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. After FY 2022, the Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) RDT&E Projects were restructured to align with the CBDP portfolio construct. IP5 efforts in FY 2022 progress to Projects PT5 and UN5. This restructuring provides standardization and alignment across CBDP research, development and acquisition efforts. Efforts included in this Project are: (1) Joint Service Aircrew Mask for Strategic Aircraft (JSAM SA), (2) Special Purpose Unit Rapid Capability Development and Deployment (SPU RCDD) - **Progresses to UN5 in FY2023**, (3) UIPE FoS General Purpose (GP) - **Progresses to PT5 in FY2023**, and (4) UIPE FoS Air - **Progresses to PT5 in FY2023** Joint Service Aircrew Mask (JSAM) Strategic Aircraft (SA) will provide individual respiratory, ocular, and percutaneous protection of chemical and biological warfare agents, and select toxic industrial chemicals for United States Air Force (USAF), Aeromedical personnel, United States Navy (USN), United States Marine Corps (USMC), and United States Army (USA) strategic aircrew. The mask components will be optimized to minimize their impact on the wearer's performance to continue lethality in a chemical biological (CB) environment 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. FY22 is the last year of BA5 funding for this program as they approach FOC in FY25. SPU RCDD facilitates Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) rapid response requirements to near-term and emergent chemical-biological defensive capabilities. This includes select elements from across the Special Operations Force (SOF) Enterprise such as CBRN Assessment Response Teams (CARTs) 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 CB capabilities that can be quickly transitioned 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); 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) and Government-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) products along with novel redesign approaches to optimize existing solutions to new challenges supported by "buy-try-decide-acquire" acquisition strategies. SPU RCDD initiates efforts such as respiratory breathing systems, biological identification, unmanned aerial and ground platform sensor integration, development of enhanced and augmented reality systems, and modernization of protective Chemical and Biological ensembles that have gone through requirements validation and continues product enhancement development and technology upgrades on currently fielded SOF equipment to counter emerging threats. The Uniform Integrated Protective Ensemble Family of Systems General Purpose (UIPE FoS GP) is part of a family of systems that will give the Warfighter percutaneous protection from operationally relevant traditional, non-traditional, and advanced Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN)/Toxic Industrial Material (TIM) threats likely to be encountered during joint force operations. The legacy chemical biological garment is nearing the end of its service life and does not meet updated requirements such as emerging threats, aerosol protection, and flame resistance. The UIPE FoS GP is a two-piece lightweight (compared to the legacy system) duty uniform replacement that has an aerosol liner, is flame resistant, and does not reduce Warfighter effectiveness in the areas of mobility and thermal burden. In FY24, the program will conduct a Multi Service Operational Test and Evaluation (MOT&E) and continue low rate production. The Tactical All-Hazards Threat Protective Ensemble (TATPE) will provide high risk Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel with increased protection against non-traditional and advanced threat agents during CWMD crisis and response missions in a more athletic fit combining a level of protection and performance not previously available together. TATPE will capitalize on the protection factor of commercial Level A with design modifications to align with the necessary operational requirements. The TATPE is a system consisting of a protective garment that integrates with a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), M53 protective mask, and cooling and hydration systems. The TATPE 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. In FY22, the TATPE obtained a MS C Low Rate Initial Production/Full Rate Production decision and expects to achieve an Initial Operations Capability (IOC) for SOF, EOD, and Special Mission Units within SOCOM. Uniform Integrated Protection Ensemble (UIPE) Family of Systems (FoS) Air program will provide the Warfighter percutaneous protection from operationally relevant traditional and non-traditional Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) threats. UIPE FoS Air will improve aircrew performance and survivability under CBRN conditions by reducing thermal burden and bulk, while increasing mobility and resulting in an increase operational effectiveness. The UIPE FoS Air program is composed of two variants. The UIPE FoS Air Chemical, Biological, Radiological Layer (CBRL) to address the specific requirements of the United States Air Force (USAF) tactical/ejection fixed wing platforms and the Two Piece Undergarment (2PUG) to address the remaining USAF and United States Navy / United States Marine Corps tactical/ejection seat (rotary wing) and non-ejection (fixed wing) platforms. FY23 is last year of BA5 funding, program is transitioning to production.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2024
• Source ID: IP5_0604384BP_5_0400_PB_2024

Tags

Readers

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

Technology Areas

• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs
• Space