Night Vision Systems Advanced Development

Abstract

A portion of this funding line is directly aligned to the Army Soldier Lethality Modernization Priority in support of situational awareness for the Close Combat Soldier. This Program Element focuses on efforts to evaluate and integrate technologies and representative prototype systems that facilitate the development of Soldier-borne sensor devices transitioning from the laboratory to operational use. Efforts focus on proving out commonality across as broad a spectrum of users as possible to provide enhanced Soldier products, giving them superiority on the battlefield. Project BQ5 (Visual Augmentation System-Advanced Development) This project evaluates and integrates technologies and representative prototype systems transitioning from the Science and Technology (S&T) stage. It focuses on developing the next generation augmented vision and situational awareness system that provides the Soldier with the ability to fight, rehearse, train and win during multi-domain operations. Funded efforts will accelerate the development of components, terrain shared coordinate data and processing, algorithms including machine learning/artificial intelligence and demonstrations in support of the next generation augmented vision and situational awareness system. Efforts will provide rapid decision making and targeting capabilities with the integration of external video and data sources such as weapon sights, unmanned air and ground vehicles and other data sources enabled by tactical cloud package and advanced network services. This project will provide data driven analytics to optimize unit performance and enhance lethality and to enable Synthetic Training Environment (STE) squad capability to perform live mixed reality training and rehearsing. This project includes costs for efforts associated with movement of information and high level processing, integration, and interface of products with the Soldiers' head, body, weapon, and transportation. Funding in this project aligns with the Army's priorities in support of the National Defense Strategy. This project supports the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team. The total cost of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System Rapid Prototyping Middle Tier of Acquisition effort is $863.9 million RDT&E from FY18 to FY23. The totality of the RDT&E is from the combined APEs of 603774A BQ5 and 604710A BQ6. Project VT7 (Soldier Maneuver Sensors-Advanced Development) project enables development of emerging capabilities for the maneuver force, that are envisioned by the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team, the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE), the Maneuver Capabilities Development Integration Directorate (MCDID), the Science and Technology (S&T) community, industry partners or the acquisition workforce that may provide the Soldier or Squad increased capability to "fight, win and survive, day and night, in a multi- domain environment now and tomorrow". This project also allows pursuit of technology breakthroughs that challenge current technical solutions and have the potential for providing increased Soldier performance. This effort focuses on capabilities that enable modernization of Soldier sensor and laser devices, including digital features and enhanced solutions including maneuver capabilities to detect, recognize and identify targets, and to provide target acquisition and handoff but not limited to capabilities to mitigate threats. The integration of higher performing multi-spectral sensors with smart processing will provide adjusted weapon sight reticles and leverage network connectivity for improved situational awareness/understanding. Additional project capabilities include advanced optical components and assemblies and techniques for signature management, resiliency across the electromagnetic spectrum, and integration of a modular design structure for target acquisition applications including support for wireless data transfer, passive range determination, technologies for working in a GPS contested environment, advanced GPS replacement technologies and mitigation of manned and unmanned threat sensor systems. This project supports efforts to evaluate and integrate technologies and representative prototype systems including Micro Electronics Modules (MEMS) technology with improved size, weight and power for development of modernized Soldier sensor capabilities transitioning from the S&T stage to operational use. This project includes costs for efforts associated with development, certification, verification and validation of interface products into the Adaptive Squad Architecture (ASA). This project also includes development of tools and emulators of ASA components. Funding in this project aligns with Army's priorities in support of the National Defense Strategy. Project VT8 (Soldier Precision Targeting Devices - Advanced Development) enables development of emerging capabilities for the maneuvers and fires community, that are envisioned by the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team, the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE), the Fires Center of Excellence (FCoE), the Maneuver Capabilities Development Integration Directorate (MCDID), the Science and Technology (S&T) community, industry partners or the acquisition workforce that may provide the Soldier or Squad increased capability to "fight, win and survive, day and night, in a multi- domain environment now and tomorrow." This project also allows pursuit of technology breakthroughs that challenge current technical solutions and have the potential for providing increased Soldier performance. This project focuses on developing component technologies and representative prototype systems for Soldier portable precision targeting devices to continue improvements to system performance while reducing size, weight, and power required by those systems. The effort will consider emerging Micro-Electronic Modules (MEMs) technologies for improved efficiency and performance. Efforts will improve the Soldier's ability to precisely locate and designate targets across a broader range of operating environments, including all weather conditions, GPS-contested environments using active and passive methodologies and technologies. Component technology development will precede integration into specific systems and will include improved Precision Azimuth and Vertical Angle Measurement (PAVAM) devices; solid-state, improved lasers for range finding/designation/marking; novel passive target acquisition methods; electro-optical sensors such as infrared, near-infrared, ultra-violet, and visible spectrum imagers; sensor and data fusion; laser designator spot detection and imaging; integration of advanced power management technologies. Funding in this project aligns with Army's priorities in support of the National Defense Strategy.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2023
• Source ID: 0603774A_4_2040_PB_2023
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2023 funding increase reflects the fact that the FY 2022 President's Budget request did not include out-year funding.
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Advanced Electronics
• Energy and Power Technologies
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Human Systems
• Sensors
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Artificial Intelligence
• Augmented Reality
• Authentication
• Data Fusion
• Detection
• Electro-Optical Sensors
• Electromagnetic Spectra
• Ground Vehicles
• Laser Target Designators
• Machine Learning
• Mixed Reality
• National Security
• Product Development
• Range Finding
• Software Prototyping
• Test And Evaluation
• Visible Spectra

Readers

• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
• Sensor Fusion and Tracking Systems.

Technology Areas

• AI & ML
• AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
• Autonomy
• Directed Energy
• Microelectronics
• Space