TACTICAL TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

This program element is budgeted in the Applied Research Budget Activity because it supports the advancement of concepts and technologies to enhance the next generation of tactical systems. The Tactical Technology program element funds a number of projects in the areas of Naval Warfare, Advanced Land Systems, Advanced Tactical Technology, Aeronautics Technology and Network Centric Enabling Technology. The Naval Warfare Technology project develops advanced technologies for application to a broad range of naval requirements. Enabling and novel technologies include concepts for expanding the envelope of operational naval capabilities such as improved situational awareness over large maritime environments, ship self-defense techniques, novel underwater propulsion modalities, high speed underwater vessels, improved techniques for underwater object detection and discrimination, long endurance unmanned surface vehicles, and high bandwidth communications. The Advanced Land Systems Technology project is developing technologies for enhancing U.S. military effectiveness and survivability in operations ranging from traditional threats to military operations against irregular forces that can employ disruptive or catastrophic capabilities, or disrupt stabilization operations. The emphasis is on developing affordable technologies that will enhance the military's effectiveness while decreasing the exposure of U.S. or allied forces to enemy fire. This project will also explore novel design technologies for the manufacture of ground vehicles and new tools for systems assessments of emerging DARPA technologies. The Advanced Tactical Technology project focuses on broad technology areas including compact, efficient, frequency-agile, diode-pumped, solid-state lasers for infrared countermeasures, laser radar, holographic laser sensors, communications, and high-power laser applications. Aeronautics Technology efforts will address high payoff opportunities that dramatically reduce costs associated with advanced aeronautical systems and/or provide revolutionary new system capabilities for satisfying current and projected military mission requirements. This includes advanced technology studies of revolutionary propulsion and vehicle concepts, sophisticated fabrication methods, and examination of novel materials for aeronautic system applications. The Network Centric Enabling Technology project develops network-centric mission applications that integrate information arising from: 1) intelligence networks; 2) open and other external sources; 3) sensors and signal/image processors; and 4) collection platforms and weapon systems. Technical challenges include the need to process huge volumes of diverse, incomplete, and uncertain data streams in tactically-relevant timeframes. The data processing efforts include: conditioning of unstructured data, content analysis, behavioral modeling, pattern-of-life characterization, economic activity analysis, social network analysis, anomaly detection, and visualization. Operational benefits include deeper understanding of the evolving operational environment tailored to the needs of commanders at every echelon. Promising technologies are evaluated in the laboratory and demonstrated in the field to facilitate transition.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2017
• Source ID: 0602702E_2_0400_PB_2017
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2015: Increase reflects reprogrammings offset by the SBIR/STTR transfer. FY 2016: Decrease reflects congressional reduction. FY 2017: Decrease reflects completion of the Ground Experimental Vehicle program, the transition of the Endurance program to Budget Activity 3, and drawdown of the XDATA and Network Defense programs.
• Service Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Autonomy
• Cyber
• Electronic Warfare
• Energy and Power Technologies
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Sensors
• Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Aircrafts
• Autonomous Systems
• Cognitive Systems Engineering
• Computers
• Control Systems
• Detectors
• Environment
• Human Systems Integration
• Human-Computer Interfaces
• Laser Applications
• Naval Warfare
• Test And Evaluation
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Unmanned Surface Vehicles
• Unmanned Systems
• User Interface

Readers

• Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.

Technology Areas

• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs
• Directed Energy