Some Recent Sensor-Related Army Critical Technology Events

Abstract

Project Hindsight was a 1969 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) report that was an in-depth study sponsored by the Director of Defense Research & Engineering (DDR&E) and provided insights into the development of approximately 20 weapons systems across the defense spectrum. Hindsight was used as a model for a series of papers, including this one, in the analysis of research projects in DOD. Since the publication of Hindsight, DOD has continued to pursue research and development (R&D) and develop weapon systems to address new military threats to the United States. The Army Science & Technology (S&T) Executive sponsored a series of three reports that provided a retrospective look at the development of four major Army weapons platforms since Hindsight: the Abrams tank, the Apache helicopter, and the Stinger and Javelin missiles. These three Defense & Technology Papers were focused on the Critical Technology Events (CTEs) that occurred in U.S. Army, industry, and academic laboratories that enabled these weapons platforms to have the necessary capability to accomplish their assigned missions. CTEs are ideas, concepts, models, and analyses, including key technical and managerial decisions, which have had a major impact on the development of a specific weapons system. CTEs can occur at any point in the system s life cycle, from basic research, to advanced development, to testing and evaluation, and to product improvements. CTEs can even relate to concepts that were developed but ultimately not incorporated into the weapons system. Also, CTEs can originate anywhere, from in-house laboratories, to private industry, and to academia. CTEs are not exactly the same as the Hindsight s Research and Exploratory Development (RXD) Events.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA586199

Entities

People

  • James A. Ratches
  • John W. Lyons
  • Richard Chait

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Autonomy
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Artillery
  • Chemistry
  • Cognitive Systems Engineering
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Information Systems
  • Infrared Detectors
  • Military Research
  • National Security
  • Navigation
  • Target Recognition
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warning Systems
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
  • Nuclear Civil Defense.