Individual Protection (SDD)

Abstract

This project provides Engineering & Manufacturing Development Phase and Low Rate Initial Production (EMD/LRIP) for individual protection equipment, with the goal of providing equipment that allows the individual Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine to operate in a contaminated Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) environment with little or no degradation of his/her performance. Efforts included in this project are: (1) Special Purpose Unit Rapid Capability Development and Deployment (SPU RCDD) (2) Uniform Integrated Protective Ensemble (UIPE) Family of Systems (FoS) (3) UIPE FoS General Purpose (GP) (4) Joint Service Aircrew Mask for Strategic Aircraft (JSAM SA) (5) JSAM for Tactical Aircraft (JSAM TA) SPU RCDD will facilitate rapid response to near-term and emergent chemical-biological defensive capability requirements from elements of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), select elements from across the Special Operations Force (SOF) Enterprise such as Combatant Commanders Response Forces (CRFs) and other Joint Force enabling units such as the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives Command. SPU RCDD mitigates risk across the Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) by creating a portfolio of operationally-relevant chemical and biological (CB) capabilities that can be quickly transitioned to needed elements and formations of the joint force, in whole or part, in response to the articulated, emergent capability needs of the geographic combatant commanders. These objectives are met by the early transitioning of promising science and technologies (S&T) from the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) among others; the focused conduct of combat evaluations and mission-oriented operational assessments to assess technological and mission suitability; and the active leveraging of existing Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products along with novel redesign approaches to optimize existing solutions to new challenges supported by "buy-try-decide-acquire" acquisition strategies. Projects being initiated or continued in FY21 include 1) modular and micro Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) that will provide users an improved form-fit over the existing C420 PAPR configuration, be of smaller size and weight than the C420, and extend the filter and battery life beyond current capability so users may continue operating in a CB-contaminated environment unencumbered, and 2) CBRND protective equipment in response to new and emerging threats and opportunities. UIPE FoS will develop a family of systems that will provide the broad spectrum of users with individual percutaneous protective equipment allowing the ability to operate in a contaminated environment with no or minimal degradation in performance. UIPE FoS will provide protection from operationally relevant traditional and non-traditional CBRN threats likely to be encountered during joint force operations. In FY21, UIPE FoS transitions to UIPE FoS General Purpose (GP), UIPE FoS Air and UIPE FoS Gloves. In order to reflect the structure of the program, UIPE FoS will meet Mission Area needs, not individual Service needs. The four Mission Areas are: Land, Air, Sea, and Homeland Defense. Each of the Mission Areas have unique mission requirements that the UIPE FoS GP, Air and Gloves solutions will fulfill. UIPE FoS GP will provide a family of systems that will give the Warfighter percutaneous protection from operationally relevant traditional, non-traditional, and advanced CBRN/Toxic Industrial Material (TIM) threats likely to be encountered during joint force operations. The family of systems is being developed based on agreed upon Service Mission Areas of which there are four: Land, Sea, Air, and Homeland Defense. Each of the Mission Areas have unique mission requirements that the combined UIPE FoS solutions will fulfill. The overarching goal of each of the four Mission Areas is to minimize operational burden and provide improved form, fit, function, and integration with the current Warfighter kits compared to legacy systems. The Tactical All-Hazards Threat Protective Ensemble (TATPE) will be a subset to the UIPE FoS GP and capitalize on the protection factor of commercial Level A with design modifications to align with the necessary operational requirements. This suit serves as an additional tool in the arsenal until technology matures to the point of delivering a similar capability applied against the range of military operations in all environments under all conditions. The JSAM SA and JSAM TA are Acquisition Category (ACAT) III programs developed to provide respiratory and ocular protection. The JSAM family is a lightweight Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) protective mask for most United States Army (USA), Navy (USN), Air Force (USAF), and Marine Corps (USMC) rotary wing and fixed wing aircrew. All JSAM variants will be compatible with most Below-The-Neck (BTN) CB protection ensembles and existing Aircrew Life Support Equipment (ALSE). They will include a protective hood assembly, CB filter, blower assembly (except JSAM SA), and an intercom for ground communication. They will also provide flame protection, demist/emergency demist (except JSAM SA), and anti-drowning features. The goal of the JSAM programs is to develop, manufacture, field, and sustain an aircrew respirator system that, in conjunction with BTN clothing ensembles. These masks posture all aircrew to operate in an actual or perceived CB domain as directed in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. The JSAM SA mask components will be optimized to minimize their impact on the wearer's performance and maximize its ability to interface with aircrew protective clothing. JSAM SA will provide pressure breathing for altitude for aircraft that do not require pressure breathing for gravity. JSAM SA will integrate with aircraft subsystems which include aviation life support equipment, aircrew flight equipment, aircraft seating, portable aircrew systems, communications systems, and aircraft oxygen systems. The JSAM SA mask will provide individual respiratory, ocular, and percutaneous protection of chemical and biological warfare agents, and select Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) for USAF (E-3, E-8, C-135s, C-17, C-145, C-146, C-130s, C-5), Aeromedical personnel (C-130s, KC-10, U-18, KC-135, C-12s, KC-46), USN (P-8, E-6, C-40, C-12, C-20), USMC (C-9, C-12, C-20, UC-35), and USA (RC-7, C-12s, C-20, C-26, UC-35, C-37) strategic aircrew. The JSAM TA will provide chemical biological protection for aircrew of high performance, ejection seat tactical aircraft. The mask components will be optimized to minimize their impact on the wearer's performance and maximize its ability to interface with aircrew protective clothing. JSAM TA will be compatible with anti-G systems, providing Chemical, Biological, Radiological (CBR) protection without degrading protection against Gravity Induced Loss of Consciousness (GLOC) up to 9 Gz. JSAM TA will integrate with essential aircraft subsystems. The JSAM TA mask will provide individual respiratory, ocular, and percutaneous protection of chemical and biological warfare agents, and select Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) for USAF (F-22 A), USN (E-2 C/D, E/A-18G, F/A-18 A/C/E/F), and USMC (F/A-18 A/C/D, AV-8B, KC-130J and MV-22) tactical aircrew members. The mask components will be optimized to minimize their impact on the wearer's performance and maximize its ability to interface with aircrew protective clothing. JSAM TA will be compatible with anti-G systems, providing Chemical, Biological, Radiological (CBR) protection without degrading protection against Gravity Induced Loss of Consciousness (GLOC) up to 9 Gz. JSAM TA will integrate with essential aircraft subsystems.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2021
• Source ID: IP5_0604384BP_5_0400_PB_2021

Tags

Readers

• Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
• Materials Science

Technology Areas

• Space