TISR 2-3 (April 2012)

Actionable Intelligence for the Warfighter

ISR Proponent Rear Adm. (Select) DeWolfe Miller Director, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capabilities Division U.S. Navy

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April 2012

Volume 2, Issue 3

EO/IR Technology O Seaborne ISR O Unmanned Maritime Options Smartphone ISR O Ultra Light Recon Robot Experiment O Gimbals

You may not see us, but we are always there.

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Tactical ISR Technology

April 2012 Volume 2 • Issue 3

Features

Cover / Q&A Optical Realism

5

EO/IR technology allows the warfighter to see farther and clearer than ever before. Industry continues to push the boundaries of EO/IR technology so that U.S. warfighters maintain their tactical advantage.

By J.B. Bissell

Gimbals

9

Much critical intelligence comes from the tiny turrets, or gimbals, on manned or unmanned systems that carry cameras, sensors and targeting devices. Precision strikes demand more capabilities and longer endurance in ever-smaller gimbals.

By Henry Canaday

Ultra Light Reconnaissance Robot Experiment

12

As part of the ultra light reconnaissance robot limited objective experiment, sponsored by the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, four small robots were assessed by the Maneuver Battle Lab.

By Vince Little

17 Rear Admiral (Select) DeWolfe Miller Director, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capabilities Division U.S. Navy

Apps for ISR

20

The Army’s Connecting Soldier to Digital Applications project undertaken by its Brigade Modernization Command is a major effort to lay the foundations for taking advantage of commercial technologies and exploiting the velocity of change in the cellular industry.

By Adam Baddeley

Unmanned and At Sea Rivers, the littorals and blue water can be ISR rich, and a variety of unmanned platforms have been designed to meet specific mission tasks in the maritime environment.

By Hank Hogan

23 Seaborne ISR

25

Ships were among the earliest and most aggressive users of ISR, partly because there have always been so many dangers.

Communication must be detected and interpreted rapidly with signals intelligence, all threats must be detected, and time must remain to react.

By Henry Canaday

Departments 2 Editor’s Perspective 3 Army Unmanned

Aircraft Systems

4 All Int/People 14 ISR Kit 27 Calendar, Directory

Industry Interview

28 Steve Schmidt Business Development Manager, Infrared Products L-3 Cincinnati Electronics

Tactical ISR Technology

Volume 2, Issue 3

April 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 • J.B. Bissell Henry Canaday • Hank Hogan

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EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE Based on the fiscal year 2013 budget request, after FY14 there will only be one major unmanned aerial vehicle acquisition program still funded out to FY17—or beyond. Between FY13 and FY17, the Air Force is currently projecting to acquire 120 new MQ-9 Reapers with funding just under $2.7 billion for the period. It should be noted that the Global Hawk Block 40 is expected to receive a little over $1.8 million in FY15 primarily for contractor and infrastructure support.

The Air Force wants to accelerate the low-rate production decision, moving it up a year from the previously announced July 2013 Jeffrey D. McKaughan goal to June 2012. These block 5 aircraft will represent about 70 Editor-IN-CHIEF percent of the total run. To meet the new timing, the contractor has quickened the pace for the first block 5 retrofit by about six months and is working the software issues to allow for earlier verification. Although sooner than currently projected, the program is running about two years behind plans due to challenges in development and integration.

The Reaper is a well-tested and mature design in the block 1 configuration, so only the block 5 has drawn attention. At this point, there is no reason for concern that the program is not on track and will not be able to meet the now-accelerated timeline. Once increment I is in place, it will obviously lay the ground work for increment II, which will add the small diameter bomb, automatic take-off and landing capability, deicing and national airspace certification.

While certainly not designed for the same mission, if the current plans to ground the Global Hawk Block 30 continue in place, other unmanned platforms may see some missions creep to help cover some of the gaps in coverage.

Anyone care to weigh in on the planned future mix of manned and unmanned platforms? Should the U-2 be receiving the additional funding being put towards it or should more emphasis be placed on continuing to enhance our unmanned capabilities?

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ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS

External Programs Directorate Outreach for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office.

By Lieutenant Colonel Robb Walker and Marty Shelton The Army’s Project Manager (PM), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) leads one of the eight PM organizations under the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Aviation (AVN). PM UAS provides DoD and Army leaders with world class UAS and unmanned control systems—interoperable with Army, joint and coalition partners, as well as operational support and system-of-systems innovation. These unmanned systems and related technologies have provided greater flexibility for our soldiers in responding to national security challenges at home and abroad, against conventional as well as unconventional threats.

Army UAS support full spectrum operations waged by our forward deployed combatant commanders. Since the onset of overseas contingency operations, the Army’s unmanned aircraft fleet has logged nearly 1.4 million combat flight hours in support of forward deployed U.S. servicemembers and our allies. PM UAS team members are part of the preeminent land force in the world today, and their skill and dedication to the mission aid in keeping the Army the nation’s force of decisive action.

PM UAS is comprised of six distinct and diverse subordinate product offices and three functional divisions that support overall business management, logistics and engineering support functions and are responsible for the acquisition and life cycle management of virtually all of the Army’s unmanned aircraft fleet. Additionally, the team’s External Programs Directorate serves as the lead for the PM, charged with establishing habitual relationships nationally and internationally to identify cooperative acquisition opportunities. This team’s strategic mission is to enable more synergistic and seamless operations whenever the U.S. conducts joint UAS operations with allied and coalition partners, and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA).

The External Programs director acts as the customer advocate for PM UAS. He concentrates building intergovernmental collaboration, interoperability, and seeks efficiencies among federal agencies while supporting the PM UAS Strategic Communication Plan. Partnerships with academia are also fostered by overseeing technical agreements with academic partners.

External Programs is responsible for being the single point of contact to the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office for organizations external to standard Army requirements. As such, External Programs proactively engages other government www.TISR-kmi.com

agencies, industry, the joint community and academia. In addition, External Programs has a significant international presence.

UAS has changed the way we fight our wars and will change the way we operate here in the U.S. Whether it be homeland security or local law enforcement, UAS will definitely play a bigger role in how each agency conducts business in the future.

The External Programs office hosts vendor days to allow external vendors the opportunity to interface with the leadership of PM UAS. These external vendor capability briefing days allow industry to introduce their goods and services to the offices within PM UAS. The impetus behind these vendor days is “Industry sees the promise of UAS and is really pushing the edge of technology in making UAS smaller, lighter, faster, with greater endurance and improved payloads packages, etc. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for PM UAS to hear about new technologies within industry, by providing an event to receive and coordinate unsolicited proposals.”

External Programs also sponsors outreach initiatives with universities for college-level UAS research and development.

Universities also see UAS as the way of the future, and we are seeing more and more schools stand up programs for the research and development of unmanned systems. This effort will allow the Army to promote independent research and development at the university level, develop student interest in the Army’s UAS program, and ultimately benefit from the students’ work.

External Programs, through its international programs office, supports UAS foreign military sales (FMS) and is staffed to manage multiple FMS programs while working potential programs in the final planning stages of accepting official letters of offer and acceptance from different countries around the globe.

UAS will not only continue to gain popularity in the U.S., but on the international front as well. As our coalition partners and allies realize how UAS has improved our ability to conduct combat operations, they will pursue UAS for their own use.

As overseas contingency operations draw down, the External Programs Office will continue to provide outreach, advice and subject matter expertise to those government and non-governmental agencies that desire to join UAS revolution. O Lieutenant Colonel Robb Walker is the director of External Programs and Marty Shelton is a contractor, Wyle/CAS, PM UAS. TISR 2.3 | 3

ALL INT

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Improving Battlefield Awareness The Navy issued multiple award contracts (MAC) in support of an effort to provide warfighters with improved battlefield awareness.

AAI Corp., Insitu Inc. and CSC were each awarded indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts for the procurement of unmanned aircraft systems intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services. The cumulative amount for the MAC over a five-year period is $874 million.

With the IDIQ contracts, the government will place individual task orders against the MAC for land-based and sea-based requirements. AAI

and Insitu are eligible to compete for both sea- and land-based task orders. CSC may compete for land-based task orders.

Tasks performed under this contract will require the contractors to provide 24/7 ISR services, including all planning, coordination, certification, installation, pre-deployment, deployment, logistics, maintenance, flying and post-deployment efforts.

The ISR services contract is in direct support of worldwide combat missions including round-the-clock imagery and other sensor capability in support of both sea- and land-based missions.

Portable Hazard Observation System Block MEMS has been awarded a major contract from Johns Hopkins University in support of the Department of Defense intelligence community to develop and supply miniaturized, handheld versions of its battery operated portable hazard observation system (PORTHOS). PORTHOS is a man-portable passive Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Under this contract, Block will develop and supply a next-generation PORTHOS system, which is at least 50 percent smaller and lighter than the existing PORTHOS and offers additional detection capabilities.

“This contract award is a strong validation of Block’s FTIR-based technologies and products, which we have provided to our military and government customers for more than 10 years,” Petros Kotidis, Block MEMS’ CEO, commented. “This new product is aimed at dramatically reducing the carrying load of our warfighters, while at the same time providing enhanced protection against chemical threats and other weapons of mass destruction.”

PORTHOS is a small, rugged, lightweight, highly sensitive multiple chemical agent detector and identification system. PORTHOS incorporates

Leveraging Robotic Capabilities Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) and iRobot Corp. have entered into a partnership to develop robotic technologies using TI’s smart multicore OMAP platform. The relationship stems from the companies’ shared vision to create intelligent and practical robots capable of enhancing people’s lives. The two companies will achieve this vision by leveraging iRobot’s long history in advancing the field of robotics and TI’s strength in applications processors and related technologies.

With two decades of leadership in the robot industry, iRobot is a proven technology leader in remote presence and automated home maintenance solutions. To date, iRobot has sold more than 7.5 million home robots worldwide, revolutionizing the way people clean both inside and outside the home. More than 4,500 combat-proven government and industrial robots have been delivered to military and civil defense forces worldwide, performing thousands of dangerous search, reconnaissance and bombdisposal missions while protecting those in harm’s way.

TI brings to the partnership the industry’s leading applications processor technology captured in the OMAP platform—a high performing, ultra-power-efficient system-on-chip that’s smaller than a dime. The OMAP platform’s smart multicore architecture sends processing tasks to cores and engines that can best do the job using the least amount of power possible.

TI complements this fundamental computing experience with several unique features, such as sophisticated image and video accelerators.

4 | TISR 2.3

Block’s M90 FTIR along with custom recognition algorithms. It is programmed to detect all military C-Agents (nerve, blood and blister) and a variety of toxic industrial chemicals. It also distinguishes these agents from common interferents.

PORTHOS functions day or night and is capable of either short- or long-term military or homeland security ground or air operations. Within seconds it detects and presents to the user the name of any chemical vapor of interest at distances of 0.1 to 5 km. It is available in both 0.5 and 1.5 degree fields of view.

PEOPLE Navy Rear Admiral (lower half) Elizabeth L. Train has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Train is currently serving as director for Intelligence, J2, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. Navy Rear Admiral (lower half) Jonathan W. White has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral.

White is currently serving as commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Colonel John T. Quintas, who has been selected for brigadier general, commander, 48th Fighter

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Wing, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, to senior defense official and defense attaché, defense intelligence agency, United Kingdom.

Rear Admiral (lower half) Jonathan W. White, who has been selected for the rank of rear admiral, will be assigned as director, oceanography, space and maritime domain awareness division, N2/N6E, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations/ Oceanographer of the Navy, Washington, D.C. White is currently serving as commander, naval meteorology and oceanography command, Stennis Space Center, Miss.

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ows all re. y og efo nol ver b h c e e IR t an EOe/arer tssh ell nt e cl .B. Bi ond J esp y rr B o RC TIS

Back in 1984, The Terminator gave the civilian public a glimpse at an imagined version of the operational value of electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sighting capabilities. In the movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a cyborg whose vision is digitized. The scenes shot from his point of view, where he not only sees his potential targets, but is fed important situational details about them such as size, location and movement, are iconic in the science fiction world.

More than 25 years later, that type of technology has evolved from cinematic special effects to an essential intelligence-gathering tool for warfighters on real-world battlefields. “High definition EO capabilities allow us to better distinguish operational activity, providing increased fidelity to determine whether al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Somali pirates, or insurgents in Afghanistan are carrying guns or planting IEDs,” said Captain Cate Mueller, Navy spokeswoman. “As you might imagine, the ability to better identify high value individuals leads to [more confident] decisions by commanders at all levels.” www.TISR-kmi.com

to ter h g rfi wa e h t

see

er rth

and

fa

Many times, greater confidence comes in the form of better equipment, but developing better equipment—and continuously pushing technology forward—costs money. So when budgets, for both research and development and general purchasing, start to feel a bit of a pinch, it’s up to innovative industry folks to ensure the military still gets what they need in order to make those confident decisions.

Productive Communication Sofradir EC is widely known for designing state-of-the-art infrared and low-light imaging products, but perhaps one of their most valuable contributions to the optics industry is acknowledging and addressing the tricky economics that can affect their clients. “As a result of delayed programs and budget constraints for EO/IR TISR 2.3 | 5

equipment,” said Dr. Frank Vallese, president of Sofradir EC, “our business development team is working more closely than ever with customers to better understand minimum performance requirements for electro-optical subsystems and target costs. Because of our experience with both cooled and uncooled infrared detector technologies, we are able to consider a variety of different approaches and seek fresh solutions to common problems.”

By doing this, Sofradir EC can focus more intently on the absolute necessities that need to be built into their systems, but also address those necessities with a fair understanding of their purchasers’ desired price point. It’s a good solution. Though, admittedly, having to be mindful of a fairly hard-lined budget does High fidelity optics allow more precision when detecting and identifying friend or foe in the operational environment. [Photo courtesy present some limitations. of DoD] Steve Kinney, director of technical presales for JAI and a member of the company’s associated lifetime energy costs for applications such as portable longproduct strategy group, said, “We are just being a little more selecrange thermal imaging systems. Reliability improvements, including tive about which products we can move forward with. Engineering extended MTBF performance, significantly decrease lifetime mainteresources can’t expand as fast as we might like, so we have to prioritize nance costs.” a little more carefully.”

Similar to Sofradir EC, JAI’s prioritization strategy is based on dialogue with their consumer base. “We are getting as much customer Bridging the Gaps input as possible at the concept stage,” Kinney said, “to make sure that the products we are developing will Improving reliability is crucial. “It’s an absolute must,” Captain include the features and functions that Mueller said. “Operating sensitive equipment and sensors for long best meet the market’s needs.” periods of time in maritime environments is not easy. We need to Meeting everybody’s needs, from deliver systems that commanders can trust to perform as advertised.” developers to end-users, isn’t always an The obvious goal then for EO/IR development companies is to easy task, and “remarkably, the most bridge the gaps between value, performance and reliability. Or, as Dr. obvious solution is not often the best,” Andreas von Flotow, president of Hood Technology Corporation, put it: Vallese added. No matter what the cur“to deliver the most ISR performance per dollar possible.” rent economic situation is, “in product To accomplish this, Hood Technology’s strategy is to “find comdevelopment, cost is always an impormercially-available sensors and optics, and configure these for the tant design consideration,” he continpurpose of high-performance ISR payloads,” von Flotow explained. ued. “But minimizing a component “Avoiding extensive custom development—and specifically avoiding Steve Kinney cost may not be the best approach.” government-funded development with the attendant costs of receiving This is where team brainstormgovernment funding—allows us to develop commercial off-the-shelf ing and customer feedback can lead products that deliver improved features, such as tougher payloads, to inventive problem solving. Because better stabilization, tighter zoom, better operability, multi-imager sometimes developing new EO/IR simultaneous operation, automatic target recognition and tracking.” technologies—even if they require In addition to utilizing already commercially-available parts, Hood some additional monetary outflow upTechnology makes it a priority to stay in front of supply and demand front—can provide a pioneering solutrends. “We tend to innovate well ahead of customer needs,” von tion and a lower overall system cost.

Flotow said. “We can incorporate the newest technology according to “For example, high performance infraour best perception of ISR demand. This speed of innovation allows red imaging detectors are now being us to jump on technical opportunities before the customer demand developed due to the maturation of actually crystallizes, and gives us an edge, both technically and comDr. Andreas von Flotow high operating temperature (HOT mercially.”

MCT) cooled infrared materials,” ValSometimes the best innovation—and the best use of available lese explained. “These infrared detectors are ideal for use in high funds—is a complementary merge of existing components and new performance EO/IR systems because of reduced size, weight, and technology. As Mueller noted, the latest and greatest “developments power without any sacrifice to IR performance. In many situations, the in advanced EO/IR sensors yield far better products for the warfighter, reduction in power dissipation improves battery usage and helps the but often place even more emphasis on bandwidth and automation 6 | TISR 2.3

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requirements,” which can create an entirely new set of challenges and hinder the functionality of the brand-new device. “Impacts on the end-to-end process must be considered early on during any sensor improvement program.”

Recognizing the potential for this type of problem, JAI recently introduced a resolution proportional digital zoom (RPDZ) capability that enables high-resolution digital cameras to fit into existing surveillance systems where bandwidth may be limited, effectively amalgamating the old with the new.

“The cost of adding significantly greater bandwidth to existing infrastructure, whether it’s for UAV surveillance or ground-based sensor networks, simply isn’t practical in today’s environment,” Kinney said. “The RPDZ concept can take a high resolution camera and maintain a constant volume of pixel-level output, regardless of whether the operator is looking at the full wide-angle image or a digitally-zoomed area in the center of the image. This provides the increased magnification needed for ISR systems without having to add large zoom lenses, and without having to rip out the current lower bandwidth backbones.”

Feature Rich For now, JAI is planning to continue along this type of development path, equipping existing and new cameras with what they refer

to as extended operation features. Some examples of these elements include automatic level control that links auto-shutter, auto-gain and auto-iris capabilities for better image quality in changing light conditions; extended temperature range for operating in harsh climates ranging from -40 degrees C to 65 C; conformal coating for better resistance to shock, vibration, dust and moisture; and high sensitivity modes that use intelligent pixel-summing and/or frame averaging to provide low-light capabilities when full night vision isn’t needed.

“In this economic environment, we can’t produce the volume of new products that we might if conditions were better,” added Kinney.

“So, we want to make sure that the products we do develop are as feature-rich as possible.”

Not surprisingly, more features are what the military wants.

Along with reliability, Mueller said, “The development of any sensors, including EO/IR, for Navy ISR platforms needs to remain focused on the tenets of autonomy and interoperability. The future of Navy ISR demands a continued focus on smart sensors that require less ‘man in the loop’ sensor control during missions, taking advantage of advances in onboard processing and artificial intelligence. Interoperability is key not only for sensors, but also for control systems and data exchange networks and interfaces.”

Mueller has a veritable grocery list of the types of enhanced EO/IR features in which the military is interested, including wide area capabilities, multi/hyper-spectral imaging and cutting-edge algorithms designed to assist analysts and exploiters to better identify anomalous activity in a given search area.

And even in this time of constrained budgets, EO/IR companies remain focused on developing and building what the military needs for mission success. Sofradir EC is working on the types of highperformance, uncooled infrared imaging subsystems that Vallese said “are finding an increasing number of applications in military electrooptical systems.

“For example, new large 1024-by-768 uncooled microbolometer arrays enable the development of infrared cameras with excellent sensitivity and spatial resolution,” Vallese added. “One benefit of such a high-resolution system may be increased detection range or a reduction in the number of infrared cameras that may be used in an application.”

Mueller concurred, “Imaging infrared is of great interest to operational commanders because it allows a better ability to classify and identify targets and enable ‘fire and forget’ capabilities with our weapons.

“Keep in mind, though,” she continued, “it’s not just the sensor’s capabilities, but the size, weight, power and cooling issues that can drive whether or not a sensor can be successfully integrated into our manned or unmanned assets.”

Along with size and power, ultimately it also has to do with money, all of which is why perhaps Hood Technology’s strategy for moving forward makes so much sense. “We build neither the cheapest nor the absolute best,” von Flotow said. “Instead, we squeeze into our products the most ISR quality per dollar that is possible; the most ISR quality per gram, the most ISR quality per watt. Dollars, grams and watts all matter to our customers.” 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.

8 | TISR 2.3

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Gimbals

Better eyes in smaller packages.

By Henry Canaday TISR Correspondent

U.S. military strategy in the war on terror is shifting toward the use of drones and special elite forces to strike adversaries and their assets. Drone bombs and SEAL strikes get headlines, but their effectiveness depends on the intelligence behind them. This intelligence must be gathered continuously, often in darkness and other difficult conditions, processed and interpreted quickly and accurately, then delivered to operating commanders.

Much critical intelligence comes from the tiny turrets, or gimbals, on manned or unmanned systems that carry cameras, sensors and targeting devices. Precision strikes demand more capabilities and longer endurance in ever-smaller gimbals. Fortunately, vendors are exploiting the ongoing revolution in consumer electronics and their own unique talents to deliver better performance in smaller packages.

“The key advance in electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) gimbal technology has been miniaturization,” stressed Paul Jennison, vice president of business development for L-3 Wescam.

Traditional sensor systems had gimbals and separate electronic units with video switchers, image processors and video trackers.

Advances in electronics have put those functions in the gimbal, eliminating separate electronic units and saving 20 to 50 pounds of weight, which is critical in airborne systems. This combination also simplifies cabling, saving weight, cost and logistic burdens.

“Further advances in technology have allowed the gimbal to perform increasingly sophisticated onboard functions, such as image fusion and multi-target tracking,” Jennison noted.

“Advances in EO payloads allow us to place a full multi-spectral suite of imaging and laser payloads, including laser designator, in a www.TISR-kmi.com

fully stabilized 10-inch gimbal. For example, our MX-10D includes six imaging and laser devices, including a laser designator.”

Wescam makes a line of stabilized EO, IR and laser-carrying gimbals for airborne platforms. These are the MX-10, MX-15 and MX-20, where the numeric indicates gimbal diameter. Wescam gimbals offer high-quality full-motion high-definition video, ease of use and commonality to ease logistic burdens. All MX variants are available with a laser target designator.

The MX-20 has been used on the P3 Orion and will be used on the P8A Poseidon. The MX-15D is used on both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. The MX-10 can be operated on smaller helicopters and unmanned aerial systems (UASs). The new MX10D is especially suited for target location and surveillance at low altitudes. Wescam has also invested heavily in adapting airborne capabilities to ground operations.

FLIR has been in the gimbal business, primarily for airborne platforms, since the 1980s, noted David Strong, vice president of marketing. FLIR gimbals are now used in 80 countries on 100 different aircraft types. Its flagship, the Star Safire line, has 5,000 installations worldwide, and can be upgraded to the latest version with very little difficulty. The Star Safire series is installed on over a hundred types of helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, ships, land vehicles and observation towers.

FLIR’s Brite Star II and Brite Star DP, with diode-pumped laser technology, provide additional reliability. Brite Star II is the EO and IR targeting system used in the U.S. Navy’s MQ-8B Fire Scout.

The Brite Star, Cobalt 190 and Star Safire HLD models focus on laser target designation.

TISR 2.3 | 9

“The current state of art is the Star Safire 380-HD with seven to eight high-definition channels,” Strong explained. This model is an all-digital, full high-definition system that provides superior image stabilization, ultra long-range imaging performance and metadata. It is fully hardened for military fixed wing and helicopter operations so it can operate continuously in all conditions.

The Safire 380-HD’s 15-inch gimbal is the only one with highdefinition IR, Strong said. It extends full color imaging into the dark with full high definition clarity along with an expanded wide dynamic range. The system combines spectral information from IR and color or short wave infrared (SWIR) sensors for enhanced results.

FLIR gimbals can also be mounted on towers and are used for force protection by the U.S. Army and Marines, and some are qualified for maritime use.

FLIR makes almost everything on its gimbals, including optics, high-definition cameras for long range and low light, sensors, laser rangefinders, illuminators and designators, inertial measurement and GPS systems. This vertical integration allows for integrated design, quality and cost control.

The Star Safire 380-HD weighs less than 100 pounds and fits on a wide range of platforms, from the UH-1 family of helicopters and UH-60 Blackhawks to light attack aircraft like the A-29 Super Tucano and high-speed jets, as well as UASs like the MQ-1 Predator. But FLIR also makes smaller gimbals, of 10, 9, 7 and 3.5 inches, that can fit on smaller UASs or vehicles such as mine resistant ambush protected vehicles.

FLIR develops all its sensors and gimbals on a commercial basis. “We pay for our own research and development and don’t get paid until we deliver,” Strong noted. Vertical integration and wide markets have allowed FLIR to drive costs continually downward while boosting performance. All FLIR gimbals are highly gyro-stabilized.

Strong said that FLIR’s new SWIR sensor on the 380-HD is getting a lot of traction because it enables users to see a lot of significant things they could not see before. Another important trend is the propagation of laser designators onto smaller gimbals, for example the 7- and 9-inch models, that can fit smaller UASs. AME Unmanned Air Systems has produced over 1,500 unmanned aircraft. Its flagship UAS is the Fury, but it also builds small handheld UASs, ground control stations, data links, gimbals and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors and its own mission management control software, SharkFin. AME currently makes the SkyShark 2.0 family of gimbals.

John Chernekoff, director of engineering, said SkyShark is the descendant of a miniature imaging turret for EO and IR sensors on AME’s hand-launched Desert Hawk UAS, sold by Lockheed Martin to the U.K. Ministry of Defence. Minimizing size, weight and power (SWaP) has driven the company’s gimbal development. From the start, AME gimbals had to be retractable to endure belly landings by small UASs. AME then developed the Tiger Eye gimbal, which had better environmental qualities and was made of carbon fiber for strength at reduced weight. Low weight enabled insertion of motors and control circuits inside the Tiger Eye instead of external placement.

Another distinction of AME gimbals is that they are plug-and-play.

“You can pop different sensors in and out,” Chernekoff noted.

Continued emphasis on SWaP led to development of the SkyShark, as customers sought new imaging technologies such 10 | TISR 2.3

as video processing. The SkyShark can accommodate Sony highdefinition low-light sensors or IR. SkyShark focuses on simplicity and ease of integration, with autopilot plug-and-play operation. A little more than 6 inches in diameter, SkyShark weighs just 2.3 pounds without imagers. It provides high-definition EO, high-resolution long wave infrared and low-light EO video capability. It has an improved high resolution drive, onboard video processing, target tracking and GPS pointing.

The SkyShark currently is a single-image gimbal, but AME plans to make it a dual-image. Although currently used only in AME UASs like the Fury, it could be used in other UASs. AME is working to enable directional antennas to operate from the SkyShark platform, because increased data-rate and link-range requirements have become more important to military customers.

The company will continue to reduce SWaP in a robust family of gimbals that can be customized for the surveillance needs of each operator on a common platform.

Hurley IR makes a variety of gimbals and cameras for the military. CEO Tom Hurley said the two most common types are mobile ones for vessels and vehicles and those for security use at fixed installations. The mobile devices are extremely rugged and handle vibrations and shocks very well, Hurley stated.

In gimbal and camera design, there is tradeoff between speed and torque. Vehicle-mounted equipment needs the torque to handle shock and vibration. Fixed sensors do not require this torque, but must have the speed to switch quickly onto targets.

Hurley makes both cameras and gimbals but will outsource specific components if it can find just the right ones. If the company buys sensors from another manufacturer, it rebuilds them to meet customer specifications. The company specializes in IR sensors, but also makes ultraviolet (UV), enhanced visible light, hyper-spectral and enhanced night-vision sensors.

Hurley gimbals are now used on military vehicles for improvised explosive device detection and for situational awareness.

Hurley sensors, without a gimbal, are also used for 360-degree situational awareness.

Hurley also makes the analytic software to track targets.

Hurley said that tracking software must closely match tracking capabilities of gimbals so all movements are smooth. Hurley software can be programmed to suit specific tactical requirements. “If the target moves behind a rock, you can program the gimbal for the dwell time, how long it will watch the rock, for example, five minutes. The customer can set up his own parameters,” he said.

Hurley software can also set tracking priorities for multiple targets. “One customer asked, ‘If there are three targets, which one should I track?’ We suggested that he track the one that is coming at him first,” Hurley explained. Simple software algorithms can focus a gimbal on a fast-approaching target.

Hurley is now working with General Dynamics on gimbals for unmanned ground vehicles. It is developing a suite of sensors to gather as much information as possible. And the company is also developing gas-imaging sensors for detecting biological hazards.

UAV Vision offers gyro-stabilized daylight, UV and IR cameras and gimbals for UASs, along with geo-referencing, communication and control equipment. Its new CM160 carries two sensors selected by users but weighs just 1.7 kilograms. UAV Vision gimbals have been used for tactical surveillance on both UASs and manned aircraft. www.TISR-kmi.com

Sales and Marketing Director Daniel Fitzgerald emphasized comprehensive surveillance solutions, freedom from export restrictions, fast delivery, open protocols, full customization and low cost as the primary distinctions of UAV Vision gimbals.

UAV Vision will continue to release new sensor packages for the CM160, including a high-resolution still camera and integration of a broadcast-quality camera sensor.

Aerial Information System is the UAV Vision software that controls the range of UAV Vision gimbals and manages the complete surveillance mission. Users can interact with the moving-map interface, placing objects of interest, drawing lines and areas of interest. “These are referenced spatially and in time, meaning users can use these markers as a tool to navigate easily through an entire mission and through replay after the mission,” Fitzgerald explained.

Data from the control software can be exported directly to Google Earth for instant overlay and in other common file formats for import into other packages.

Fitzgerald argued that AI Systems software gives UAV Vision an edge. “Other manufacturers don’t have the functionality and ease of use we have been able to develop with our software. Users can choose our complete solution or, in the case of integrators, we can provide full open protocols so people can interface directly to the gimbal if they wish.”

Elbit Systems offers a suite of ISR payloads ranging from its Advanced Multi-Sensor Payload System (AMPS) to the 15-inch

D-CoMPASS [Compact Multi-Purpose Advanced Stabilized System] and 8.2-inch Micro-CoMPASS, explained Mike Hipp, manager of new business development, Sensors & Electro-Optics Solutions.

AMPS is a highly stabilized EO and IR system, optimized for airborne operations, in service with the Israeli Navy and Air Force as well as other customers worldwide. It automatically tracks dynamic targets and navigates with GPS and inertial systems. An Advanced Mission Management System manages missions and exploits images in the air or on the ground.

The D-CoMPASS is used on attack helicopters and has stepand-stare capabilities as well as line-of-sight positioning. It also meets the severe demands of gunfire conditions. The new MicroCoMPASS is for small maritime platforms, with cutting-edge EO and IR, and has high stabilization for rough sea states.

Hipp said that the distinguishing feature of all Elbit ISR payload systems is emphasis on compactness and light weight without compromise on performance. Micro-CoMPASS, for example, weighs less than 20 pounds with a high-performance suite of EO and IR sensors and lasers.

Elbit is increasingly customizing its gimbals for particular user needs. 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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TISR 2.3 | 11

Ultra Light Reconnaissance Robot Experiment Four light robots are put through paces at Fort Benning.

By Vince Little

Infantrymen and engineers steered four small robots around the buildings and terrain at the McKenna Urban Operations Complex to get a better idea of how they might help soldiers in recon missions and the detection of improvised explosive devices.

It was part of the Ultra Light Reconnaissance Robot limited objective experiment sponsored by the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization. Fort Benning’s Maneuver Battle Lab conducted the assessment in February.

Key players also included the Robotic Systems Joint Products Office; Maneuver 12 | TISR 2.3

Support Center of Excellence from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Maneuver Center of Excellence counter improvised explosive device training team; and Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.

Project officials said robot weight, size and power requirements must be measured against its capabilities and limitations in defeating IED threats. Finding the right balance was a major focus area in the experiment.

Army and Marine small units engaged in maneuver, movement and protection operations don’t have the responsive

capability to detect, identify and monitor IED and other threats in confined spaces such as culverts at standoff distances, officials said. If a possible IED threat is detected but can’t be confirmed because of its camouflaged location, small units must call on limited engineer and explosive ordnance disposal resources, or a soldier has to get close enough to visually confirm the threat—a time-consuming and dangerous process.

“The point is to keep soldiers out of harm’s way and danger—and put a robot there instead,” said Major Joseph Pruitt www.TISR-kmi.com

of the Maneuver Support Battle Lab from Fort Leonard Wood. “Ideally, we want a robot that weighs nothing and does everything.”

The candidate robots—Dragon Runner 10, Armadillo, 110 First Look and Recon Scout—range from 11 to 1.2 pounds. All are designed to be thrown.

Each was put through its paces in a series of different missions carried out by eight soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, out of Fort Stewart, Ga., and eight more from the 428th Engineer Company, 397th Engineer Battalion, a reserve unit based in Wisconsin.

Product managers and evaluators said they examined various robotic capabilities, including durability, ease of use, weight, range and camera clarity. It supports the MCoE’s “Squad: Foundation of the Decisive Force” initiative by advancing possible lightweight robotic technology solutions.

“It’s too early to tell how effective they’ll be,” said Major James Collins, the Maneuver

www.TISR-kmi.com

Battle Lab’s unmanned systems chief.

“Soldier survivability is the main thing we want to accomplish. If they will save lives, it’ll be very important to field them.

“It’s all about the squad right now trying to overpower or overmatch the enemy,” Collins said. “Robots have the potential to fill some of these capability gaps at that level.”

The lightweight recon robots can be strapped to a soldier’s back. Once deployed on the ground, “anybody who’s played GameBoy can pick this up and operate it,” said Specialist Jonathon Near of 3-7 Infantry.

He said the robots could mitigate casualties by acting as surrogates for U.S. personnel on the battlefield. “Normally, it would take a fire team to go into a room to see if it or another one is booby-trapped. If you can send a robot instead, it could save lives,” Near said. “It lowers the risk of me running out there or sending other guys in to find out what’s behind that door or in that culvert.”

The soldiers learned how to put the robots together, employ and disassemble them.

Staff Sergeant Rodolfo Miranda, another Fort Stewart Infantryman, said a couple of robots need minor improvements to better handle the rugged terrain of Afghanistan.

But he sees how the systems could be useful downrange. “Having robots to send out there and do recon for us will definitely save lives on the battlefield,” he said.

Collins said the Maneuver Battle Lab will crunch data and assess soldier feedback as part of a thorough post-experiment analysis. Meanwhile, JIEDDO plans to send the robots into Afghanistan soon for a forward assessment, he said. O Vince Little is with Fort Benning public affairs.

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.

TISR 2.3 | 13

ISR KIT Satellite Access Manager ViaSat Inc. has successfully fielded Satellite Access Manager (SAM), a new broadband satcom service manager for military airborne ISR operations. SAM is providing U.S. forces throughout the Middle East with dramatically higher bandwidth utilization and efficiency, as well as higher data rates and increased signal-to-noise performance.

SAM is a real-time network monitoring system for ViaSat ArcLight 2 mobile satellite broadband terminals. The system enables network managers to provision multiple remote users on an airborne network within a common bandwidth pool, and provides dynamic assignment of bandwidth and communications priority to high-value platforms as they begin missions. In addition, manual overrides can reassign satellite channels in real time to support changing mission requirements. SAM is primarily for DoD missions, which have very different requirements compared to commercial network customers who share capacity while using the ViaSat Yonder global mobile service.

“With SAM-enabled ViaSat mobile ArcLight 2 terminals, users can configure a fleet of aircraft to operate on the same network, yet consume bandwidth only for those aircraft flying at the same time,” said Larry Taylor, deputy general manager for ViaSat Global Mobile Broadband.

ViaSat mobile satellite terminals have added new modes of operation with SAM to enhance the broadband experience: •

•

•

Point-to-point dedicated forward link (hub carrier) to the remote user, which can operate at data rates beyond 10 Mbps while the return link off the aircraft offers up to 10 Mbps Continuous return link for streaming video data, which typically requires 25 percent less signal to noise ratio and delivers 20 percent more throughput than the standard burst mode Broadband performance in both Ku- and Ka-band with antennas as small as 12 inches

14 | TISR 2.3

Kiowa Support DRS Technologies Inc., a Finmeccanica company, announced its Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Group has received a $31.9 million award from the U.S. Army for program support, field service and logistics related to the DRS mast mounted sight (MMS) on the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter.

RSTA, based in Dallas, Texas, and Melbourne, Fla., earned the funding as part of a five-year (2009-2013) master contract with the Integrated Materiel Management Center (IMMC) of the Army’s Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM) at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. The IMMC develops, acquires, fields and sustains logistics support for Army aviation and missile systems and associated support equipment.

The MMS is a surveillance system that integrates a high-resolution visible camera, thermal imaging sensor and laser rangefinder/designator, as well as a system processor, power supply, protective shrouds and other components. It was first deployed on the Kiowa three decades ago. Over the past 10 years, RSTA has produced and delivered a steady stream of electronics and sensors, regularly replacing and updating components for the MMS at depots overseas and in the United States to keep the system current from both a technical and performance standpoint.

“Our longstanding effort to maintain, deliver and advance the MMS is one of the defense industry’s great success stories,” said Terry Murphy, RSTA president. “From the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to the armories of America and its allies, RSTA has applied its expertise and experience to keep the MMS in an exceptionally high state of readiness, protecting our troops and helping them advance their missions.”

Diver Detection Sonar Marine Electronics Ltd. recently launched its Pin-Point diver detection sonar. The new system incorporates some of the company’s latest technology to provide a real-time 3-D view of the area under surveillance, and is consequently expected to attract the interest of military users and security organizations seeking to control access to harbors and water-side installations. This new security sonar differs from others on the market in that it not only locates underwater intruders, be they divers or submersible vehicles, but it also enables the user to establish the depth at which they are operating.

When in use, the Pin-Point scans both horizontally and vertically to produce a three-dimensional presentation of the viewing area up to 500 meters

away. The sonar simultaneously scans a horizontal sector of 90 degrees to a 1.5 degree resolution and a vertical sector of 20 degrees to a 1 degree resolution with every ping of the transmitter. The scanning beams can also be steered by the operator to optimize coverage. When faster updates are needed, the system can scan in 2-D mode and then be restored to 3-D for more detailed observation of the target.

The T-shaped transducer array can be fixed to a structure or vessel mounted. If required, a motion reference unit can be incorporated to stabilize data against vessel movement. The transducer array is connected by cable to the electronics processing unit which is controlled from the operating PC using Windows-based software through an Ethernet connection.

www.TISR-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Combining to Improve SA Geosemble Technologies and MDA Information Systems Inc. have announced an initiative to integrate two of their respective products in order to provide enhanced situational awareness for a range of government and commercial users of satellite imagery and maps.

The MDA product, known as persistent change monitoring (PCM), provides a process for detecting changes over time for features in satellite imagery. The change indicators can be used as a cuing tool for intelligence analysis by identifying new permanent features such as roads, tunnels and other structures of interest. These features can then be confirmed with high resolution data.

Geosemble Technologies’ product, known as GeoXray, is a geospatial monitoring system in which locations on the earth are monitored for mentions across vast feeds of data coming from news, blogs and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The system employs a sophisticated text-matching algorithm that accurately links content to places down to the building level, without the need for addresses, latitude/longitude or in some cases even the name of a city.

Users of GeoXray can adjust the area of interest in real time—either by enlarging or shrinking the area of interest or by moving to another area—and get a correspondingly different read-out of content for that area.

STOL ISR Platform Northrop Grumman Corporation has signed an exclusive teaming agreement with Quest Aircraft Company to be the U.S. federal dealer of the Quest Kodiak, a single-engine short takeoff and landing aircraft, as well as their preferred special mission aircraft integrator. Under the terms of the agreement, Northrop Grumman and Quest are investing in integrating the Air Claw special mission demonstrator based on the Quest Kodiak.

“This teaming agreement between two proven companies committed to technical superiority and cost performance will produce a highly capable C4ISR platform that is very

www.TISR-kmi.com

affordable compared to the competition in these fiscally constrained times,” said Bob Gamache, director, operationally responsive systems, Northrop Grumman Technical Services. “We believe that once integrated, this platform will be a real game changer for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for state, civil and international agencies as well as for special operations forces.”

“Quest is excited about entering the special mission aircraft market with a proven integrator like Northrop Grumman,” said Steve Zinda, director of sales and marketing for Quest Aircraft Company.

Further, users can superimpose filters on the content returned for a given area to restrict information to only their topic of interest.

Users can then set alerts for desktop and mobile devices.

Working together, PCM and GeoXray complement each other in that many of the users of satellite imagery and maps experience inefficiencies in both areas that PCM and GeoXray address—namely, timeconsuming research and analysis to achieve current understanding of physical features for an area as well as the “human geography” of an area as revealed by associated information from social media and other sources.

Persistent Collections Roadmap Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, is conducting a market survey relative to a persistent collections roadmap. Persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (P-ISR) is a crucial capability for conducting military, domestic criminal and disaster relief operations. Persistent collections is that part of P-ISR that involves sensing, processing, retention and transmission of real-time data.

The objective of the project is to produce a strategic roadmap with key technological elements that will document the technology options for persistent collections technologies between now and 2030.

The roadmap will be a tool for planning highly effective, affordable persistent collections technologies for the U.S. military, other government agencies and their partners. The roadmap will map the timelines of persistent collections technology born on airborne, land-based and littoral platforms in support of tactical and operational applications. The major categories for the technology are in the following areas: persistent IMINT collectors, persistent SIGINT collectors, persistent MASINT collectors, persistent novel collectors, persistent OSINT collections, persistent sensor webs and persistent network.

Based on the input of the survey and the expertise of select SMEs, technology timelines will be documented at a one-week workshop starting on Monday, May 21, at the unclassified level.

TISR 2.3 | 15

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ISR Streamliner

Q& A

Delivering a Transformational Mix of Manned and Unmanned Capabilities Rear Admiral DeWolfe “Chip” Miller Director of ISR Capabilities Division Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance Rear Admiral DeWolfe “Chip” Miller graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981. He holds a Master of Science degree in national resource strategy from the National Defense University and is a national security management fellow of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, N.Y. Miller commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 34, where he led the Blue Blasters on their first-ever FA-18 deployment, USS Nashville and USS George H.W. Bush. Under his command, Bush achieved many firsts and accolades, earning the Battle Efficiency and Jigdog Ramage awards, as well as three consecutive retention excellence golden anchor awards and both enlisted warfare excellence pennants.

Miller’s operational tours began after earning his wings of gold in 1983 as a flight instructor with Training Squadron (VT) 19 in Meridian, Miss., and his first fleet assignment was with Attack Squadron (VA) 56, flying the A-7E in USS Midway in Yokosuka, Japan. After transitioning to the FA-18 in 1986, subsequent flying tours included Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 in USS Constellation, and department head tour with VFA-131 in USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. After completing the Navy Nuclear Power Program, Miller served as executive officer of USS Carl Vinson.

Miller’s shore tours include FA-18 test director at VX-5 in China Lake, Calif.; special aviation programs analyst on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations (N80); executive officer of Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic; deputy director of Naval Operations at the Combined Air Operations Center during Operation Allied Force; special assistant for Research and Development, Science and Technology and Operational Testing in the Office of Legislative Affairs for the Secretary of Defense; and aircraft carrier requirements officer for commander, Naval Air Forces.

His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various campaign, unit and service awards. He has accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours and 850 carrier-arrested landings.

Q: Admiral, what is the Navy’s vision for unmanned ISR? A: Our vision is drawn from guidance provided by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations. In the CNO’s Sailing Directions, the Chief of Naval Operations describes our key tenets as “Warfighting First, Operate Forward, and Be Ready.” Navy’s ISR Capabilities Division [N2N6F2] is working with the Navy-industry team to deliver a transformational mix of manned and unmanned capabilities that adhere to those tenets today and carry us into the future. www.TISR-kmi.com

Unmanned systems continue to advance through demonstrations and early introduction of capabilities for operational use by warfighters. Deployed unmanned vehicles in the fight today include Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator [BAMS-D], Fire Scout vertical takeoff unmanned air vehicle [VTUAV], Scan Eagle and the USMC Shadow and cargo resupply helicopter.

These systems, augmenting manned platforms such as the EP-3 AIRES II, have racked up an impressive record. Fire Scout has forward deployed at sea on frigates, flying over 420 hours supporting operations, and almost tripled that number of flight hours in Afghanistan supporting forces ashore. The BAMS-D remains overseas, recently completing its 32nd month of what was originally a six-month deployment. Our operating forces got it, like it and won’t let it come home until we provide its replacement program of record.

These systems exemplify how we’re introducing sensor and payload capabilities to support multiple warfare commanders. Our future is just as bright and diverse. In the air, the Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator [UCAS-D] conducted its first wheels-up flight while surrogate aircraft demonstrated successful carrier landings—both milestones in 2011. Underwater, the focus is on the Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle [LDUUV] and distributed netted sensors. We are leveraging the ongoing Innovative Naval Prototype project to rapidly reduce technical risk, refine operational concepts and procedures, and provide robust capability forward in a streamlined manner. Both of these systems will be operating in the fleet within the decade.

TISR 2.3 | 17

These streamlined ISR capabilities will bring increased capacity that will be fielded in coming years to integrate with manned systems and produce increased reach, persistence and battlespace effectiveness.

Mindful that every platform is a sensor and every sensor must be networked, we are moving to an environment in which modular scalable plug-and-play sensors operated through a common unmanned system control station provide data that is discoverable and accessible by all users. In order to achieve this reality, we are partnering with industry in areas of endurance, reliability, autonomy, common control and systems interoperability to provide our warfighters with transformational capability that ensures an unfair advantage for our forces.

Sensors that bring unique capabilities during peace, crisis and war will increase in capability as multi-role sensors are refined. With that in mind, we must optimally integrate the capabilities of Navy ISR systems, both manned and unmanned, with the contributions made by the other services, allies and the intelligence community to achieve our missions worldwide.

Successes this past year include surrogate testing with a King Air and F/A-18 in the aircraft carrier environment July 2011, the first carrier landing with a surrogate F/A-18 July 2011, and the first wheels-up flight October 2011.

Finally, we continue to gain experience with the Scan Eagle system.

This system gained over 170,000 flight hours supporting deployed forces. During that time, the value of unmanned air systems was demonstrated by identification of surface vessels in support of maritime domain awareness, surveillance of known smuggling and piracy areas, persistent coverage for counter-insurgency operations, surveillance and protection of high value infrastructure, and battle damage assessment.

Under the water, our first vehicle of the prototype LDUUV successfully accomplished a number of tests and we are conducting an analysis of the specific capability set that we need that system to provide as we move toward establishing this as an acquisition program.

Overall, the news on the tactical ISR front is encouraging and positive.

Q: What are the challenges you are facing in achieving that vision?

Q: What changes do you see in ISR and especially Navy tactical ISR, going in the next three to five years?

A: We face the typical cost, schedule and capability challenges that any organization faces when introducing complex systems. These are complicated somewhat by the pace of technological change in both unmanned platforms and sensors. We must make thoughtful decisions on the types and numbers of ISR platforms and sensors that we procure and do so in a prioritized fashion to meet war fighting requirements.

Program wholeness is always of concern. An unmanned system requires support, communications capabilities, trained operating personnel, and experienced sailors and analysts to interpret the information collected. A variety of moving parts need to come together to optimize the overall system. Additionally, many factors—including safety, reliability, survivability, security, information assurance—come into play in developing and deploying an ISR system.

Q: Are there any recent developments in Navy tactical ISR that you can share with us?

A: Navy’s tactical ISR enjoyed a number of achievements within the last year, particularly in unmanned systems.

The Fire Scout VTUAV deployed in USS Halyburton, completing over 420 flight hours supporting SOF and other missions to include counter-piracy. The system is currently at sea in USS Simpson supporting Africa Partnership and is also deployed ashore to Afghanistan, where it has completed over 1,230 flight hours supporting allied forces. We have demonstrated tactical common data link communications relay, exercised remote viewing terminal and conducted dual H-60/VTUAV ops. The lessons learned from all of these experiences are being used to mature tactics, techniques and procedures for these and future systems.

As I mentioned previously, BAMS-D is providing the fleet a persistent, high-altitude, multi-INT, maritime ISR capability with over 6,000 flight hours in the CENTCOM AOR. The BAMS-D sensor package delivers direct, actionable intelligence and the lessons learned from these operations inform design decisions for the follow-on BAMS production system.

Similarly, the UCAS-D is making great strides. This system, which is a technology demonstrator supporting a follow-on acquisition program for CVN-based UAS termed the unmanned carrier launched air surveillance and strike system [UCLASS], is maturing technologies for an unmanned air system that will operate with a carrier air wing.

18 | TISR 2.3

A: I believe the biggest change will be the dramatic increase in sensors that populate our battlespace. We are adding an unmanned component that will be comprised of many netted nodes carrying mission-specific sensors. This will provide sufficient capacity and capability across an area of interest while either augmenting manned platforms or freeing them up to tackle more challenging missions where we truly need human insights.

Another area of change deals with advances in technology. The Navy was flying UAVs off of amphibious ships in the early 1990s, but now the right mix of technologies is coming together to really provide the capabilities and on-station time that the fleet needs. Similarly, we have operated unmanned underwater vehicles from piers with our mine clearance forces, ships for oceanographic data collection, and even from submarines, conducting submerged launch and recovery of the long-term mine reconnaissance system in January 2006. The concept of unmanned systems is so flexible that I believe we will continue to see them tailored to accomplish specific missions. Some organizations need small, and sometimes very small, unmanned systems. Some require that they be silent or stealthy. In other cases, payload capacity may be the critical parameter. Mission packages will continue to be improved and will be tailored to employ different or multiple sensors. Coordination and cooperation between the services, already very strong, will improve. Interoperability with joint and allied forces is a must.

I believe we’ll see many more demands placed on UAVs, including use in humanitarian assistance and disaster response and environmental sampling and monitoring. Unmanned underwater vehicle development and use continues to expand, but will probably proceed more slowly than aerial vehicles because they operate in the harsh ocean environment and have some technical challenges, such as long-endurance propulsion, to overcome.

Q: Do you have enough trained people or people in the pipeline to operate these systems and how do you make sense out of all the data collected?

A: Highly qualified personnel are always in demand and the Navy has some of the best. Many of the skills required to operate and maintain unmanned platforms and systems exist in or can be taught to the www.TISR-kmi.com

21st-century sailor. Our young men and women are unbelievably sharp and talented. They excel at electronics and data management, and operating Navy unmanned systems is exciting and important.

The task of making sense out of gigabytes of data is daunting, but is manageable if we approach it in a tiered fashion. Tactical ISR sensors directly support the warfighter. The picture is tactical in nature, real time, and is directly piped to the operating unit; therefore, we manage this data locally and report usable information up the echelon as required.

As we move from the tactical to operational and strategic sensors, the challenge grows. Some data streams require analysis by intelligence professionals located onboard ships, at maritime headquarters/maritime operations centers, or in reach-back sites in the U.S. The division of labor we build into our concept of operations will have to balance exactly where we locate our analysts and what skill sets we need from our analysts to accomplish the mission.

Going back again to the theme that technology is critical to our future systems, it is particularly true in the area of information processing, exploitation and dissemination. The amount of data streaming in from multiple sensors will be significant. The key will be to rapidly turn data into actionable information and deliver it to the right place/person to enable timely decision-making.

Autonomous sensor processing must be leveraged and is critical in this area. For example, if we are able to monitor large tracts of ocean for hours using video feeds in which no contacts of interest are found, it should be sufficient to transmit a no-contacts-of-

Standard Infrared

interest signal from the unmanned system. Alternately, if there is a contact or event of interest, the sensor should focus, analyze and signal the operator that relevant events are occurring. This type of autonomy reduces bandwidth and power budget requirements.

Additionally, it allows our operators to focus on mission-critical information, rather than hours and hours of non-relevant data that lead to fatigue and inefficiency. At the end of the day, there is a need for autonomy in our sensors and operator displays to facilitate the synthesis of data and to decrease the time it takes for actionable information to reach deployed commanders.

One of the reasons that the Navy created the Information Dominance Corps was to enhance collaboration and cooperation among and between those engaged in information-intensive warfare. With such a cadre of personnel working together, we will overcome these challenges and retain decision superiority for our operating forces.

Q: Admiral, my final question is “What keeps you up at night?”

A: I actually sleep pretty well at night because the Navy has a plan for ISR that is aligned with the CNO’s operating tenets of ‘Warfighting First, Operate Forward, and Be Ready.’

I also know that Navy ISR systems, both manned and unmanned, are maintained and operated by highly trained, extremely motivated, patriotic young men and women—U.S. Navy sailors.

You should sleep well too. O

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TISR 2.3 | 19

Apps for ISR

By Adam Baddeley TISR Correspondent

Apps for ISR, or indeed any other role, require the widespread use of smartphones across DoD. The Army’s Connecting Soldier to Digital Applications project undertaken by its Brigade Modernization Command is a major effort to lay the foundations for this, taking advantage of commercial technologies and exploiting the velocity of change in the cellular industry.

Mike T. McCarthy, project manager and director of operations, Brigade Modernization Command – Mission Command Complex, speaking in Washington, D.C., explained, “It doesn’t make sense to get into a development process to build an Army smartphone. By the time it got it through the traditional acquisition process it would be obsolete for 6.5 years.

That presents a problem, particularly when you start looking at information assurance.

As we started into this process, we discovered very quickly that we couldn’t just look at phones or just apps. We needed to take a holistic approach.”

The intent was to look at putting smartphone technology into the hands of every soldier in an administrative environment, a training environment and then in an operational environment, and to do so in a safe and secure manner.

McCarthy said, “The administrative stuff is easy. We can take a commercial phone, write apps—you don’t have to worry about information assurance on that. In a training environment, we created a series of pilots in which we looked at the potential impact of using this technology and we very quickly found that the soldiers understood the technology; they 20 | TISR 2.3

apps that are available to the soldier at the grew up with it and could assimilate it very edge that will allow us to reach back into easily. We did seven training [courses], all the those classified data sources and repositories. way through advanced individual training That is a game changer.” through officer advanced course training, and A common standard for app approval we did it on a very limited budget. We saw across agencies is also being addressed, eliman average of a 10 percent average increase inating the need for recertification and sigin their graduating scores. The first group of nificantly increasing the use of apps.

30 soldiers that went through graduated two weeks early with a 14 percent higher GPA.” In the two years of testing, both in the Visual Information Solutions classroom and in a rugged environment at Fort Bliss that replicated conditions in the The challenge facing Exelis Visual Inforcurrent theater of operations, there have been mation Solutions is taking well-established only two broken phones out of the 1,400 used IMINT and ISR applications designed for over the last two years. desktops and developing them for mobile McCarthy said, “What we have found is environments. Today this is being done in that if you take the same precautions that two areas, according to Kate Heightley, enteryou take with your new personal phone, prise and mobile solutions product manager [like] putting a plastic sleeve and clear profor Exelis VIS. The company is facing the tector on to keep the screen from getmobile challenge in two different ways— ting scratched, that is good both with innovative mobile enough. We found some solutions for its Image Access pouches with extra padding Solutions (IAS) technology, and we put them where the which provides image delivsoldier wants them. It doesn’t ery over limited bandwidths, make sense spending $2,500 and with services based on the hardening a $200 phone.”

ENVI image analysis software In early December, the product. “What we are seeing Army opened the prototype in the marketplace are indifor their apps storefront, vidual capabilities based on which will allow DoD to specific needs.” control access to military Heightley explained Greg d'Arbonne applications that they IAS’s role, which is being don’t necessarily want out gdarbonne@overwatch.textron.com heavily used by forward in the public domain. deployed military personnel Late last year, a security enhanced at workstation desktops and laptops in the (SE) Android OS received its FIPS 140-2 field. “IAS delivers image data to an end-user, certification, which allows it to connect to without requiring that all [of the] image file .mil and .gov websites. It is now going be provided. For example, you have a 300Mb through the approvals process in order to image sitting on a server and you have a user operate at the secret level. McCarthy believes in the field, perhaps operating a remote terthat later this year there will be a version minal. The delivery of that image would take of Android that will allow users to connect a long time, even if it were possible to deliver to SIPRNet and connect into the mission all the data at once. With the technology in command systems. He added, “Now we have IAS, users can deliver a subset of that image.” www.TISR-kmi.com

An Android-based client viewer has been out in Beta since October of 2011, and demonstrations are being undertaken with customers to develop exactly what they need in defense and intelligence applications, and to determine needs for current system integration. Heightley commented, “We are at the point where we have ‘Version 1.0,’ but we are doing it on a case-by-case basis because it requires some customization. The other piece of the military deployment of mobile is that there are still a lot of questions about accreditation. We may see this capability play first in disaster response as the military tests it for defense and intelligence scenarios.”

Heightley is keen to emphasise that sizing a desktop solution for a mobile platform isn’t a case of simply cutting out functionality and capabilities to fit a quart into a pint pot, but adapting to the unique needs of mobile users.

For instance, not all IAS desktop capabilities make sense for the mobile user.

“There is no loss of functionality that makes sense for a mobile application, based on what people will usually use a mobile device to do. We have some tools on our desktop viewer that just don’t make sense in a mobile environment, which people wouldn’t do there.

The viewers look a little different because of the screen real estate. We show metadata in both scenarios, we just do it in different ways.”

An Android-based implementation is also being used for the second ISR app being developed by Exelis: its Envi image analysis software product, which is now in prototype form.

It provides analysis tools that run on a server with an Android front end for image analysis

and exploitation. This is done remotely but still connected to a server. Heightley said, “One of the things that people talk about in mobile is completely stand-alone or back to a server. Ours are apps that are connected back to a server. We have an interface where you can find imagery on the server and say, ‘OK, this is what I want. I want to run the process and results back to an Android client.’

That isn’t productized yet; it is something we have been experimenting with showing to the marketplace since October 2011. We are confident we’re on the right track, and our customers’ feedback is really allowing us to forge new technology solutions for the mobile user.”

InSite-ful Whether on the battlefield or during the confusion that follows a natural disaster, access to timely, accurate and actionable information is critical. As the military, law enforcement and first responders continue to test how smartphones can fill an expanding need for real-time situational analysis and collaboration, companies including Overwatch are working to develop solutions to meet this challenge.

Overwatch’s new InSite applications system, which further develops and replaces its SoldierEyes-branded product line, is now configured to address a wider set of users.

InSite provides mobile teams—both in military and civilian settings—collaborative ISR capabilities using smartphone apps to deliver features such as collection and sharing of

video, photos and forensic data for analysis, on-scene operations, emergency management and resource management.

“While refining and enhancing the product, we’ve made changes that now allow us to make InSite available commercially,” explained Greg d’Arbonne, Overwatch’s director of business development, Incident and Mission Command Systems. “The system’s classification has been changed, and both the state and commerce departments have approved its expanded use.”

InSite consists of smartphone applications and middleware from the Overwatch Cloudwave framework, which enables routing of data, and an open Application Program Interface (API) to ensure the widest possible integration with existing and future systems.

The API also enables continuous improvements to existing capabilities and custom development of third-party applications.

It’s a field-tested and stable platform, said d’Arbonne, referencing how its predecessor, SoldierEyes, was put through its paces during a number of Army exercises and demonstrations over the last two years, including Empire Challenge 11 and Network Integration Evaluation 11.2. “During these events, soldiers found it took only minutes to get up and running with the system, and like most smartphone apps, they found it intuitive in that it delivers needed data without having to push a lot of buttons. In the end, it helps the user gain situational understanding and a picture of why things are happening.”

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TISR 2.3 | 21

with collaborative communications and analysis services. D’Arbonne pointed out that InSite works with any smartphone that has a compass, GPS and an accelerometer, features that are becoming standard on many Android smartphones. He explained that these are needed to deliver augmented reality viewing.

“This capability tells you where you are, where the other object you are looking at is in relation to you, and when you tilt the phone like a camera and look through it for augmented reality, the accelerometer knows which direction you are facing. Many phones already have those because augmented reality is a pretty popular widget.”

Robust Utility Across a Broad Spectrum One of the keys to the InSite system is that it can be configured to operate within private networks like those used in the military and by law enforcement, where information assurance and privacy are critical, as well as on public networks supporting broad information collaboration needs across organizations and agencies.

“We see InSite being used quite effectively to support the efforts of first responders, NGOs and the Red Cross,” said d’Arbonne.

“During a natural disaster, you have military forces working alongside civilian agencies and they all need to trade information,” he explained. “Let’s say you have a situation similar to the Haiti earthquake, in which you have the Red Cross working alongside military personnel and they want to share the specific locations of all of their refugee camps. The military may also want to send the Red Cross the latest satellite images from these refugee locations. Smartphone systems such as InSite will allow the seamless sharing of imagery and information, within whatever set of security parameters and rules are established.”

According to d’Arbonne, security is an issue that is actively being addressed. “We are collaborating with companies who are working on security solutions—anything from securing the actual network itself to securing the data—and there is no single standard.

When the NSA approves whatever the solution will be, we will be there with those companies.”

The universal version of InSite, complete with support, will be introduced this spring, while the launch of the military-specific version is dependent upon a policy decision being made related to the level of security required for smartphone apps.

22 | TISR 2.3

Military Use Scenario D’Arbonne also described some of the roles InSite might take on in a military environment.

“I can see it being used by a patrol, for instance, when they are about to enter a village and need to know what has happened recently in that location. They could look at their smartphones and see all the information collected for that village in the last few days, weeks, months and so on. Then they may find our forces haven’t been to this village in a year, [the village] may be hostile to U.S. forces, or it says there was a patrol there last week and they reported a warm reception, so the user can prepare his team.

“The information could also include the various relationships of the tribes in an area in which they are operating, and can provide reports from previous encounters with the local population. They could ask the app to tell them where the village elders are living and it would show the village elders’ houses and, with augmented reality, it would point the way. In a situation where they hear the sound of gunfire, they could look at a smartphone to see that the squad on the other side of the ridge is reporting that they are being attacked.

The smartphone screen shows the direction to the other squad using the augmented reality feature, and the user doesn’t need to look at a map. Now the unit can move over to that direction and maybe help the other squad out. They can also use the app for navigation, reporting and to see reports.”

The scenarios described are analogous to the capability of the DARPA-developed Tactical Ground Reporting (TIGR) ‘app’ solution already fielded in theater. “We’ve talked with folks who are involved with TIGR and we would love to have InSite integrate with TIGR. We don’t see our application systems replacing TIGR; we see it working with TIGR,” said d’Arbonne.

Ghostrider The military-grade security on smartphones, necessary to support apps utilizing sensitive information and imagery, is being pursued by a number of companies, including ITT Exelis. Richard Takahashi, director of information assurance, Information Assurance Products at Exelis, explained, “We believe we have a medium right now that can hook up to a DoD-type ISR platform and do Secret and below communications to a smartphone.

Our Ghostrider program takes the Exelis DoD

certified crypto-engine and embeds it into the smartphone battery and then attaches to the smartphone itself, and while it hasn’t been certified yet, we believe it to be a viable solution to secure links between a smartphone into mobile ISR platforms.”

There are several aspects to secure data, including secure data at rest. Ghostrider also enables the storage of data in the same phone securely. Takahashi continued, “The other part is cross-domain security; some of this information might be coming from other domains that we have to control inside a phone, be it secret or unclassified. We believe an all-software solution can be achieved in the future, but there are lot of challenges to make it secure and protected from malware.”

Takahashi is planning for certification of Ghostrider by next year for secret and below applications. “The critical crypto functions are performed in our secure processor. The smartphone can be used just like a regular smartphone with whatever IT restriction you want to place on it. Then you can press a button and it goes into secure mode, where it can go into classified execution, and then when it is done, it sanitizes the phone and goes back to the commercial version.”

Previous approaches use bulky sleeves placed onto the back of smartphones, which can double their size. “We are integrating something very slim on the back of a battery and then plugging it back into the phone. We don’t change the mechanics of the phone, we just plug crypto into the USB port.”

Exelis is currently working with the new Android version 4.x new Ice-Cream Sandwich operating system with Ghostrider. Exelis is currently looking at phones which host that operating system and have a USB port, sourced from Motorola, Samsung and LG, for testing to show the systems can be posted between phones.

One of the keys to Ghostrider is the new ‘Havasu’ secure processor, a non Crypto Controlled Item chip still classed as a Cryptographic High Value Product hosting secret and below critical crypto functions in the system-on-chip, supporting Suite B algorithms.

Takahashi explained, “We are in discussion with ISR platforms about using this to support apps. Certification is planned to be in mid2013 or sooner.” 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.

www.TISR-kmi.com

Rivers, the littorals and blue water can be ISR rich.

By Hank Hogan TISR Correspondent

In some ways, the U.S. Navy’s activities with regard to unmanned vehicles and ISR resemble the proverbial duck: relatively serene on the surface, but paddling madly down below. For example, the programs of record involve mine sweeping, with little mention of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

However, a man-portable unmanned surface vehicle, the mine sweeper itself and a large displacement unmanned underwater vehicle (LDUUV) are likely to have some ISR equipment incorporated in their payloads.

There could be underwater sensors or ones that grab information from the surface.

What’s more, some of the anticipated missions require technology development. For instance, the unmanned underwater vehicle will have to be smart and independent.

“The LDUUV would be autonomous with the ability to plan, re-plan and optimize its routes to perform an assigned mission. This would include the capability to receive guidance changes from a remote operating center to change or abort its mission,” said Captain Duane Ashton, a program manager for the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Systems.

Ashton characterized all of the unmanned programs he’s in charge of as being on schedule. He looks forward to seeing sailors utilize them in the near future, with near being somewhat elastic. For instance, the manportable systems are currently being actively tested and evaluated. The LDUUV, on the other hand, will see testing in 2015 or 2016.

Not Quite 20,000 Leagues The interest in unmanned underwater vehicles, or UUVs, arises in part because they have a multitude of uses, including commercial surveying, oceanographic and scientific research, and military applications such www.TISR-kmi.com

as ISR. Bluefin Robotics of Quincy, Another Mass., has products environmenthat serve all of these tal aspect is that the functions. power needed for movement When it comes to ISR, by an underwater vessel goes up by there is an important point its diameter squared, Smith said. So, doubling to keep in mind, said Jeff Smith, director of the size of a UUV quadruples the amount of advanced programs. “In a lot of cases, the power needed to move it through the water at vehicle is the bus, and that’s what we do. We the same speed. provide the vehicle to customers that want it “So from a power perspective, it’s good and we’ll put a payload on that meets their to have a smaller vehicle,” Smith said. Too requirements.” small a size, though, runs up For an underwater bus and against the problem of fitting its ISR payload, there are some everything into the available environmental effects to conspace, he added. In the case sider. One is that communicaof Bluefin, the smallest vestion below the waves is severely sel measures 9 inches and the limited in terms of bandwidth largest 64 inches in diameter. and reach. Acoustic methods The company’s products match can carry information across the 9-, 12-, 21- and greaterkilometers, but data rates run, than-36-inch diameter vehicles at best, in the few tens of kbps called for in the 2004 Navy range. Optical methods offer Capt. Duane Ashton master plan for UUVs. data rates fast enough to be As for ISR, unmanned suitable for video streaming but underwater vehicles offer some are only effective for short disintriguing possibilities. For tances because water strongly instance, oceanographic glidabsorbs light. ers have transited long spans These communication conunderwater, collecting data straints mean that unmanned while traveling thousands of vehicles can have no man-inmiles through the water—or the-loop and thus must be just under a third as many that autonomous. The vehicles have number in terms of leagues to be smart and have extensive Jeff Smith under the sea. The same could situational awareness or else there must be an acceptance jsmith@bluefinrobotics.com be done in a military setting, although it would be a chalof a level of risk in any mislenge to geolocate sensor data. sion. What’s more, the nature There also would be issues due to long-term of the communication link requires that UUVs exposure to the corrosive effects of seawater engaged in gathering information have to and the fouling of surfaces. store collected data until it can be downloaded.

TISR 2.3 | 23

streaming video feeds, this is limited to lineof-sight. DRS Defense Solutions has considered using unmanned aerial vehicles for relays and looked at the possibility of incorporating satellite communications. For now, though, the height of the ground station antenna and the height of the vehicle mast to which its antenna is attached set the line-of-sight and, therefore, the distance at which full bandwidth remote surveillance can be done.

Similarity between sea and sky is evident in the command and control systems. Since the naval vessels are GPS-enabled, they can be programmed to run between a specific set of waypoints. However, they lack any collision avoidance capabilities and thus are not fully autonomous, requiring an operator to steer and Sky them around unexpected obstacles.

The controls for the ships are the same as for the aerial vehicles. The flip of a simple switch can toggle the same control unit between an aerial and a maritime unit. Of course, operators would have to be trained in the specifics of a given type of vessel, Hudson said.

There have been no recent field trials of the company’s Howard Hudson unmanned naval vehicles. DRS Defense Solutions is currently assessing interest in its offerings.

“It’s been rather slow to develop, the way we see it,” Hudson said of the market for such products.

For more tactical situations, Bluefin Robotics and its parent company, Battelle, of Columbus, Ohio, are working on a docking station that its UUVs could home in on. Such a station could be located and connected by a cable to another station or a manned vessel. This approach could effectively extend the capabilities of unmanned vehicles.

“The vehicle can perform its mission, come back, plug in to the dock, recharge its batteries, download the data that’s on the vehicle and upload a new mission. Then it can go back out for a second mission or a third,” Smith said.

Toggling Between Sea

Not all unmanned vehicle activity is below the waves.

For instance, two unmanned surface entries with a background in the clouds come from DRS Defense Solutions of Rockville, Md. The company’s Sea Owl is better suited for harbor and close-to-shore surveillance, while its Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vehicle is a larger craft. Howard Hudson, vice president for business development for control systems, oversees the company’s unmanned efforts.

There is a significant amount of overlap and synergy between DRS Defense Looking up Solutions’ already-deployed unmanned aerial vehicles Another surface entry and its maritime vehicles comes from a Hunt Valley, Md.Ryan Hazlett still under development. This based Textron subsidiary. The applies, for example, to the Fleet-Class CUSV, or common hazlett@aai.textron.com electro-optical, infrared and unmanned surface vessel, meaother sensors that the company has develsures 39 feet from stem to stern, with a 14-byoped for airborne missions.

6-by-3.5-foot payload bay. In addition to what “A lot of the payloads that we would it can carry onboard in the way of sensors, it carry on the unmanned aircraft are also can also tow 5,000 pounds at 10 knots, raising capable of being carried onboard the USVs the possibility of deploying a sonar array or [unmanned surface vessels], in particular underwater sensors. the EO/IR payloads,” Hudson said.

It has a top speed of 28 knots, a cruising He added that in many ways, it doesn’t range of 1,200 nautical miles and is operamatter what the platform is. The important tional to sea state four, a condition charactercomponents are the sensors themselves, ized by frequent white caps. The CUSV also is which collect the ISR data and thereby yield self-righting; in rough seas it will recover equithe needed information. librium, an important attribute since the vesThe biggest impact of the platform may sel has a 1,000 gallon fuel capacity. Thus, it can come in the communications link. For high stay on station for more than 24 hours, long bandwidth applications like one or more enough for the weather to change radically.

24 | TISR 2.3

In addition to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the company envisions the ship executing mine countermeasures, engaging in anti-submarine warfare and acting as a communications relay, as well as launching or recovering unmanned aircraft or underwater systems. These multiple capabilities are an advantage, according to Ryan Hazlett, director of Textron System’s Advanced Systems business unit.

“We determined that with the right type of vessel, we could accomplish multiple missions for the United States Navy and/or other international navies. By having a single vessel that could do multiple missions, you clearly reduce the total life cycle or operating cost of those navies,” he said.

The overall vessel size is due to a design decision. The CUSV can be launched and recovered by U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship class, which are just being deployed. Launching and recovery of the unmanned vessel is autonomous. Its navigation can range from man-in-the-loop to fully autonomous.

As for sensors carried by the CUSV, these will always include such standards as EO/IR cameras and radar, as these are needed for navigation. In some cases, there may also be light detection and ranging (LiDAR). There could be others, including acoustic devices.

Since the craft is waterborne, it is not constrained by the weight and power limitations unmanned aerial vehicles face when it comes to sensor packages, Hazlett said.

With regard to getting data from those sensors, the CUSV can operate with a full bandwidth line-of-sight link using its antenna.

Airborne assets and an integrated satellite communication capability can be used for over the horizon communication.

Textron has developed two prototype systems and has been testing them for two years, logging over 800 hours. However, mission level testing has yet to begin. That will be challenging, as will the system level integration, Hazlett pointed out.

Above or below the surface, unmanned vehicles could provide a new layer of ISR capabilities. But in doing that, they will have to satisfy the same basic criteria that their airborne counterparts do.

As Hazlett said, “The unmanned system has to be more cost-efficient and provide a greater level of endurance and capabilities than the manned system to make sense.” 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.

www.TISR-kmi.com

By Henry Canaday TISR Correspondent

Ships were among the earliest and most aggressive users of ISR, partly because there have always been so many dangers on, above and below the sea. Adversary communication must be detected and interpreted rapidly with signals intelligence. Other ships and aircraft must be spotted. Incoming missiles must be detected, tracked and countered immediately.

Undersea threats, whether from conventional submarines or unconventional divers, must be dealt with.

In short, a ship may have more room than a vehicle or aircraft for ISR capabilities, but it needs all that room for the best ISR it can get. Services are seeking cutting-edge ISR for even small ships and boats. And there are plenty of unique challenges that seaborne ISR must meet.

Boeing Electronic & Mission Systems has a very strong position in maritime ISR, mostly due to its acquisition of Argon ST in August 2010, said Jeff Brown, vice president business development.

As part of seaborne command, control, communications, computers, combat, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR), Boeing provides ship’s signal exploitation equipment (SSEE) to virtually every combat ship in the U.S. Navy.

After successfully delivering SSEE increment E to the Navy, Boeing won the followon SSEE increment F three years ago. After low rate initial production, the company has entered full production on F for Navy combat ships. It will take five years to complete installation, after which the Navy will have 130 to 150 platforms on SSEE E or F. SSEE Increment F systems acquire, identify, locate and analyze signals while using the latest in field programmable gate array, embedded processing and server network technologies. www.TISR-kmi.com

“We have also expanded into a few select international partners like Australia,” Brown said. “We are in negotiations with a select few of the U.S. Navy’s closest maritime partners.”

The U.S. Coast Guard uses a variant of the same system as does the U.S. submarine fleet.

Boeing sees growing interest in the littoral-ship market, crafts that patrol within the 200-nautical-mile zone for fishing, interdiction and rescue. “They have stove-piped commercial off-the-shelf [COTS] systems and have decided they need sophisticated ISR,” Brown noted. “The SSEE Increment F capabilities address these growing needs.”

Brown is confident that the BoeingArgon ST team has the right stuff to meet new signals intelligence needs. “We figured out how to share data with open architecture, how to do it in a ship environment and how to extend scalability,” he explained. “Whether you have it in one rack or seven racks, you want to handle the information simultaneously.”

Brown acknowledged that ship-borne ISR need not meet the same size weight and power requirements as airborne ISR. “But you still have the same kind of considerations, like weight and space and antennas.

The requirements are not as tough as for UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] but they are there.”

Moreover, ease of use is critical. When the program started in 1997, the Navy wanted all ISR on its airborne, surface or submarine platforms to feel the same to operators. So Argon ST uses the same interfaces, tasking and training for all platforms.

“The sensors are COTS,” Brown says. “It’s what we do with software to integrate them that is unique. The heart of it all is signals intelligence, and Argon ST has the best by far.”

For spotting surface dangers, HGH Infrared System’s IR Revolution 360 panoramic infrared (IR) camera provides a cooled, high-resolution thermal sensor rotating at one round per second over 360 degrees continually so no event is missed, even in darkness or bad weather. “We developed complex detection and tracking algorithms especially for maritime environments,” said Vanessa Couturier, general manager for HGH North America. The panoramic image can be linked to ship navigation, improving tracking efficiency and providing absolute track positions.

Couturier said the IR Revolution 360 is the only thermal camera that provides such a wide field of view with very high resolution and detection range, no image distortion and no stitching. “It acts as optical radar but picks up targets that radar could not.” The French Navy added HGH sensors to frigates in the Gulf of Yemen for anti-piracy applications because radar could not pick up pirates’ small wooden boats.

The sensors could detect boats of six-meter length at six kilometers, undetectable by navigation radar.

HGH cameras are successfully stabilized at sea state level five, rough with 2.5- to 4-foot waves, and level six, very rough with 4- to 6-foot waves. The COTS technology has been operated continuously for several years in extremely hot conditions.

Couturier said HGH cameras are suitable for ships on safety missions, such as pirate detection or navigation support.

Unlike radar, HGH sensors are passive, so they allow for furtive missions. They can also be used on warships like frigates, patrol boats and helicopter carriers or on customs patrol boats for drug traffic and immigration control.

TISR 2.3 | 25

For good images in maritime use, camera systems must be gyro-stabilized by an autonomous platform, Couturier said.

“Mechanical stabilization was not enough to ensure perfect stabilization so we developed a specific image-processing stabilization algorithm.”

Another challenge for maritime ISR is detecting small boats in rough seas. Image processing must distinguish between far-off small boats and far-off waves to maintain a high detection rate with few false positives.

“We’ve worked very hard at tackling this challenge,” Couturier said.

Continuous operation in harsh, corrosive environments with salty fog and high humidity is an additional maritime challenge. “The system must be airtight, coated and painted in a specific way to withstand these conditions,” Couturier explained.

Finally, maritime ISR must withstand all the vibrations that affect ships, from engines, winds and sea-wave shocks to the hull.

HGH spends more than a fifth of its revenue on research and development and expects further developments this year. It will release a new camera by the end of 2012 with improved detection and tracking algorithms as well as a display upgraded according to naval customer feedback. It is also releasing the 3.0 version of its Cyclope software, complete revamping user interface with simplified settings, improved navigability and a display customizable by access rights.

Selex Integrated Systems, a unit of Finmeccannica, makes a wide range of fire control, surveillance and radar equipment designed for and proven in maritime use.

For example, Selex’s Medusa MK4/B is a lightweight electro-optical (EO) fire control system that can perform day-and-night surveillance tasks as well as control the guns. It is based on a state-of-art processing unit and latest-generation EO sensors.

Medusa MK4/B can be fitted with up to four sensors: black and white TV, laser, IR and color TV. The monitor displays target image and data, such as bearing, elevation, range, latitude, longitude and time. Its main functions are EO surveillance and search, target detection, recognition and identification, target tracking, gun control and video play-back.

The lighter Medusa MK4/L is designed for maritime patrol and homeland protection. It minimizes space and weight requirements, but performs the same functions as the MK4B, except for fire control.

26 | TISR 2.3

Selex’s RAN-30X/I offers state-of-art X-band seaborne multimode surveillance radar. It can operate as a primary sensor for combined surface and air surveillance onboard patrol vessels or as a special antisea-skimmer sensor on board major surface ships.

This model can detect and track small air or surface targets and do over-the-horizon detection with low antenna rotation speed. It can also do anti-sea-skimmer missile detection with a high antenna rotation rate to ensure detection and tracking of very small targets maneuvering in clutter.

Finally, Selex’s RAN-40L ship-borne long range radar is a 3-D long range early warning radar with full solid-state activephased array antenna. It has been developed based on Selex’s extensive experience in land-based long range radar for NATO. The RAN-40L ensures detection of aircraft at rages from 180 to 400 kilometers, even when it is operating in intense clutter environments and against electronic countermeasures.

FLIR Systems makes a number of thermal and multi-sensor imaging systems for maritime first responders. These can enable both close- and long-range surveillance.

FLIR’s M-Series handheld night-vision cameras start at less than $2,000. The most popular night vision systems on the water, the M-Series is easy to use and integrate and can fill in gaps other marine electronics miss. The Navigator II is a low-cost thermal imager designed for maritime navigation and collision avoidance. Navigator II makes it easy to see floating debris, channel markers and other boats in total darkness and reduced visibility. The company’s Voyager camera systems are powerful, stabilized multi-sensor thermal night-vision systems with four-sensor capability. Voyager features two thermal imagers, a wide field-of-view imager for situational awareness, obstacle avoidance and navigation, and a narrow field-of-view imager for detecting hazards and other vessels at long ranges. A daylight/ lowlight camera also enables ships to identify approaching vessels and watch for onshore security threats. The latest Voyager has radar slew-to-cue, video tracking and temperature indication.

SeaFLIR is a lightweight multi-sensor gimbal with a stabilized long-range thermal imager for both navigation and security applications. It has the imaging power to see targets at the horizon. SeaFLIR’s long-range daylight camera can zoom in

on activity and read registration numbers when conditions permit.

Maritime ISR must also deal with underwater threats. For this it can exploit remote sensing capabilities, noted Brian Luzzi, marketing manager for VideoRay. His company offers several accessories to enhance remote underwater sensing capabilities.

The ProViewer P900-130 Imaging Sonar, made by BlueView, provides a powerful sonar system for maximum efficiency in low- and zero-visibility conditions. It has a field of view of 130 by 20 degrees, a maximum range of 100 meters and a depth rating of 1,000 meters.

Navigation and positioning of VideoRay sensors is determined by the unique positioning system of Smart Tether, made by KFC Technologies, coupled with overlays from Google Earth or other overlays chosen by operators. The Pro 4 VideoRay remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Smart Tether is 40 meters in length and can survive extreme environments. An 80-meter extension is available. Smart Tether software is integrated with the Pro 4 ROV PC. A micro manipulator can be attached to a VideoRay skid and lift up to 40 kilos underwater, allowing the operator to move or retrieve objects underwater during a dive.

Videoray’s ROVs can mount a radiation detector allowing a read, plot and alarm system for detection or radiation. Software is included. Another option is a Cathodic Protection probe used for inspection of the underwater cathodic-protection systems used to control corrosion. Water quality can be measured with an attachment that assesses dissolved oxygen, salinity, acidity, conductivity and temperature.

Luzzi said VideoRay tools can be used for a number of critical ISR functions.

They can inspect critical components of undersea structures for damage or tampering and check out submerged objects that may be threats. They can do pre-dive visual inspections, marking critical objects to save diver time. VideoRay accessories can sense chemical or biological agents in the water, subsurface radiation, magnetic and metal objects, and can detect and locate buried cables. O For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughanat 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

AUVSI Unmanned Systems North America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.auvsishow.org Digital Results Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 www.drgisr.com General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies. . . . . . . 19 www.gd-imaging.com Goodrich ISR Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 www.sensorsinc.com L-3 Cincinnati Electronics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3 www.l-3com.com QinetiQ North America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 www.qinetiq-na.com Raytheon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 www.raytheon.com Selex Galileo Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2 www.selexgailileo.com Sofradir-EC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 www.sofradir-ec.com Teledyne Nova Sensors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.novasensors.com

April 23-25, 2012 Non-Traditional ISR Summit Alexandria, Va. www.nontraditionalisr.com

May 1-3, 2012 C4ISR Symposium San Diego, Calif. http://symposium.afcea-sd.org

April 23-27, 2012 SPIE Defense, Security & Sensing Baltimore, Md. www.spie.org

May 22-24, 2012 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference Tampa, Fla. www.ndia.org/meetings/2890

April 28-19, 2011 Spring Intelligence Symposium Springfield, Va. www.afcea.org

June 4-8, 2012 GEOINT Community Week Washington, D.C. area www.usgif.org

NextIssue

May 2012 Volume 2, Issue 4

Cover and In-Depth Interview with:

Lt. Gen. Larry D. James Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Special Section Autonomous Unmanned Systems

Features Embedded Computing Full Motion Video Hunter-Killer Unmanned Systems

Bonus Distribution: AUVSI Modern Day Marine

Airborne Radar Insertion Deadline: July 16, 2012 • Ad Materials Deadline: July 23, 2012 www.TISR-kmi.com

TISR 2.3 | 27

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Tactical ISR Technology

Steve Schmidt Business Development Manager, Infrared Products L-3 Cincinnati Electronics Steve Schmidt has been with L-3 Cincinnati Electronics since January 2011.

Prior to joining L-3 he completed a 20-year career as a naval aviator, where he was a mission commander and instructor pilot in the P-3C patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, and is also qualified as an Army civil affairs officer, serving with the 4ID and 1CAV divisions during the 2006-2007 surge operations in Baghdad. His diverse background and vast experience in airborne combat reconnaissance and battlefield CONOPS helps direct L-3 CE development of infrared products to fill capability gaps and provide best value solutions to the warfighter.

Q: What types of products and services are you offering to military and other government customers?

A: L-3 Cincinnati Electronics [L-3 CE] primarily specializes in cooled infrared products and space electronics. We have more than 40 years of experience in the development of IR devices, and our infrared products are found in a vast array of airborne platforms, Navy ships, missile seekers, long-range border surveillance systems and armored fighting vehicles.

We often supply our infrared sensors to surveillance system integrators such as our L-3 sister division, Wescam, which incorporates the sensors into imaging systems like its MX-20HD and MX-15HD cameras, for installation on fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and aerostats.

Q: What unique benefits does your company provide its customers in comparison with other companies in your field?

A: L-3 CE has developed the unique ability to process large infrared focal plane arrays [FPA] with small pixel pitch that are structurally durable to withstand the thermal stresses that have plagued previous industry attempts at creating large, reliable, cooled infrared FPAs. The cooled FPA is the heart of the MWIR infrared 28 | TISR 2.3

Q: What are some of the other programs your company is currently working on with the military?

sensor, and our ultra-wide sensors are the key IR component within several major wide-area airborne surveillance [WAAS] sensor programs.

Warfighters need high resolution aerial imagery but also crave large area coverage for situational awareness. With traditional sensors you only get one or the other, but CE’s high definition, large format sensors are a game changer, providing the best of both in one large staring sensor.

Initially developed in conjunction with the Naval research labs, our 4K MWIR sensor [4,096-by-4,096 pixels] enables infrared systems to perform surveillance across 30 times more territory than a standard definition soda straw sensor, with the same resolution or better anywhere in the scene. This can equate to fewer aircraft needed for the same ground coverage and/or more tactical capability depending on how commanders employ the asset. For example, the widearea persistent surveillance sensor provides a continuous view that facilitates forensic backtracking and counter-improvised explosive device operations, and allows for simultaneous surveillance of multiple target locations with a single asset. Maritime reconnaissance assets can also cover vast regions of water rapidly with fewer assets.

Another huge benefit of our wide-area staring sensor is the ability to apply image processing, resolution enhancements and automation that would not otherwise be available within smaller array step-scan systems which can’t maintain continuous pixels on target. The end result is full motion IR imagery with a combination of clarity, ground coverage and autonomous capability that is unmatched by any other infrared sensor.

A: In addition to our wide area persistent surveillance programs, we are also very involved with border surveillance programs and aircraft distributed aperture sensors [DAS]. We are the sensor of choice for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter [JSF] DAS system which provides 360-degree night vision, threat detection and short-range infrared search and track. Our NightHawk long range border surveillance system is employed in several major border surveillance programs such as the DHS/CBP Remote Video Surveillance Systems Northern Border.

Q: Are you currently developing new products and services relevant to military and government customers that you hope to bring to the market in the future?

A: We continue to find innovative ways to reduce SWaP [size weight and power] as well as increasing FPA yields. Our newly expanded Mason, Ohio, facility houses a new state-of-the-art semiconductor processing facility designed to meet the demand for the next generation of large format infrared imaging arrays used on platforms such as the F-35 JSF and WAAS programs. These improvements will reduce costs and make our exclusive large format products more widely available across the industry. And we’re not just focusing on large area surveillance products; we will also have a cooled 640-by-512 minicam available this year for use in small turrets and hand-held devices. This minicam will also feature many of the same image enhancements available in our larger products.

We take pride in our ability to support our defense and law enforcement forces with the highest technology available and will continue to create innovative solutions to meet their evolving needs. O www.TISR-kmi.com

WIDEN YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

WALRSS HD Camera

Osprey 5 ELRF

4K x 4K Ultra-Wide FOV Sensor

EO/IR Solutions for Operational Success L-3 incorporates expertise from the best and most innovative companies to provide mission critical technologies and systems that meet the demanding challenges for the defense and security sectors. Our high performance electro-optical products, advanced laser systems and next-generation sensors aid the detection, identification and engagement of threats. Contact us today for innovative solutions for surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition.

Please visit us at SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing 2012, Booth 1602.

ALST I Cincinnati Electronics I Tinsley

L-3com.com

Join our team

as we build the Next Generation of Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance solutions for Full Motion Video, Wide Area Imagery & Multi-INT sensor systems.

DRG has immediate opportunities for qualified candidates to support operations in Boston, Washington DC, Phoenix, & overseas locations. Relocation allowances may be available.

If you’re a leader in your field & thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment, a career with DRG may be right for you. We are actively seeking candidates for the following opportunities:

C# Software Engineers JavaScript, ASP.Net Developers Lead Integration Engineers Airborne Workstation I Ground Stations

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