UAS Payloads

Abstract

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Sensor Payload program provides the capability to develop, integrate, field, and sustain Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and non-ISR payloads for the USMC Family of UAS. These payloads will alleviate Marine Corps ISR capability gaps caused by changes in mission, threats, and technologies and will increase the versatility of UAS in support of MAGTF mission accomplishment. In support of the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) Planning Guidance and Force Design 2030 requirements, UAS Sensor Payloads provide modular, low-cost aerial sensing technologies to achieve the Maritime Domain Awareness required by MLRs and MEUs in support of the Joint Forces Maritime Component Command (JFMCC). Within the context of Maritime Domain Operations, Marine forces executing Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) require the organic capability to establish and maintain awareness of adversaries and potential adversary activities in communications and navigation degraded or denied environments. UAS Payloads enable sensing of threat indicators across the electromagnetic spectrum, gravimetric, chemical, nuclear, and acoustic spectrums and within the visual and physical domain and radar spectrum, with reduced signature, and minimized risk to personnel. The incorporation of advanced technology enablers such as artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and precision geolocation provide automated recognition, identification, tracking, advanced networks, advanced communications, and cross-cueing in support of accelerated battlespace awareness and targeting. As an essential element of the kill chain, UAS payloads are critical to the JFMCC targeting process to find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess the effects of lethal and non-lethal fires. Employment of UAS Sensor Payloads on platforms distributed across the MLRs and MEUs during EABO allows for greater distribution of forces while maintaining persistent awareness, enhances the security of tactical units and personnel moving across the battlespace, and enables the rapid transition between positions necessary for force survivability. The program prototypes, develops, integrates, and transitions strategic and tactical sensors, payloads, and communication capabilities for the areas of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)/Electronic Warfare Support (ES), Synthetic Aperture Radar/Moving Target Indicator (SAR/MTI), Multiple Intelligence (Multi-INT), Wide Area Surveillance (WAS)/Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI), Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), Wide Area Maritime Target Detection and Classification (WAMTDC), Advanced EO/Infrared (IR)/Multi-spectral (MSI)/Hyperspectral (HSI) sensors, Autonomous operations, Advanced processors, Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) sensors, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Alt-Nav, Acoustics, Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) for all sensor modalities, interfaces for payloads, including SUAS Reusable Architecture (SRA) and Common Sensor Workstation (CSW), Gravimetric, Communications, and Advanced Networks capabilities. SIGINT/ES - Detect, locate, target, and exploit adversary Signals of Interest (SOI), ability to cue other ISR sensors to specific target geolocations. SAR/MTI - Locate and track surface targets day or night under a wide range of atmospheric conditions and at stand-off ranges exceeding those of EO/IR Full Motion Video (FMV) technologies. Multi-INT - Simultaneous area of regard ISR data collection and functionality of sensors operating in widely disparate modalities such as Communications Relay, EW/ES, SIGINT, Radar, and EO/IR. Enables the collection of synchronized data that maximizes the effective employment envelope by collectively decreasing uncertainties, such as geolocation accuracy, simultaneously prosecuting multiple targets of interest and maximizing datalink capability across a varied range of environments and temporal periods. Wide Area Surveillance (WAS)/Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) - Imaging over wide areas (multiple square kilometers, city size area) at very spatial and temporal resolution at substantial stand-off distances using various sensor modalities, with full motion video (FMV) access, picture in picture user defined watch boxes, and ability to cue other ISR sensors to specific target geolocations. Ability to monitor and disseminate processed imagery data and static full field of view or user defined watch box imagery and disseminate to ground-based disadvantaged users. Mission applications include battlefield situational awareness and monitoring, providing the capability to assure access and hold at risk, as well as enabling power projection in environments that are not currently accessible. AI/ML - This effort will place AI/ML edge processing on a small UAS to perform object detection, classification, and identification of targets of interest in the data stream in real time. Edge processing technologies enable minimization of the physical footprint of the UAS system with enhanced mission capabilities and the sharing and merging of data across multiple domains. AI and Automated Processing supports the rapid detection, tracking, and characterization in all ISR data types and provides actionable information for fusion and tracking exploitation systems and processes. Wide Area Maritime Target Detection and Classification (WAMTDC) - System that observes a wide area simultaneously, autonomously detecting objects on the water and identification of targets of interest. Common Sensor Workstation (CSW) - Ruggedized ground station payload operator designed to support multiple payloads and capabilities on low side.

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Document Type: Project
Publication Date: Oct 01, 2024
Source ID: 8277_0305242M_7_1319_PB_2024

UAS Payloads

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