter • Developments in the Global Hawk Program said, “it’s really pretty remarkable when you’re looking at a handheld • Latest updates and advancements in GEOINT screen and an image moves in depth, relative to where you are.”

2012 dIstInguIshed keynote speakers: That’s certainly true, but what’s even more remarkable is how Major General James O. Poss, USAF, Assistant Deputy Chief of technologically advanced situational awareness is relative to just a Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance couple of decades ago. O Brigadier General Michael Kingsley, Commander, 23rd Air Force, Director of Operations, Air Force Special Operations Command Colonel Mary O’Brien, Commander, 70th ISR Wing, USAF Colonel Sharon Hamilton, Director of the Human Terrain System, TRADOC G2 . . . and more!

1-800-882-8684 | www.NonTraditionalISR.com 12 | TISR 2.1

For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.tisr-kmi.com.

www.TISR-kmi.com

Use of this U.S. DoD image does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

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ISR KIT Three-dimensional Holographic Display The United States Air Force accepted the world’s first true three-dimensional holographic display with Zebra Imaging’s delivery of the Full Motion Holographic Display (FMHD) integrated with NASA World Wind software, to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), 711 Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Decision Making Division, Battlespace Visualization Branch at WrightPatterson AFB, Ohio. The display will be demonstrated and evaluated at AFRL for USAF mission applications and used to develop 3-D metrics.

FMHD represents the latest generation of the ZScape Motion Display (ZMD) technology, developed

by Zebra Imaging and refined in partnership with AFRL, DARPA and other government agencies. FMHD was executed under AFRL contract and program manager Dr. Darrel Hopper, and integrated the user software application World Wind developed by NASA with the holographic display for evaluation and application to air, space and cyberspace warfare missions. This delivery culminated a transition partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Urban Photonic Sandtable Display (UPSD) project, which provided technology, expertise and a UPSD display system in support of FMHD. “This delivery is the first time a true, dynamic, holographic display is in the hands of a user,” said Zebra Imaging’s FMHD project manager, Amy Lessner, “and the excitement from AFRL and Zebra during the installation was astounding. The missions of the U.S. Air Force are inherently three-dimensional and even four-dimensional. This technology can revolutionize situational awareness, command and control, and decision making across many Air Force missions.”

ZMD’s key features provide distinct advantage over two-dimensional displays. With full-parallax functionality based on holographic element light fields and 360-degree viewing, ZMD allows user interaction within three dimensions, including zoom, rotate, as well as selecting and manipulating any part of the image they are viewing. Scalable from 6 inches to 6 feet diagonally, the wide viewing angles of ZMD technology facilitates simultaneous collaboration of up to 20 participants, with streaming data in near real time and stored data, without the need for any special eyewear (no 3-D glasses required). The full parallax capability, along with the lack of eyewear, produces a 3-D display that can be viewed for long periods without negative physiological effects on viewers.

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Low Profile Hemispherical Coverage UAV Antenna Pharad LLC has released their first low profile hemispherical coverage UAV antenna, establishing a new class of UAV antennas to join their blade-shaped radiators as well as their ultrathin appliqué antennas. Not only is the latest Pharad UAV antenna about the same size as a hockey puck, its low profile also makes it the optimal solution for wide hemispherical coverage.

“The reality is that this class of low profile antennas has been 20 years in the making,” said Pharad vice president and IEEE fellow Rod Waterhouse. “When I was

working on my Ph.D., we were trying to create new techniques to get the best performance out of low profile radiators. Now at Pharad we have a team of young, skilled engineers who have been able to take these concepts and successfully develop this new high performance antenna product line.”

The Pharad lightweight, low profile antennas provide highly efficient L-band operation with a hemispherical pattern and support frequency ranges within 1500-2100 MHz. The antennas easily mount to both metallic and composite UAV or aircraft fuselages with standard fasteners.

Small Radar, Large Coverage SpotterRF has unveiled production units of the M80—a small radar system that will, according to the company, revolutionize the world of military and commercial surveillance. The 3-pound radar is roughly the size of a large paperback novel and has proven to accurately track moving personnel in range and angle out past a distance of 500 meters within a coverage area of nearly 40 acres.

Logan Harris, CEO of SpotterRF, stated, “The M80 represents a game-changing solution for force protection. With this type of SWAP (size, weight and power) it is now possible to get a miniature G-BOSS system in a backpack.”

As well as integration with current video surveillance systems, the M80 is capable of being a stand-alone surveillance option. Specifically optimized for deployment in more dense environments, such as locations near cities or other

urban environments, the M80 provides live information of each moving target within its wide field of view. This information includes range, azimuth angle, velocity and location. The M80 outputs KML, JSON, as well as cursor on target data, an XML protocol developed by Mitre for DoD. Moving tracks of each target can be viewed on multiple platforms such as Google Earth or FalconView using any laptop or via a web browser on any mobile device.

The M80 can be quickly deployed using a standard CAT5 Ethernet cable, and calibrated for use in minutes with a built in web-based user interface. SpotterRF claims that the system is so easy to deploy that anyone who is familiar with using the Internet can set up and use the radar within 30 minutes. To aid in carrying less, the compact radar has a very low power consumption of 9W, and can run on a single BA 2590 battery for 17 hours.

www.TISR-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Blue Devil Block 2 North American Surveillance Systems Inc. (NASS), has been awarded multiple contracts for the U.S. Air Force Blue Devil Block 2 Airship.

“NASS is bringing its extensive experience in aircraft systems wiring to the Blue Devil 2 (BD2) project,” said Richard McCourt, NASS president. “This giant 370-foot long airship is seven times the size of the Goodyear blimp and will be deployed for surveillance missions over Afghanistan early in 2012.”

“The BD2 project requires thousands of feet of specialized wires and harnesses for the airship’s surveillance data processing supercomputer systems,” said McCourt.

“NASS’ expert wire assemblers and engineers are creating the 800,000 feet or 151 miles of wiring required for the airship’s two gondolas in NASS’ operations center and hangar

facility north of Orlando, Fla. In addition, NASS has been given the contract for the complete installation and integration of the cockpit control console and NASS will also provide assistance in the integration into the surveillance airship which is located in Elizabeth City, N.C.” The U.S. Air Force awarded the $86.2 million Blue Devil Block II development contract to MAV6, a defense technology company, who chose NASS to provide the wiring for the airship.

“NASS is proud to partner with MAV6 LLC and the U.S. Air Force. As an AS9100 and ISO9001 company, NASS will continue to provide that same level of excellence as it has in the past,” said McCourt. “This is another example of NASS’ growth and presence in the defense and aerospace industry.”

Two-way Comms and Translation System Under a U.S. Army contract, Raytheon BBN Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Company, will develop prototype systems for two-way speech-to-speech translation, document translation and text-to-text translation. This capability will allow users to communicate with non-English speakers as well as to screen and translate printed or electronic text. In the initial technology development phase, BBN will develop the software architecture and implement it on prototypes in portable, mobile and netenabled configurations.

“There simply are not enough human translators available to meet the Army’s needs, and previous translation devices have restricted users to a selection of canned phrases,” said Prem Natarajan, head of the speech, language and multimedia processing unit at Raytheon BBN Technologies. “The Machine Foreign Language Translation Systems program offers the promise of a complete communications solution for unrestricted speech and text across a variety of platforms—from server-based systems to portable units for mobile use.”

www.TISR-kmi.com

The Autonomous Deployment Demonstration Raven Industries Aerostar aided the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Vehicle Research Section in achieving successful unmanned aerial vehicle flight tests for the Autonomous Deployment Demonstration (ADD) program.

The flight demonstration series, located at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Ariz., consisted of eight high altitude balloon releases at altitudes of up to 57,000 feet. The balloon demonstration facilitated close-in cover autonomous disposable aircraft (CICADA) vehicles to come to rest within 15 feet from their intended landing targets.

The ADD program equipped small UAVs with sensor payloads, launching them from balloons or aircraft. The ADD field trials successfully demonstrated that the CICADA can perform a precision delivery of a notional payload after being carried aloft by a hand-launched balloon.

“The ADD balloon support operation is very simple and well developed,” said Mike Smith, senior aerospace engineer at Aerostar International. “The preflight checks, balloon inflation, launch and tracking operations can be carried out by two people in one vehicle from almost any remote location.” The balloon tracking system consists of a small radio frequency modem attached to a laptop computer.

Throughout the testing, the UAV package was lifted to altitude using hand-launched balloons manufactured and operated by Aerostar International. Aerostar’s hand-launched balloons are tactical polyethylene balloons that can be flown in two different modes, either as a sounding balloon or as a free-floating zero pressure balloon.

The Tempest UAV, with two CICADA vehicles attached on wing-mounted pylons, was carried aloft by the balloon up to altitudes approaching 60,000 feet. The Tempest UAV was released from the balloon, autonomously executed a pull-up maneuver, and then carried the two CICADAs to a drop location. Each CICADA vehicle was then released from the mother-ship and autonomously flew to the preprogrammed target waypoint.

“Many remote sensors are currently hand-emplaced,” said Chris Bovais, NRL Vehicle Research Section aeronautical engineer and flight test coordinator. “The CICADA allows for the low-cost delivery of multiple precision-located sensors without placing the warfighter in harm’s way.”

Aerostar’s high altitude research balloons can carry payloads up to 6,000 pounds and can reach altitudes up to 45 kilometers capable of sustaining altitude for several months.

“This capability, affordably and reliably getting highcost, high-return sensors to the edge of the atmosphere, is what Aerostar has been doing for NASA since the 1960s,” said Lon Stroschein, vice president and general manager of Raven Aerostar.

TISR 2.1 | 15

CASTING A LONGER SHADOW

UNMANNED CAPABILITIES REACHING ACROSS THE BATTLESPACE AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) has proven itself time and time again as a leader in unmanned technology with the Shadow® Tactical UAS and One System® Ground Control Station. Surpassing 700,000 flight hours, Shadow has soared over the battlespace, bringing critical tactical information to the warfighter on the ground, in the air and at sea.

Building on its leadership in unmanned technology, AAI has advanced its control systems, Aerosonde® Small UAS, Unmanned Surface Vessels, and manned/unmanned teaming concepts to new heights.

With successful tests of multiple UAS control, and manned/unmanned teaming, the sky is no longer the limit, but the beginning of future technologies being applied today toward tomorrow’s challenges.

Find out more about the growing shadow AAI casts over the UAS industry at RSC_AAIReg@aai.textron.com.

aaicorp.com © 2012 AAI Corporation. All rights reserved. AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems is an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. Shadow is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation. AAI and design is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation. Aerosonde is a registered trademark of Aerosonde Pty Ltd, a strategic business of AAI. One System is a registered trademark of the U.S. Army. Helicopter photo courtesy U.S. Army. aaitisr0212

UAS Manager

Q& A

Managing UAS Programs to Address Emerging or Existing Requirements Colonel Tim Baxter Project Manager Unmanned Aircraft Systems Colonel Timothy R. Baxter is the project manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Program Executive Office Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. He previously served in a number of challenging acquisition assignments within the Army and the special operations community.

Baxter was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He began his Army career as an infantryman in 1979. He served six years as an enlisted soldier and in 1986 accepted a two-year ROTC scholarship at Northern Michigan University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in computer information systems. He later earned a Master of Science in computer science from Central Michigan University. Baxter recently completed a Senior Service College Fellowship at the University of Texas, Austin.

Baxter has served in a number of infantry and special operations assignments prior to transitioning to the Acquisition Corps.

He has earned the Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab as well as the Master Parachutist Badge with Combat Jump Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Q: Do you expect the number of programs of record to change, either increase or decrease, in the future?

A: We currently have four programs of record [PORs] within the project office: the Gray Eagle, the Shadow, the Raven and most recently, the One System Remote Video Terminal [OSRVT]. Regarding the increase or decrease of programs of record; my office works in conjunction with counterparts in the user community and with Army senior leadership to initiate new PORs to address emerging or established requirements.

There is the potential for both the vertical take-off and lift UAS and the long endurance multi-intelligence vehicle to become PORs in the future.

Other non-programs of record include our Warrior Alphas and the Warrior Block Zeros. Both were fielded under urgent requirements, supporting overseas contingency operations. Both can be considered pre-production systems for our Gray Eagle program of record.

Q: There are a number of UAS systems, for example, Hunter, that have been around for quite a while. Why are Hunter and some other systems not necessarily programs of record at this point?

A: There are two exercises I’d like to highlight: MUSIC and the NIE. MUSIC was PM UAS’s first ever hybrid aviation exercise. Conducted this past September, the exercise was designed to demonstrate system interoperability and integration among Army aviation assets. More specifically, the demonstration focused on our PM UAS interoperability profile version 2.0 and those capabilities being pushed toward fielding with the Army’s capability set 13 and 14. The exercise was conducted at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, and showcased many of the advancements in interoperability within our project office and the manned-unmanned teaming community. I think this exercise set the stage for future interoperability improvements to benefit both our deployed forces and the Army in general. Manned-unmanned teaming operations are made possible by the introduction of standardized interoperability profiles supporting the movement of video and data transmissions between ground and manned and unmanned air platforms. These standardized profiles allow hand off of payload control,

A: Hunter was originally a program of record, but the program of record was terminated in 1996 due to a series of technical issues. The Army was directed to complete the purchase of the first low-rate initial production buy of seven systems and then field them to our AEB, or aerial exploitation battalions, at the corps level. The root cause for the technical issues was determined to be related to a design issue with the flight control servos. That issue was corrected, and the systems have become workhorses for the Army, with over 100,000 flight hours to date. I call it the most successful terminated program in the history of the Army.

Currently, the Hunter systems are covered under a directed requirement and, if you look at the UAS roadmap, are scheduled to remain in the field until 2022, or until a suitable replacement can be found. www.TISR-kmi.com

Q: There were a few exercises and evaluations last year of the MUSIC [Manned Unmanned Systems Integration Capability] exercise]. What key parameters of the program were validated and what is the path going forward?

TISR 2.1 | 17

and reception and transmission of real-time video, and control of our unmanned aircraft by the pilots flying the manned aviation platforms.

Our other important exercise was our participation in the Network Integration Evaluation 12.1 [NIE 12.1], this past October-November.

As you know, the NIE serves to increase combat readiness and effectiveness. It gives the Army the ability to rapidly look at, evaluate and ultimately field those technologies to our forward deployed forces. We provided Shadow, Raven and OSRVT systems and trained personnel within the host unit [2nd BCT from 1st AD] to operate the UAS equipment. Shadow and Raven aircraft systems were configured to serve as aerial communication relay and provided UAS video to the dismounted soldiers. Putting communication relay equipment on both the Shadow and the Raven for the SRW waveform is new and it was a great success.

We extended the range for communication via the SRW waveform by 30-40 kilometers. Flying a Shadow overhead absolutely increased the capability for our soldiers on the ground. The same is true to a lesser extent with the Raven. Putting the communication relay package on our Ravens and flying it provided additional benefit to the soldier, but because the endurance and altitude of the Raven is significantly less than the Shadow, the benefit was not as substantial.

Q: The need for sense and avoid systems has maybe become a little clearer with the recent mid-air collision between an Army Shadow and an AFSOC MC-130. What’s the status of your efforts? Is the technology in this area mature enough to allow you to move forward as quickly as you would like to?

A: The MC-130 with Shadow incident certainly highlighted the need for a sense and avoid system that the Army was already working hard to address. The Army has been designated by the OSD UAS Task Force as a service lead for ground-based Sense and Avoid [GBSAA] initiatives.

We are working in conjunction with the Marine Corps on their GBSAA system. In addition, we have an ongoing developmental effort to further mature the Army GBSAA system.

The Army has developed an operator prototype GBSAA system in El Mirage, Calif. Further incremental steps to evolve the technology are being worked. Testing is planned in March 2012 at Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. As for the maturity of the technology, we believe the Army’s present sense and avoid technology is ready to move forward and can provide significant safety enhancements to the soldier. To provide some background: Our initial capability was being demonstrated out at El Mirage, where we had a number of hours of testing with the FAA last spring. We had a technical glitch that we were able to fix.

However, as we went back and worked with the FAA to continue flying, I wasn’t comfortable with some of the requirements the FAA had imposed on us—primarily installing ground observers, which is what we were trying to get away from. So we in effect pulled the plug on that effort and decided we’ll mature the technology out at Dugway under the conditions that we can control.

The second part of what I’ve done is gone back and looked at the fielding schedule for GBSAA. We better aligned the fielding of that technology with the fielding of our Gray Eagle systems in each of the CONUS locations. We want to get this capability in those locations as soon as possible to reduce some of the overhead associated with flying Gray Eagles in the national airspace. When we get a GBSAA system fielded, we get rid of the ground observers and/or the need for chase planes, reducing the logistical burden on the units trying to fly the Gray Eagles. To explain the national airspace issues in layman’s terms, we’re trying to get the aircraft from Point A to Point B, Point A being an Army 18 | TISR 2.1

airfield and Point B being in the restricted airspace. In some cases this may be less than a mile, so GBSAA will certainly help us in those areas.

Another key factor driving the need for GBSAA is that as we field the Gray Eagles to CONUS locations. We’ve got as many as three companies going in; that is 36 aircraft. If you look in terms of the associated training requirements for our Gray Eagle operators, they’re fairly significant.

One operator requires 46 hours of stick time a year, of actual flight time, and there are 48 operators in each these Gray Eagle companies. When you do the math, that is a lot of flight hours to accrue, considering the surrounding airspace is often not accessible to unmanned aircraft. So certainly ground-based sense and avoid can allow us to traverse this airspace without the need for chase planes or ground observers. It also will allow us to train at night, providing more efficient use of the restricted airspace that is available.

Q: The Army is the DoD lead for this project. Did the Army advocate that they should be the lead on this, or did the DoD in itself choose?

A: There are a number of considerations that go into determining which service has the lead on a particular effort. These considerations include mission assignments, operational requirements and quite often who is further along in the development process, so it’s a maturity issue. For GBSAA, the Army had already been moving out to address a recognized need based on where we’re going to be fielding Gray Eagles.

So I think it was really the maturity of where we were in the process.

They saw where we were in respect to the other services and said, “Army, you’ve got the lead.”

Q: What’s the Army’s future acquisition strategy, particularly in acquiring additional numbers of existing platforms? Is there a new class or type of UAV that you’re looking at? Is the roadmap still in place for that projected forward movement?

A: There are a couple of areas that I want to talk about—we’ll just go from small to large. There’s a draft capability production document in staffing within the Army right now that talks about our family of small UASs. This document includes two of the capabilities we are already addressing with the Raven and Puma systems. It also adds a third capability that we’ll call the micro class, the one-pound, very small UAS that currently does not exist within the Army.

Moving to the larger platforms, the Army is participating with the Navy in an analysis of alternatives on a vertical takeoff and landing capability. The Army recognizes that in some geographic locations, such as Afghanistan, circumstances dictate the need for vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. There are advantages to having VTOL capability, where you can go to an austere location and be able to take off and land in remote locations. This capability would also provide a closer match in capability between the manned and unmanned systems to expand the soldiers’ options in teaming operations. In the background, in terms of vertical takeoff and landing, we’ve been funded to finish developing a quick reaction capability (QRC) with the A160 and the Argus payload. You’ll hear it referred to as Triple-A. The current deployment schedule to have that QRC deployed forward is June 2012. The Army will learn valuable information by providing that type of capability to our forward deployed commanders.

The third item I would like to discuss briefly is the directed requirement for a long endurance multi-intelligence vehicle. This requirement currently resides with Army Space and Missile Defense Command. However, the Army Acquisition Executive recently signed a www.TISR-kmi.com

memorandum directing that any fixed wing or non-tethered aviation assets that are supporting our Army will eventually transition to PEO Aviation for management. Therefore, I have folks embedded in the LEMV team right now to determine a logical point for transitioning the LEMV over to PEO Aviation. My guess is it would probably be after the military utility assessment that’s going to take place by SMDC forward on LEMV. At some point after that, the Army will make a decision on whether they want to continue development of that technology, and frankly it doesn’t make sense to transition before that time.

force structure. In other words, we’re going to do more processing on the platforms to allow less folks down in the PED to have to analyze things. So I see incorporating these types of technologies as our planned product improvements as we roll forward.

Q: In general terms, what are some key characteristics that you want to have in the next generation of unmanned platforms?

A: Many functions are performed at Dugway Proving Ground. They include production acceptance tests for our Shadow system and contractor operator training for Shadow, Warrior and Hunter systems. We also perform engineering flight and ground tests for Shadow, Hunter and Gray Eagle. Gray Eagle recently completed its pre-production test 2, which is the Army Test Evaluation Command’s control test for record. We will soon begin pre-production test 3. Another large effort at Dugway is the evaluation of new technologies that are not part of our regular programs. I call it off-access testing.

For example, we recently evaluated the Marine Corps Wide Area Focal Plane Array Camera [WFPAC]. We also use RIAC to support largescale exercises such as MUSIC and use the center extensively to support joint customers such as SOCOM, DARPA and DTRA.

A: The platforms we have right now, given the budgets, are the platforms we have. So the next generation will be marked with three extensions of capability: greater flexibility to the user, superior capability and advanced autonomy.

The next generation will be network resident, enabling the UAS to be responsive to networked commands and broader, more forcepervasive requests for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition and ISR, and capable of optimizing planning and usage. Current generation single payload, single sensing modularity platforms will give way to multi-INT, multi-sensor platforms capable of finding targets down to dismount and IED size efficiently and effectively.

Lastly, those systems will have increased intelligence and autonomy on the vehicle systems to improve on the capability per person

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Q: Dugway has come up quite a bit. Can you describe the work that’s performed at the Rapid Integration and Acceptance Center [RIAC] out at Dugway, and perhaps other work that’s being done out there?

Q: Does or can the RIAC serve the UAS requirements of the other services? Can you do joint work for the Navy and Air Force?

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A: The RIAC is not a joint operation; its current mission is in support of PM UAS programs or those programs that are closely related to PM UAS, again such as the Marine Corps WFPAC. When we support other services in this vein, we act as the executive agent and ensure that allrange activity is coordinated prior to their arrival and we support the other services throughout their stay.

I can’t speak for the other services or the locations at which they conduct their UAS operations and test activities, but what I can say is that Dugway really supports and satisfies our current needs. Certainly adding more UASs and other agencies to the airspace, ground space and frequency spectrum out at Dugway would tax their resources. We could support some coordinated joint efforts that meet UAS task force efforts and promote interoperability between the services. Such events would require close coordination. It would also prove to be a real-world environment that would identify interoperability concerns between the services and could ultimately lead to resolution of those concerns.

I think it’s important to at least understand why UAS went out to Dugway. Prior to the Dugway standup a couple of years ago, there was quite a bit of activity going on at El Mirage and at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

It became apparent, as the UAS office grew, that those locations simply couldn’t satisfy the requirements efficiently or effectively. There was a great deal of work done to identify a location that had both sufficient airspace and a clean spectrum for UAS to operate in. Those were really the two factors that went into selecting Dugway Proving Ground. So Dugway was selected for all the right reasons.

As UAS has grown Dugway, there have been a few growing pains in terms of infrastructure. We have at times taxed the electrical grid and consequently have been in talks with the Air Force to address this limitation. Hill Air Force Base is right up the road from Dugway and is funded with some MILCON right now to put up a facility out at Dugway.

This proximity would allow them to do check flights and some of their depot-level work on their Predators. SOCOM has also approached us and has already used our facility to support some of its Navy operations, so I see continued support from SOCOM. If you look holistically at what we’re doing, it’s an Army operation, but other services are certainly involved in what’s going on out there.

Q: Do tube-launched or UAV-launched micro-UAS fall within your PM, and what’s the Army’s current view on those systems?

A: The short answer is yes, as long as they’re recoverable and not determined to be a target, missile or ammunition. There are very UASlike munitions currently under the management of PEO Missiles and Space. If upon launch, the projectile is unrecoverable, I don’t manage that technology. On the other hand, if you can launch and subsequently recover the vehicle, it belongs within PM UAS. With that said, there are certainly technologies that are relevant to both missions so we are working with the AMRDEC and PEO MS to collectively mature those technologies.

Q: Tell me about the partnership with Middle Tennessee State University [MTSU]. Is the Army looking for other similar partnerships?

A: The partnership with Middle Tennessee State University is considered an outreach to academia. It provides an opportunity to introduce the faculty and students within that university to our latest UAS technologies and policies, and promotes and develops student interest in the Army’s employment of our UAS fleet. Essentially we’ve entered into an agreement in an attempt to create a groundswell of interest in 20 | TISR 2.1

unmanned aircraft technology among the talented student population at MTSU. About a year ago, the newly appointed director of UAS programs at MTSU, Mr. Kyle Snyder, contacted our office and suggested the partnership. They’re introducing a UAS specialty as part of their engineering program, and we thought it would be worthwhile based on the close proximity of MTSU. If you’re going to grow engineers that have a solid background in UAS, you should first target those locations close to your installation and MTSU’s only a couple hours from Redstone Arsenal.

Other universities such as Auburn University and Georgia Tech have also approached us. Their engineering programs have shown an interest. They both have local research centers to offer proximity and they are both primary sources of engineering talent, so a similar agreement would be mutually beneficial. I’m all for it—I think that any time we can share what we’re doing in terms of technology with academia and help to grow some engineers that may someday support Redstone Arsenal and the Army in the future, it’s a great thing.

Q: Familiarity with gaming systems is common today. Are you finding that useful background for operators and maintainers of unmanned systems today?

A: The level of soldiers you get coming into the Army right now grew up with that type of technology, so it’s seamless for those soldiers to just roll into the training and be able to operate this type of technology.

One of our challenges, though, is there’s a great demand out in industry for UAS operators, so we shoot ourselves in the foot sometimes. We have some very highly trained soldiers that deploy multiple times, flying UASs, but we’re losing them after their first term, so one of our challenges is to keep these soldiers in and develop an NCO corps within Army UAS. That’s difficult when contractors run some of our government-owned contractor operations, and can pay a lot of money for a quality UAS operator.

The Army’s UAS schoolhouse is just standing up and growing. We are turning out UAS operators every month, and one of our challenges is identifying and keeping those young soldiers who can progress to become NCOs and possibly warrant officers within the UAS community.

Q: Any closing thoughts on the direction of Army UAS? A: I’ve got a couple, related to personnel and training. The Army is moving to soldier-supported UAS maintenance. We currently support our deployed unmanned systems with a combination of soldiers and contractors performing maintenance and support. We want to get away from the contractor piece, so we’ve got to grow those maintainers within the Army. Therefore, the Army has created and began training for two new military occupational specialties [MOS], MOS 15E, UAS maintainers and MOS 15P, UAS senior NCOs. We understand that the next force entry mission assigned to the Army may be in an environment that will not be civilian forward support representative friendly; therefore, it’s important that we have soldiers maintaining our equipment.

In addition, we’ve recently signed an MOA with the National Guard to begin training and using their skilled soldiers, the Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group personnel, to support and repair UAS. This affords PM UAS depot-like skills forward in the battle area void of contractors. Both of these approaches are leveraging soldiers’ skills, initiatives, ingenuity and uas mission focus while reducing the sustainment cost for the Army. O www.TISR-kmi.com

On Several Levels, Securing Communication

Ensuring that hard-won information

and communication advantages stay secure.

By Hank Hogan TISR Correspondent For Lars Ericsson, securing the lines of communication involves, and yet doesn’t involve, a one-size-fits-all solution. Ericsson is chief scientist for unmanned aircraft systems within the Army’s Program Executive Office for Aviation. The organization is responsible for the development of various unmanned systems, such as Gray Eagle. This long-dwell aircraft can operate with or without satellite communications (SATCOM). It is capable of wide area intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance. It can attack, thanks to four Hellfire missiles The one-size-fits all approach can be found in the tactical common data link, something Gray Eagle uses and that other systems are transitioning to. Ericsson said such efforts involve standards, with encryption for security not separated from interoperability considerations.

He also noted some pretty specific orders. “We’re to secure our operations, period. All UAS operations are to use secured data.”

However, he added, “That being said, they left us with an amount of flex in tailoring that includes tailoring for classification level, the type of application and the type of data, and they’ve also provided for some waiver processes available to the tactical commander.”

As for communication security trends, he noted two, which interact somewhat with one another. One is the movement to standards, such as the tactical common data link or the use of Internet protocol, or IP, technology. Mobile devices, such as smartphones, and their increasing use make up the second development. An examination shows these trends at work and what’s being done to meet security and other communication requirements.

www.TISR-kmi.com

Getting Up and Down Faster An advantage that SATCOM has over anything else is that the connection is always there. That isn’t the case for terrestrial systems, which often need line-of-sight for communications. The downside is that traffic has to travel farther, leading to propagation delay of up to half a second. Added to that is the time needed for the encoding and decoding of data such as video streams, as well as the overhead of any encryption.

For ISR headed back to an analyst for further study, this may not be much of a problem. Such isn’t the case in a tactical situation, particularly if the data travels straight from an airborne platform to a warfighter on the ground. That removes the transit time up to a satellite and back, but does nothing for the other overhead.

These other latency-increasing components are being attacked in a variety of ways. For instance, Agile Milcoms, a division of Morgan Hill, Calif.-based Agile Communication Systems, has a demonstration unit that cuts encoding latency from 250 milliseconds down to 30, said company president Dan Makinster.

“The computations are done but they’re done on the fly and in hardware. We’re not going to look up tables and doing them in software,” he said.

Speeding this up allows data to be examined closer to real time, meaning that decisions about what to do can potentially be made before a target has moved. In making those decisions, though, there may be chat and other IP traffic traveling between those on the ground and manned aircraft.

TISR 2.1 | 21

Dan Makinster

David Kleidermacher

Karl Fuchs

kfuchs@idirectgt.com

Harinder Sood

harinder.sood@ultra-3eti.com

22 | TISR 2.1

Here, work done by Tachyon Networks of San Diego helps. Jeremy Gurlanick, vice president for business development, noted that standard Internet TCP (transmission control protocol) is not optimized for a high latency network, such as exists when using a satellite.

In particular, the slow start protocol feature begins transmission by sending data slowly and gradually speeding up, which can mean several round trips take place before reaching a link’s top speed. For a high latency network, this can slow things down considerably.

Tachyon short circuits this process using an external device.

“We pioneered various types of TCP acceleration over the years. In this particular case, we have to deploy some TCP accelerators on the unencrypted side of the network, before it hits the crypto devices. Then it goes over the link and then, obviously, when it hits the other side of the link, whether the ground side or the airborne side, the reverse happens,” Gurlanick said.

The process is transparent to both users and standard SATCOM equipment, he added.

Because of differing cryptographic requirements for various mission elements, he also noted that it’s typically not possible to integrate these security functions into either an accelerator or a standard SATCOM terminal.

With regard to cryptographic encoding and decoding, there’s about a 10-15 percent overhead added to communication requirements, said Karl Fuchs, vice president of technology for SATCOM supplier iDirect Government Technologies (iGT) of Herndon, Va. The biggest penalty arises from transmission of the initialization vector, which forms the basis for all subsequent manipulations that hide transmitted data from prying eyes.

The fastest encoding and decoding is done using a symmetric process, such as the U.S government-approved AES or advanced encryption standard. The keys to do this should be changed regularly and have to be changed in the event they end up in the hands of the bad guys. The challenge, then, lies in distributing the keys, something that has to be done securely and perhaps often.

“We disseminate those keys over the air using an asymmetric key pair. Those keys are 2048-bits long,” Fuchs said. “There is no human being in the middle of it. No person ever gets access to the symmetric keys.”

This is handled through a private-public key pairing, which depends on an asymmetric process. Those with the private key can decode

a message, while anyone with a public key can encode one. The same approach is used to ensure security over the Internet, although the number of bits in the keys, and therefore the cryptographic strength, is typically much less in the commercial realm than it is in a military application.

Fuchs noted that securing communication involves much more than encryption. For instance, there’s the problem of making sure that a device entering the network is actually legitimate and not something trying to spoof its way in. In the case of iGT, this authentication and non-repudiation is handled by leveraging X.509 certificates, a standard for device privilege management. The company also takes care to hide traffic by always transmitting full blocks of data, filling blocks up, if need be, with dummy information that can be discarded. Finally, iGT also obscures the acquisition and release of remote devices through techniques such as ensuring that at least one station is always transmitting.

Can You, and You Alone, Hear Me Now? While a lot of tactical communications travel over satellite links, there are efforts to take advantage of commercial technology, as illustrated by the National Security Agency’s commercial solution for classified program. A prime case-in-point is the smartphone, which can be used for displaying sensor data or handling other tactical ISR. The push to include smartphones in the communication mix faces some fundamental hurdles, warned David Kleidermacher, chief technology officer of Santa Barbara, Calif.based Green Hills Software. Kleidermacher doubts it will ever be possible to fully trust a commercial mobile operating system. After all, it is designed for consumers and not to withstand sophisticated attacks. On top of that, it may be effectively impossible to know for sure where all of the code comes from.

However, there is a proposed solution: virtualization and the use of a secure hypervisor. In virtualization, one physical machine is divided into many logical separate partitions, with the hypervisor controlling access to memory, disk drives, physical devices, and everything else. This allows a single machine to run applications without the possibility of compromising anything beyond one partition.

This approach can solve the tricky problem of how two devices can communicate www.TISR-kmi.com

over an unsecure or insufficiently secure channel, such as a G3 or G4 cellular network. Kleidermacher noted that devices can encrypt different levels of the communication model. For instance, a device may create a level 3 Internet Protocol security (IPsec) connection and, independently, a level 4 SSL (secure sockets layer) connection, the type used by web browsers. The latter can be handled by a mobile operating system such as Android.

In theory, this double encryption is secure. In practice, both encryption keys will often be stored on disk and accessible to an attacker, unless the foundation on which the software rests is secure.

That’s where a known secure hypervisor like the kind offered by Green Hills Software comes into play.

“If you had a secure hypervisor, whether it be ours or anybody else’s for that matter, one that’s really trusted, you can use Android’s native SSL but then we run IPsec outside of Android. Now your layered defense is dependent on the security of the hypervisor,” Kleidermacher said.

He added that chip sets now exist that allow a secure hypervisor to be implemented on desktops, laptops, and, perhaps most importantly, in mobile devices. Thus, this particular solution is now possible.

There is also a prototype secure smartphone from ITT Exelis of McLean, Va., that is now undergoing beta testing and in Q1 2012 will start FIPS-140 and EAL certification. The company has a long history in secure traditional tactical communications, but this new direction represents cutting edge and breakthrough technology, according to Richard Takahashi, director of information assurance products.

The device integrates ITT encryption hardware into a standard smartphone. In doing so, it provides 256-bit AES encryption and above without changing the appearance or operation of the mobile device in any way.

“It’s like a dual-use phone. It operates just like a commercial phone with whatever the IT infrastructure restrictions the end-user has. Then when you go secure, you’ve got a secure mode where you can do secure communication, secure voice, secure texting and secure email. And then you go back to your commercial phone,” Takahashi said.

He added that this smartphone modification is not tied to a particular model or Android operating system version, a good thing since both are undergoing rapid changes at present. The goal was to make the secure addition agnostic in terms of the underlying technology. Achieving this means it can be ported to the next generation of smartphones, which would allow the rapidly developing phone technology to be leveraged for warfighters. When asked if the goal had been met, Takahashi answered in the affirmative.

He noted, though, that securing data on the move is not enough.

Indeed, the attention paid to encrypting communications may mean that data in transit is more secure than data at rest. That can be particularly troubling since all data in theater will eventually be at rest in drives, phones, tablets, radios, or other devices. Any or all of these can fall into the wrong hands, which means that the problem of securing data at rest is actually much bigger than the challenge of doing so while data is in motion.

To that end, ITT has come up with a very low power, high performance, and very small secure network processor solution, which Takahashi said measured only 15 millimeters on a side and could handle data rates up to 600 megabits per second. It has gotten NSA www.TISR-kmi.com

certification as a secure cryptographic solution processor, achieving that in mid-2011. The company is actively working to fit this into everything from phones to drives to wireless networking nodes and radios.

A final word on the smartphone front comes from Rockville, Md.-based 3e Technologies International (3eTI), an Ultra Electronics company. It supplies wireless networking solutions for the U.S. Navy, in effect providing the secure link for the last little bit of connection. Its products have been awarded Common Criteria Security Certification at EAL 4. That’s a level of information assurance that smartphone vendors don’t want to deal with, said Harinder Sood, vice president of engineering. Nonetheless, even here tactical ISR data could end up on smartphones, a testament to the need to communicate securely over new technology.

As Sood said, “In terms of providing situational awareness data on handhelds, we’re definitely looking at that. For example, display of sensor data directly on a smartphone through its Wi-Fi enabled connection.” O

For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.tisr-kmi.com.

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Fast Eyes In The Field Powerful and sophisticated ISR capabilities also have to be rapidly deployable to benefit the tactical warfighter.

By Henry Canaday TISR Correspondent The nature of war in Iraq and Afghanistan has required surveillance tools that can be carried easily, set up rapidly and start providing useful information almost immediately. Both normal acquisition and special procurement techniques have sought these rapidly deployable systems.

For example, Wolfhound is a man-portable capability widely used in Afghanistan. Wolfhound includes three networked, man-packable nodes that detect, identify and find the direction of conventional communications.

“Wolfhound uses a commercial off-the-shelf [COTS] audio receiver to receive and process radio signals,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Jim Ross, product manager for Prophet at Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronics Warfare, and Sensors (PEO IEW&S). “Wolfhound’s core competency is its ability to locate the emitter of a radio signal of interest.”

A Wolfhound collection node weighs only 10 pounds and can be set up in 10 minutes. Ross said 12 to 16 hours of training are necessary for operators.

24 | TISR 2.1

The expendable-unmanned ground sensor (E-UGS) is a situational awareness system that detects and reports human footsteps and moving vehicles.

E-UGS is a compact, leave-behind sensor that provides immediate feedback on enemy movement.

Each E-UGS sensor weighs less than 10 ounces, noted Lieutenant Colonel Robert Helms, product manager Robotic and Unmanned Sensors at PEO IEW&S. Helms said it takes less than five minutes to place a sensor and set up the base-station receiver and laptop computer. Training requires only one day.

E-UGS information is displayed on a dedicated laptop computer running a Graphical User Interface.

Although developed for company and below, E-UGS can be integrated at company level for reporting up the command chain. E-UGS is supported in theater by field service representatives and mobile training teams.

Helms said improvements under consideration include making E-UGS smaller and lighter, embedding a GPS or integrating a camera into it and connecting it

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AeroVironment’s earlier backpack and hand-launched UASs play to other intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, an important role in conducting surveillance for U.S. military forces. all while keeping it expendable.

More than 20,000 are currently deployed. These include the Puma The Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) looks for the problems, AE (all environment), capable of landing in water or on land, manincluding ISR problems, that have not been solved yet. REF focuses on portable and needing no auxiliary equipment for launch or recovery. brigade level and below, explained Lieutenant Colonel Keith Collyer, Puma has both electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) REF director of intelligence. A unit identifies a problem cameras on a light mechanical gimbal. or capability gap in a 10-line form, to which REF tries AeroVironment’s RQ-11 Raven is a small handto respond in 24 to 48 hours. launched UAS that can fly up to 6.2 miles at altitudes Collyer first consults with G2 Quick Reaction of 10,000 feet above ground and 15,000 feet above Capability and the ISR Task Force to check if they are mean sea level at speeds of 28 to 60 miles per hour. working on a similar need and collaboration is needed.

The Wasp Micro Air Vehicle is the company’s If not, and REF approves the request, specialists go to smallest UAS designed for front-line day or night ISR. academic and industry contacts to identify or develop Weighing just 430 grams, Wasp can be controlled equipment that fills the requirement. The requirement manually or programmed for GPS-based autonomous can usually be filled within 90 days for COTS solutions. navigation.

If a REF-fielded device proves useful to more units, Graham Bourdon “Puma, Raven and Wasp are used today by the U.S. an operational needs statement for equipping the larger Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Special Operations Army with the same equipment may be submitted.

Command [SOCOM], as well as by more than a dozen Established in 2002, REF now focuses on urgent allied military forces,” Gitlin noted. needs of Army units in Afghanistan. It is also looking at Prioria’s Maveric UAS was launched in 2008 and emerging transnational threats, for example operations 175 have been sold, chiefly to the Canadian military, in Africa or the Philippines beyond 2014 or 2015. said Sales VP Derek Lyons. “Canada planned to buy REF currently has Georgia Tech Research Institute one that the U.S. used, but we suggested they ask for conducting a study on the best ISR aerostat capabilities, what they needed, and we won. Ours was better at flyincluding gauging tactical differences between helium ing and on costs.” and hydrogen.

Unlike other UASs, Maveric can be launched either The ISR supply base has been very active. by hand or with a tube. Prioria’s Merlin processing For rapid deployment in the field, FLIR Systems Kevin Tucker system allows image processing and vision-based provides handheld surveillance devices that are small control onboard, reducing reliance on ground station and lightweight yet rival the capabilities available five to communication.

10 years ago on much larger airborne devices, accord“We call it tough, tactical and smart,” Lyons suming to Kevin Tucker, general manager of surveillance. marized. “It gets its toughness from carbon-fiber Vehicle-mounted systems are also quick. In Novemcomposites. Folding wings mean it can operate in ber, FLIR won a Marine Corps contract for a stabilized difficult environments with wind and rain. Repairs ISR, the Vehicle Optic Sensor Systems (VOSS) that is are simple with tape. It has the capabilities of larger put on a mast and extended rapidly. models like the 40-pound Scan Eagle but weighs just FLIR is researching short wave infrared (SWIR) 2.3 pounds.” and other new sensor technologies, which Tucker Lyons argued that Maveric’s onboard processbelieves can be brought to competitive prices on handing yields actionable intelligence more easily. “You held devices. SWIR detects differences between natural Derek Lyons throw it up in the air, it looks around, finds anything and non-natural materials and, combined with other moving above the ambient temperature, says that is techniques, yields important information invisible to derek.lyons@prioria.com probably human, throws a box around it and alerts the naked eye. the operator. He can look at that instead of having to stay glued to Rapid deployment also means avoiding frequent removal for repair. a picture.”

FLIR’s RAID-installed bases for the Army have yielded more than Maveric flies for 45 to 75 minutes, depending on payload. A 4,000 hours of mean time between failure. demonstration for SOCOM showed that, once landed, it can be flightSize and weight are also important. “We strive for the longest checked, loaded with a new battery and ready to fly again in one battery life possible,” Tucker said. Devices must be efficient in using minute and 14 seconds. power—for example, by putting certain functions in stand-by when Lockheed Martin Gyrocam has its Portable Rapid Deployment not needed. FLIR concentrates on power consumption, partly by proSurveillance System (PRDSS) deployed with the Marines in Afghanigressively shutting off parts of the system, and is developing systems stan. Kennan Walker, Gyrocam Systems business development manwith solar re-charging. ager, said PRDSS, an EO/IR device, has the same ISR capabilities as AeroVironment’s Nano Hummingbird is highly maneuverable, VOSS and satisfies the need for rapidly deployed surveillance. with flapping wings and the ability to hover and rotate clockwise and A 32-foot crank-up mast allows PRDSS to operate quickly in anticlockwise, all under remote control. “The Nano Hummingbird is remote locations like small checkpoints that have no infrastructure. the result of the same creativity, focus and persistence that has made Weighing a little over 500 pounds, PRDSS can be moved in by vehicle AeroVironment a leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and or air. It has an eight-by-eight-foot footprint and is self-powered electric vehicle infrastructure,” said Steven Gitlin, vice president, marwith batteries, generator or solar panel. An operator-station-in-a-box keting strategy and communications. www.TISR-kmi.com

TISR 2.1 | 25

NSM has also developed a very rapidly deployable surveillance makes PRDSS a turnkey system. PDRSS takes three Marines only 30 mast that can attach to Army tactical vehicles. It is 17 to 25 feet in minutes to set up. height and can be extended or withdrawn in five seconds. This makes PRDSS provides a 360-degree view and 20-to-1 continuous zoom. the mast highly useful in situations where soldiers may need to check A digital recorder in the operator station supports debriefing and out surroundings quickly and then get out quickly too. training. Distinctively, PRDSS sensors are gyro-stabilized. “When The NSM mast is electric-powered and draws minimum power you get up to 20 or 40 feet, you can have issues from wind, vehicles from the vehicle, from four to 10 amps, compared to driving by or generators running,” Walker said. “If it is the more common 100 amps. All cabling is inside the not stabilized, that reduces range and makes operation mast, preventing entanglement and extending cable difficult. Many mast systems are un-stabilized panlife. “It is one of a kind and getting a lot of buzz,” Berdy and-tilt cameras.” noted. The mast weighs 155 pounds and can support 35 A smaller backpack version weighs less than 200 to 65 pounds of sensors. pounds, distributed over four men. It is similar to NSM is developing a data link system for mid-size PRDSS but has a mast of only 24 feet.

UASs, where minimizing size, weight, power draw For the future, Lockheed has recently developed and cost while maximizing range is critical. The new the ability to slew Gyrocams off of other sensors solution can stream video at 30 frames per second for including ground surveillance radars for an integrated 100 miles line of sight in a very compact and efficient multi-sensor solution.

Kennan Walker package.

NSM Surveillance makes components for and Selex Galileo developed its Observer 100 and 250 integrates wireless surveillance systems, explained ground-based intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconPresident Andy Berdy. Its new Tactical Surveillance Expeditionary naissance (ISTAR) systems in light of the major challenges for this type (TSE) is a scalable surveillance system that can be rapidly set up by of equipment, noted Graham Bourdon, head of engineering products tactical units at remote locations and forward operating bases. “You for land ISTAR. One challenge was reducing the re-supply burden for can drop it off a Chinook or HMMWV, set it up on the perimeter and fuel and power. Power management with a battery charged from a dieget a video stream in about 15 minutes.” TSE can include EO and sel generator enables the 100 to operate over 30 days with no refueling IR cameras, alarms for operators and links to unattended ground or re-supply. sensors (UGSs).

The Observer 100 can be set up in seven minutes, “less than its competitors,” Bourdon said. It has an integrated radar and EO sensor head on a 10-meter mast, all weighing about 1,000 kilograms.

The larger Observer 250, with a 25-meter mast, operational in wind of 90 miles per hour and able to lift 900 kilograms of payload, can be up and running in just 30 minutes.

Observer results are displayed on Selex Galileo Situational Awareness software that can also show images from other systems, including UGSs, radar and detection systems for both direct and indirect fire.

Open standards are used throughout the Observer systems, ensuring interoperability with other equipment.

In business since 1933, Telephonics has 1,350 employees including 800 engineers, emphasized CEO Joe Battaglia. In addition to many other high-tech systems, the company makes ground surveillance radar (GSR) for border security and the Army. Its mobile surveillance capability (MSC) platform combines GSR and other sensors, such as FLIR, low-light TV, laser rangefinders and GPS, in a stabilized platform on top of a 30-foot pole that sits on a skid.

Conference dates: 23–27 April 2012 MSC is self-contained system, with its own batteries, generators, Exhibition dates: 24–26 April 2012 fuel and cooling systems. It can be bolted to the bed of a Ford pick-up Baltimore Convention Center Baltimore, Maryland, USA truck, carried in a trailer or set up in a permanent installation. It is up and running in 20 minutes. The company also has light and heavy surveillance systems called Cerberus, that are similar to MSC, and a Technologies 50-pound GSR system mounted on a tripod that can be erected very - Military and Industrial Imaging and Sensing Systems quickly.

- Visible to IR to Terahertz devices and systems - Sensors: Networks, Data Analytics and Displays Battaglia noted Telephonics also make a hands-free wireless inter- Signal and image processing com system that can assist soldiers in deploying surveillance systems - Unmanned and Robotic Technologies rapidly in the field. O

2012 Defense Security+Sensing 23–27 April 2012 Register Today

- Global and Homeland Health and Security

spie.org/aboutdss

26 | TISR 2.1

For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.tisr-kmi.com.

www.TISR-kmi.com

The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.

TISR CALENDAR & DIRECTORY Advertisers Index

Calendar

AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Non-Traditional ISR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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DRG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4

Recon Robotics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies. . . . . 19

Selex Galileo Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2

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www.selexgalileo.com

L-3 Cincinnati Electronics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

SPIE Defense Security & Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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L-3 Wescam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3

Syntonics Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Logos Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

UAV Summit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

www.logos-technologies.com

www.uavevent.com

NextIssue

February 22-24, 2012 AUSA Winter Fort Lauderdale, Fla. www.ausa.org March 2, 2012 C4ISR Breakfast Arlington, Va. www.ndia.org/meetings/292d March 27-29, 2012 U.S. Intelligence Community, Who and What Fairfax, Va. www.afcea.org

March 2012 Volume 2, Issue 2

Cover and In-Depth Interview with:

Maj. Gen. Tim Crosby PEO U.S. Army Aviation Special Section • Manned Platforms

Features • Airborne EW Advances • Straight Up UAS • The Everyday Gimbal

at Army PEO Aviation An exclusive look at the people and offices that make up the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Aviation. An examination of their top critical contracts is also included.

Bonus Distribution: Quad A

Insertion Deadline: March 2, 2012 • Ad Materials Deadline: March 9, 2012 www.TISR-kmi.com

TISR 2.1 | 27

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Tactical ISR Technology

Steven Reid Senior Vice President and General Manager AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems Q: How does AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems differentiate itself in such a competitive industry?

A: Our heritage is full-service UAS design, manufacturing and support. That system integrator and sustainer mentality is still the core of our business ethos. There are a lot of good unmanned platforms available, but a customer has much more to consider.

Our system approach takes into account manufacturing, deployment, sustainment and the system’s overall integration into the networked battlespace. We also consider the right business model, whether it’s acquiring a UAS fleet or leasing one with our fee-for-service operations. That focus is reflected in both of our tactical systems—the Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft system [TUAS] and Aerosonde small unmanned aircraft system—and in our customer relationships.

We understand their missions; we have our own people in the field operating and maintaining systems, too.

That experience validates our design process and contributes to the results we achieve for our customers.

Q: The RQ-7B Shadow TUAS is arguably AAI’s best-known product. What innovations are underway currently?

A: The world saw our vision for the nextgeneration Shadow TUAS at the 2011 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, where we unveiled Shadow multi-mission payloads (MMP) and the Shadow M2 aircraft. Each multimission payload quickly equips the Shadow aircraft with new mission capabilities from signals intelligence to chem/bio detection.

The first in our MMP line, Fastcom, was developed in tandem with fellow Textron Systems business Overwatch and ViaSat. Fastcom creates an expeditionary, secure smartphone network, functional in the most austere of environments. MMP pods are carried aboard the hard points on the Shadow aircraft’s wings.

28 | TISR 2.1

The Shadow M2 aircraft reflects our next-generation UAS technology offering that is affordable in a very challenging budget environment. The aircraft incorporates a heavy-fuel engine designed to aviation standards for increased endurance and reliability and a new fuselage with greater payload capacity. The MMP architecture enables the aircraft to be properly equipped in a very dynamic mission environment. Since the M2 incorporates the RQ-7B’s current avionics architecture and support equipment, all that’s required of current users is a modest upgrade program to achieve a revolutionary capability enhancement—utilizing the same logistics and substantially reducing program risk.

In that same vein, we introduced our Shadow Knight platform in late 2011 to address multiple unmanned vertical-takeoff-and-landing requirements. Harnessing the potential of Carter Aviation’s slowed rotor/compound technology, it’s possible to field a unique capability based on mature technology, much more quickly, affordably and with low risk.

Q: The command and control architecture you mentioned was utilized throughout the Army’s fall 2011 Manned Unmanned System Integration Capability [MUSIC] exercise. What’s new in that area of AAI’s business?

A: We have championed universal UAS command and control for years and that same goal is inherent to the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Universal Control Segment effort. The MUSIC demonstration showcased the benefits of a networked battlespace, integrating everyone from the pilot in the cockpit to the dismounted soldier. Our universal ground control station [UGCS] played a large role that day. We’re in the process of fielding the UGCS to control the Army’s highly capable Gray Eagle aircraft, as well as with Hunter UAS and our own Shadow TUAS. We’re also integrating the UGCS with Northrop Grumman’s long endurance multi-intelligence vehicle as well as Aurora Flight Science’s Orion unmanned aircraft.

Our One System remote video terminal [OSRVT] also made a strong showing during MUSIC. OSRVT became a formal program of record in 2011, and we’ve fielded thousands of systems, where they’re reliably delivering full motion video to edge users. The MUSIC demo showcased the future of our One System architecture. This included bi-directional capability to allow dismounted soldiers to directly control the payload for increased situational awareness, as well as our cockpit solution that puts the full-motion video product right from the unmanned aircraft directly into the helicopter pilot’s onboard multi-function display.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A: We’ve always believed that innovation takes many forms. As our customers determine their requirements for the future force amid budget constraints and evolving mission sets, we’ll continue to innovate for them in many different ways.

Our creativity will provide agile, powerful technologies that are multi-functional and affordable. And we’ll show ingenuity in our business models, delivering the right mix of products and services when and where they’re needed. AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems is poised to deliver that innovation. O www.TISR-kmi.com

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