SOTECH 13.2 (March 2015)

USASOC Aviator

Col. Michael J. HertzendorfCommander160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)

Batteries O Airborne ISR O Rugged Displays O TALOS UpdateAFSOC Rewards O Navy Reserve Centennial

March 2015 Volume 13, Issue 2

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6Rugged displaysSpecial operations forces take sophisticated technology exposed to the extremes of environmental vicissitudes such as cold, heat, dust and storms into the field.By Peter BuxBaum

21Finding the Key to Combat and saFetyAir Force Special Operations Command airmen proved again that they can be a part of the most combat-intensive command in the Air Force and still keep safety a top priority by taking home three Air Force-level safety awards for 2014.By 1st Lieutenant Ben sowers

23advanCes in batteRy teChnologyThe experiences of U.S. special operators in southwest Asia over the last decade and half, and around the world for that matter, are testimony to warfighters’ increasing reliance on electrically-powered devices.By Peter BuxBaum

26talos updateThe Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit is being designed to give protection and capabilities to U.S. special operators, but the process of designing it may be as revolutionary as the suit itself, according to U.S. Special Operations Command officials.By Jim Garamone

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Colonel miChael J. heRtzendoRF

Commander160th SOAR (A)

16

Departments Industry Interview2 editoR’s peRspeCtive4 WhispeRs5 people14 blaCK WatCh27 ResouRCe CenteR

RiCh haddadGeneral ManagerPolaris Defense

March 2015Volume 13, Issue 2Special OperatiOnS technOlOgy

28

“Over the past 30-plus years, we’ve made tremendous

strides in night vision

technology. This

technology has given the 160th

SOAR (A) and conventional

Army a tremendous advantage

on the battlefield.”

— Colonel Michael J.

Hertzendorf

18

soF logistiCsOn any given day, special operations forces are deployed in over 75 countries, in many cases working side by side with multiple interagency and international partners in remote, austere environments. By Chris mCCoy

Special Section10aiRboRne isR industRy RoundtableSince airborne ISR has seen a surge of investment within the last decade, SOTECH approached several companies to discuss some of their latest airborne ISR products.

22a display oF CapabilitiesSEAL Team 17 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85 recognized the centennial celebration of the Navy Reserve with a visit from Chief of Navy Reserve, Vice Admiral Robin Braun and events onboard both Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.By Petty offiCer 1st CLass meLissa russeLL

A lot is happening in the world of SOCOM. I really enjoyed reading Tracy A. Bailey’s recent article on how “two members of a joint special operations task force were awarded the nation’s second-highest honor for their heroic actions at an awards ceremony, February 17 at Fort Benning, Ga.”

According to Bailey, “Sergeant Bryan Anderson, a Ranger combat medic with 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and Staff Sergeant Jeffery Dawson, 28th Ordnance Company (Airborne) were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for their actions during an assault against an armed enemy in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, October 5-6, 2013.”

“On October 5th and 6th, Staff Sergeant Jeffery Dawson and Sergeant Bryan Anderson set the example that inspires our current Ranger force and will embolden generations to come,” said General Daniel B. Allyn, vice chief of staff U.S. Army, during the awards ceremony.

Bailey explained; “During the mission, the assault force targeted a Taliban attack network leader operating in Kandahar province. Information indicated the high-value target was the leader of an attack cell planning on conducting a high-profile attack in Kandahar City with aims of killing civilians.”

Bailey explained that the enemy had “triggered multiple suicide explosive devices and improvised explosive devices, killing four members of the assault force and wounding several others.”

“October 5th and 6th carry several indelible realties beyond our unspeakable loss. It signals to the enemies of our country, that this nation, this Army, this regiment, knows where the enemy lurks and has men and women of courage … with the intestinal fortitude to reach out and hold them to account,” said Allyn. “Second, while many scars remain from that October evening, our wounded warriors are indomi-table—their example serves to inspire and lead us forward demonstrating to this nation what courage, determination and resolve truly look like.”

Allyn added that Captain Jennifer Moreno, Sergeant Patrick Hawkins, Sergeant Joseph Peters and Specialist Cody Patterson paid the ultimate price for our nation’s freedom that night.

As usual, feel free to contact me with questions or comments for Special Operations Technology.


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Special Operations Technology

Volume 13, Issue 2 • March 2015

Chris McCoyeDitor

eDitOr’S perSpectiVe

a u.s. army ranger keeps his sight on a target with an m240 machine gun during a company live fire training. [photo courtesy of the u.s. army/by staff sergeant Teddy Wade]

WhiSperS

Members of the 27th Special Operations Wing gathered February 17, 2015, as the guidon was passed from Colonel Tony D. Bauernfeind to Colonel Benjamin R. Maitre, signifying the change of command from one commander to another.

Lieutenant General Bradley A. Heithold, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presided over the ceremony and touched on his apprecia-tion for Cannon’s outstanding team.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to be sharing this stage with these two incredible Air Commandos,” said Heithold. “I want you all to understand how hard it is to get on this stage in the first place. To be a wing commander in the United States Air Force is quite the feat. Not everyone gets here, but they all want to be here.”

“Colonel Bauernfeind has had the distinct privilege of leading these airmen, transforming their training and optimizing their performance,” he continued.

Speaking directly to Bauernfeind, Heithold praised his work at Cannon. “Tony, you have raised the bar here,” he said. “Under your leadership, this

wing has excelled in every way: from providing combat-ready forces to modern-izing and sustaining the force. You have created a first-class environment for our airmen and their families to thrive.”

Turning his attention to Maitre, Heithold challenged him with a drive for continued wing excellence.

“Colonel Maitre, I expect you to strive for greatness while being a servant leader,” said Heithold. “My challenge to you going forward is to produce the best, most elite Air Commandos you can and ensure you care for each of them. Remember, they do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

As Bauernfeind took the podium, he addressed members of Team Cannon one last time before Maitre assumed the position of 27th SOW commander. “As I leave this podium today, I want you all to know how genuinely proud I am to have been part of this team,” said Bauernfeind. “You have continuously made me proud as the commander of the most relevant wing in the United States Air Force.”

While this change of command marked the end of one chapter for the 27th SOW, Air Commandos and their families exuded excitement for the beginning of another.

For the first time as commander, Maitre addressed his new team, introducing himself to those who will continue to cement Cannon as a premier installation, and laid out his expectations and goals for Air Commandos.

“To the airmen of the 27th SOW, I thank you and your families for the sacrifices you have made over long hours, days and months that have allowed you and this wing to be what it is today,” said Maitre. “While we as Americans face the many challenges of a dynamic and complex global arena, as Air Commandos, our posture toward those opportunities is ultimately straightforward.”

“I charge each of you to be the best in what you do and who you are so that this wing may make the most of its most valuable resource,” he continued. “I pledge to give you the same in return; our continued success demands nothing less.”

By Airman 1st Class Chip Slack27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

27th SOW Welcomes New Commander

The 193rd Special Operations Medical Group (SOMDG), Middletown, Pa., recently earned the Air National Guard Medical Service Outstanding Medical Readiness Team Award.

The 193rd SOMDG competed for this award against 89 other ANG medical groups in the country. The group was recognized for its accomplishments in fiscal year 2014.

Nomination for the award is determined by submitting 20 of the medical team’s accomplishments for that fiscal year, said Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Hinkle, chief of medical operations at the 193rd SOMDG.

A few recent accomplishments include initiating monthly face-to-face commander conferences resulting in an increased wing medical readiness of 87 percent, and effectively managing more than 750 personnel in the occupational health program, including many on flying status. Also, the team redesigned the Service Member Profile Management Program and helped deploying personnel process, meeting 100 percent medical readiness.

“You’re taking the team’s most important accomplishments in a year’s time and fitting them into 20 bullet points,” said Hinkle. “It’s essentially providing the meat to quantify why you’re worthy of the award.”

“It’s great that we won the award. There are a lot of different people who come together to complete the mission that we have here,” said Senior Airman Stuart Redcay, 193rd SOMDG Aerospace Medical Technician.

The 193rd SOMDG won the ANGMS Outstanding Medical Readiness Team Award once before in 2009, when it was called the Thomas C. Marrs Award.

“I think that winning this award twice in five years tells a lot of people a lot of things about this team; we do the job all the time,” said Hinkle. “We have to work beyond a normal drill weekend to be able to do what we can do; it’s a very hard job.”

By Airman Julia Sorber193rd Special Operations Wing

193rd SOMDG Wins ANGMS

www.SOTECH-kmi.com4 | SOTECH 13.2

Compiled by Kmi media Group staff

Brigadier General (select) Tony D. Bauernfeind, commander, 27 Special Operations Wing, Air

Force Special Operations Command, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., has been assigned as deputy commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Major General James B. Linder, commander, Special Operations Command Africa,

U.S. Africa Command, Germany, has been assigned as commanding general, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Major General Eric P. Wendt, commanding general, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C., has been assigned as

chief of staff, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii.

Brigadier General Donald C. Bolduc, deputy director for operations, U.S. Africa Command, Germany, has been assigned as commander, Special Operations Command Africa, U.S. Africa Command, Germany.

Brigadier General Sean P. Swindell, commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Bragg, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., has been assigned as commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan/North Atlantic Treaty Organization Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Afghanistan.

Compiled by Kmi media Group staffpeOple

Brig. Gen. (select) Tony D. Bauernfeind

More than 30 cadets from Vanderbilt University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps visited the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) to learn about and experience the aviation unit in the U.S. Army.

In addition to highlighting the unit, the trip showed the cadets the diverse careers that the Army has to offer and examples of leadership, said Lieutenant Colonel Kenric Smith, professor of military science at Vanderbilt University’s Army ROTC.

The cadets’ day started out with a visit to the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion’s Allison Aquatics Training Facility, where they learned a little about the center itself and its capabilities. They then watched a training simulation of a downed aircraft and rescue operation.

They moved down to the Combat Skills Training Facility “Green Platoon,” an indoctrination training program every officer and enlisted soldier must pass in order to be part of the regiment, to participate in a grueling medical physical training activity that taught them the different carries one must learn to evacuate a casualty while aon foot.

Finally, the cadets were taken onto the compound to get a firsthand look at some of the aircraft the 160th SOAR (A) operates on a daily basis.

“The cadets were amazed at the diverse group of people, both in rank and [job], which make up the regiment,” said Smith. “They were extremely impressed with the professionalism in everyone they encountered. The cadets also realized that lessons they learn now in ROTC are applicable in the Army and heard that over and over during their visit.”

Smith’s student cadets echoed his sentiments.“I had a great time, especially because I am branching aviation, so this

was the first time I was able to get some hands-on experience with aircraft,” said Cadet Savannah Shepherd, a senior at Vanderbilt University and cadet

deputy commander of their ROTC battalion. “We are usually so consumed with school that we get very little Army experience outside of the ROTC program, so we jump at the chance to experience something authentic. We appreciate our instructors and the 160th for setting this up for us.”

Smith has high hopes for his cadets and is confident that they will go on to do bigger and better things.

He said, “I’m positive that this visit inspired quite a few of our cadets to strive for aviation and to become future Nightstalkers!”

By Staff Sergeant Gaelen Lowers160th SOAR (A) Public Affairs

Vanderbilt ROTC Visits Nightstalkers

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 13.2 | 5

Special operations forces, perhaps more so than other com-ponents of the U.S. military, take sophisticated technology with them into the field that is exposed to the extremes of environ-mental vicissitudes: cold, heat, dust, storms and more. Displays used for communications equipment, weapons systems and battle networks, and the laptops, notebooks, and, increasingly, tablet computers lugged on missions in various areas of operations must be rugged and robust to be able to withstand these conditions.

The military’s industry partners have responded to these needs by continually improving the toughness of displays and comput-ers. Their frames and housing are fashioned from advanced mate-rials. Vulnerable components such as the keyboards, ports and screens are sealed or otherwise protected to prevent damage from water and dirt. Computing and storage elements are hardened. All of these elements must be included in equipment and systems that fulfill the military’s goals of limiting and reducing their size, weight and power consumption.

The United States Military Standard referred to as MIL-STD-810, approved for use by all departments and agencies of DoD, emphasizes tailoring an equipment’s environmental design

and test limits to the conditions that it will experience throughout its service life.

The standard also establishes various test methods that rep-licate the effects of environments on the equipment, allowing manufacturers to harden their equipment against cold, heat, moisture, dust, ballistic threats and other factors. Another key factor is the computer’s ability to withstand being dropped, the benchmark document against which manufacturers of rugged displays, computers and other equipment design and test their products. The latest version, MIL-STD-810G, was released in 2008 and revised in 2012.

“The requirements for rugged displays always are for the best performance possible with reduced size, weight and power (SWaP) that the currently available technology can provide,” said David Morton, program manager for flexible displays at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. “If a product with improved capabilities can be procured, it will be inserted as a product improvement.”

The general conditions under which special forces operate make the requirements for performance with reduced SWaP all the more important, noted Morton. “The typical functions would

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be for radio and computer displays as well as moni-tors for control of UAVs,” he added.

Rugged displays were historically deployed aboard airborne platforms, but are currently mak-ing their way into ground vehicles, according to Andrew Haylett, product marketing manager for video and display solutions at Curtiss-Wright. “All warfighters have the need for improved situational awareness,” he said. “Fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft on data collection or search and rescue missions have access to multiple video feeds that are viewed on a single display. They also have dis-plays that are connected to mission and navigational computers. Ground vehicles also increasingly collect video of the outside world mediated through multiple cameras.”

“The trend that we are seeing is that special operators want more integration in their displays,” said Tad Ihns, president of Avalex. “They want to be able to have smart multifunctional dis-plays instead of static, ‘dumb’ displays. We have been integrating a wide range of functionality into displays that in the past were contained in mission computers.”

As connectivity becomes more critical in the field, special operations warfighters increasingly use rugged laptops and note-books to stay connected. “As missions become more complicated, use cases are emerging for deploying rugged devices to HMMWVs to connect warfighters in the field to command staff at base,” said Umang Patel, a product manager at Dell. “Devices are also being used for mapping applications, diagnostics capabilities, data gath-ering and intelligence, and to connect to other devices in the field. It has become increasingly important for these devices to connect to legacy applications to perform all these tasks.”

“We are seeing rugged devices in many different environments, from providing battlefield situational awareness to shipboard and flight line maintenance,” said James Poole, director of sales at Pana-sonic System Communications Company of North America. “Army and Marine Corps special operators use these devices as battlefield communications tools, whether they are connected to satellites or cellular networks, for sharing information on missions.”

“The deployment of improved devices is always to make the warfighter better equipped for the jobs they have to do,” said Morton. “For displays, it could be providing additional situational awareness to the squads or to the individual warfighter. It can mean less weight in the backpack for batteries and spares because the units do not use as much power, and they don’t break.”

Rugged displays and computers for airborne and ground platforms must meet stringent environmental qualifications. “Acceleration, shock and crash standards are all not relevant to normal products,” said Haylett. “Rugged products must withstand extremes of kinetic shock, temperature, humidity, sand, dust and water. All kinds of stuff can happen to platforms that are com-pletely or partially exposed to the environment.”

The housing of Panasonic rugged notebooks is constructed using magnesium alloys, which keeps their weight down and adds to their durability. “This material has five or six times the impact resistance of comparable materials and is lighter and stronger,” said Poole. “As a rugged manufacturer, we need to meet and win the military’s certification.”

Avalex’s rugged displays are bonded with materials that prevent them from being damaged in case they are hit with

a screwdriver or helmet. The display’s touchscreen is also designed to stand up to rough handling without compromising performance and operate without degradation in extremely low temperatures. “The display and its electronics are all designed to operate as low as 40 degrees Celsius,” said Ihns. “We also use aluminum instead of plastic frames so that the units have substantial support.”

Today’s rugged displays support use with night vision goggles, include touchscreen functional-ity and are meant to be used in conjunction with embedded or portable computers. “Displays are

made to work in a wide variety of demanding environments, par-ticularly in temperature extremes where laptops might struggle,” said Haylett. “The fact that screens are mounted means that operators are free to juggle laptops at the same time. Laptops are usually not the best for viewing multiple video feeds. Displays are better for that. In addition, they have touchscreen functionality and in general offer a lot more performance than a straightforward laptop.”

The touchscreen functionality is important for the control of video cameras and other sensors. Operators can adjust the pan, tilt and zoom of sensors by manipulating the single screen, func-tions that otherwise would have to be effectuated through separate joysticks. “It can also change map displays by touching the screen and display multiple maps relating to multiple targets on a single screen,” said Haylett. “All of this is done in a way that is intuitive to the operator.”

Advanced displays boast impressive daylight readability prop-erties, with high brightness and contrast for different situations. Curtiss-Wright recently introduced a new line of displays that are as small as 7 inches, all of which have the capability of displaying high-definition, high-resolution video.

“We build night and day viewability into our displays,” said Haylett. “They can be adjusted to a very bright daytime mode. At night, the displays can be viewed while operators are wearing their night vision goggles. We are able to achieve that by using dual technologies that allow for operation of the displays equally in sunlight and at night.”

Smart displays can typically pull double duty, allowing users to view digital maps while overlaying real-time tactical information on top of them in one display. Aircraft-mounted advanced displays also provide a degree of redundancy to onboard mission comput-ers, noted Ihns. “If the mission computer has an issue, you could completely lose mapping and navigational capabilities,” he said. “Smart displays can run software that can maintain some func-tionality even if the computer processor went down.”

Smart displays are also SWaP efficient, and with their added processing and functionality, pay high dividends. “Mission com-puters are typically very heavy and bulky and require a lot of cabling,” said Ihns. “When you factor in the size, weight, power consumption and cost, the more modern, smart, multifunction displays offer tremendous advantages for only a marginal increase in weight and thickness.”

The Army Research Lab (ARL) has allocated major resources toward achieving the benefits of reduced SWaP through the devel-opment of low-power display technologies on flexible plastic sub-strates. “This potential was recognized by the Army over a decade ago,” said Morton.

Andrew Haylett


One advantage of the rugged plastic-based displays is in weight. Plastic is lighter than glass and does not require as much protection, leading to reduced volume as well. Another advantage is in new form factors that the flexible plastic substrate-based display allows.

In 2003, ARL was directed by the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology to form a center to advance the technology and commercialization of flexible display technology for Army and commercial applications. “The Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University was formed as government/UN/industry partnership,” said Morton. “It developed flexible display technology in a cooperative agreement with about 50 industry partners and provided technology demonstrators to DoD users.”

The Flexible Display Center has established a set of core capa-bilities to support flexible display development, including manu-facturing pilot lines and related tool sets. The center has achieved development and demonstration milestones that incorporate a range of advanced materials and processes necessary to accelerate the development of flexible displays.

“The current state of the technology is that commercial prod-ucts are appearing that can be used or integrated into soldier systems,” said Morton. “The center achieved the goal advancing the technology and now provides flexible displays and technology development to industrial partners.” Over the last 10 years, ARL has made investments of $100 million in the Arizona State unit.

Today’s rugged displays and computers do not require the kind of performance compromises necessary in the past to meet military SWaP goals. “Rugged notebooks used to be bulky and heavy,” said Patel. “They could weigh upwards of 10 pounds. These days, rugged notebooks are somewhat bigger than their com-mercial counterparts, but it does not require compromising on performance.”

Rugged displays have to offer the same level of performance as their non-ruggedized counterparts, noted Morton. “The two tech-nologies use OLED and e-ink, so they are identical in both cases and power is the same,” he said. OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) use carbon-based substances to create light, offering smaller form factors and higher resolution than older metal-based LEDs. E-ink, which works by applying an electric charge to hun-dreds of thousands of cells on a page, is currently used primarily on the grayscale displays of electronic readers, although color e-ink screens are on their way.

When Dell fashions rugged computers for military use, it is mindful that that the devices must be able to interface with legacy applications and infrastructures. “Our customers are demanding that we provide modern technologies when it comes to connectiv-ity and displays, yet they must be able to work with legacy capabili-ties,” said Patel.

That’s because much of the embedded computing power in platforms such as aircraft have been around for years and won’t be changed for decades. It is simply too expensive to effect that kind of technology overhaul. “Aircraft diagnostic systems won’t change for two or three decades,” noted Patel. “When you think of the nerve center of an C-17 aircraft or a naval ship, those capabilities are expensive to replace. Huge investments have been made in these systems and they are mission-critical, so ripping them out and replacing them would involve a ton of risk. We enable tapping into legacy system while the infrastructure is being modernized,

but there are some bits of code that date to the 1980s and are impossible to replace. Our challenge is to bring customers access to modern technologies that work as well with embedded legacy capabilities.”

The latest rugged displays include smart capabilities that bring them more into the realm of computers. They are equipped with sufficient processing power to run software important to viewing video. “They are smart in the sense that they are able to handle multiple video displays simultaneously,” said Haylett. “They carry enough internal processing capabilities to allow customers’ appli-cation code to run on the display. It is like having a PC embedded within the display.”

Curtiss-Wright’s new family of rugged displays, which was launched last year, included advances in brightness, robustness and other features. “They include a high-sensitivity touchscreen,” said Haylett. “While some of these elements were present in earlier generations of displays, these new displays extend these features to the cutting edge in the area of environmental robustness and readability. The displays are clearer to read, which means that you can display more information on the same-size screen.”

Avalex introduced several new products in the last year, all of which feature smart, multifunction displays in 16- and 17-inch form factors. “These displays can receive input from as many as 14 different sensors,” said Ihns, “which can be tiled on the display and viewed four at a time. They are able to process high-resolution video at its native resolution, which is important. Smart displays are providing higher levels of redundancy to mission computers while adding little in the way of size, weight and power consumption.”

There is an ongoing evolutionary process toward developing the kinds of fully flexible display devices envisioned by the Army Research Lab and the Flexible Display Center. “There are products using plastic displays, but they are still protected by toughened glass materials,” noted Morton. “Next, we will see fully plastic displays in products.”

Currently, prototypes are available for integration into devices. Key pieces of making a fully flexible device are the hybrid flexible electronics that have to drive the device. DoD announced in Janu-ary 2015 a competition for the seventh Institute for Manufacturing Innovation, the technical focus of which will be flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing innovation. “Flexible hybrid electron-ics are enabled through innovative manufacturing processes and fabrication that preserve the full operation of traditional electronic devices on flexible, stretchable and conformal circuit boards that can be attached to curved, irregular and often stretched objects,” noted the government’s announcement.

“Fully flexible display devices are one of the technologies that will benefit from this effort,” said Morton. “We continue to advance the technology of flexible electronics on plastic. The same principles of equal performance while reducing SWaP hold. We are developing flexible digital X-Ray sensors on plastic for EOD and IED defeat using the capability we developed at the ASU Flexible Display Center.” O

for more information, contact SOTECH editor chris mccoy at [email protected] or search our online archives for related stories

at www.sotech-kmi.com.


Since airborne ISR has seen a surge of investment within the last decade, SOTECH approached several com-panies to discuss some of their latest airborne ISR products.

Boeing’s presence in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance began decades ago with platforms like the airborne warning and con-trol systems aircraft.

Today, we offer a full spectrum of airborne ISR to meet unique customer requirements, including the P-8, maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) and our unmanned platforms.

The P-8—the world’s most advanced long-range, anti-subma-rine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft—is currently produced for the U.S. Navy and the Indian Navy.

A derivative of the Next-Generation 737-800, the P-8 com-bines superior performance and reliability with an advanced mis-sion system, ensuring maximum interoperability in the future battlespace.

Boeing brings to the P-8 capabilities and innovation derived from decades of building and supporting both commercial and military aircraft. The P-8’s first-in-industry production process, for example, leverages the existing Next-Generation 737 produc-tion system for maximum efficiency. Boeing also builds the P-8 Training System, providing comprehensive and realistic training for air, mission and maintenance crews, while greatly reducing fuel, maintenance and aircraft life cycle costs. As the original

Fred E. SmithDirector, Business DevelopmentMobility, Surveillance & Engagement Boeing


equipment manufacturer, Boeing is uniquely positioned to provide training devices that most accurately simulate P-8 aircraft and mission systems and stay current with aircraft configuration.

The P-8 offers excellent reliability and supportability. The 737 has a 99.8 percent dispatch rate, with more than 4,000 aircraft flying and 6,600-plus orders. The P-8 also offers commonality with the 737 fleet and other military platforms that use the 737 airframe. This helps reduce the costs of operation, sustainment and training over the life of the aircraft.

The P-8’s open mission system architecture and digital inter-faces allow rapid and affordable technology integration. This allows users to meet diverse mission requirements and evolving threats.

The P-8 is well-positioned to meet the needs of the warfighter today and long into the future.

Leveraging the proven mission systems of the P-8 and the fielded ISR capabilities of the AWACS and AEW&C platforms, Boe-ing has developed a mid-size ISR offering—MSA.

MSA is a fully integrated, modular, open-architecture solu-tion built using a combination of the latest military and com-mercial off-the-shelf technologies. Paired with the Bombardier Challenger business jet, MSA delivers reliable, cost-effective operations for missions including anti-piracy, coastal and border security, immigration patrols and long-range search and rescue.

MSA’s precision sensors, interoperable data links and high bandwidth line-of-sight and satellite communication options

allow it to collect, process, exploit and disseminate actionable intelligence products to national and coalition forces. Addition-ally, the advanced sensor and mission suite allows MSA to excel at secondary missions including overland surveillance and elec-tronic warfare support.

Boeing has completed initial ground and flight testing on an MSA demonstrator aircraft, which is now ready for customer demonstration flights.

Boeing’s Unmanned Airborne Systems complements its array of manned ISR capabilities. The ScanEagle, produced by Boeing

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The need for a superior ISR capability is growing throughout the world as the defense landscape evolves. To address this changing environment and the complex threats it brings, Lockheed Martin developed the Airborne Tactical Mission System (Lockheed Martin ARTAMIS), a flexible package that adds and customizes mission-specific capabilities to aircraft. Lockheed Martin ARTAMIS hosts scalable capabilities that meet multiple mission requirements.

In ancient mythology, Artemis was a skilled hunter who part-nered with Orion to reign over military campaigns. Now, the Lock-heed Martin ARTAMIS takes the gold standard in common core

mission systems from a P-3 “Orion” submarine-hunting aircraft and has adapted and built upon this technology for new and exist-ing aircraft. Through investments and research and development efforts, Lockheed Martin reduced the size, weight and power of its heritage fixed-wing mission systems to bring their capabilities to a variety of aircraft.

Lockheed Martin ARTAMIS provides a spectrum of flexible and affordable capabilities that meet diverse customer require-ments. The system also allows for growth as requirements change and enables rapid insertion of technologies. ARTAMIS provides

Mike Fralen Director of Business Development Mission Systems and Training Lockheed Martin

Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) ISR airborne solutions with proven airspace integration capabilities deliver real-time electronic informa-tion which allows forces to maintain a winning advantage. IAI’s turnkey

solutions are based on SIGINT, IMINT and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technologies, day and night EO/IR systems which detect stationary and moving targets in all conditions.

IAI has recently introduced two new products into its portfolio of ISR products—the new-generation ELI-3360 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), and the M-19HD innovative, long-distance, true high-definition EO payload.

Designed by IAI’s ELTA Group, ELI-3360 is based on a modi-fied Bombardier Global 5000 business-jet platform. It provides maritime domain situational awareness and maritime superiority. Additionally, MPA delivers the most sophisticated surveillance, reconnaissance and armament systems to be installed on a busi-ness jet to date. The system incorporates the advanced ELTA ELM-2022 maritime patrol radar, an electro-optical sensor, the ELL-8385 electronic support measures (ESM)/electronic intel-ligence (ELINT) system, and a comprehensive communications suite comprising radios, broadband SATCOM and data links, as well as an advanced electronic warfare and self-protection suite.

The integrated multimission command and control suite includes multipurpose operator workstations and a weapon and stores management system which controls the under-wing weap-ons, such as torpedoes and anti-ship missiles for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, as well as dispensable search and rescue stores.

The new-generation ELI-3360 joins IAI’s series of special mission aircraft (SMA). With over 30 years of experience in supplying advanced maritime domain sensors and integrated systems to leading customers worldwide, IAI’s line of busi-ness jet SMA includes the operationally proven Gulfstream G550 Conformal Airborne Early Warning and the G-V signal intelligence aircraft, the world’s first business jet-based mission aircraft.

IAI’s latest addition to its well-known line of EO payloads products is the M-19HD.

As a true high-definition, multispectral, multisensor (up to seven sensors) payload, the M-19HD is the ideal system for long-endurance ISR missions and area dominance.

It provides powerful sensors, high stabilization and unique image processing features together with long-range persistent surveillance capabilities. The M-19HD follows IAI’s tradition of innovation and offers its customers high performance and a cost-effective solution.

The M-19HD enables continuous day/night surveillance under all weather conditions and offers outstanding acquisition ranges due to its powerful sensors, high stabilization and unique image processing capabilities. The M-19HD reduces the operator’s workload and improves situational awareness by virtue of its multimode automatic video tracker. It also provides accurate geo-location using its embedded IMU/GPS (Inertial Measurement Unit/Global Positioning System).

The system is designed to be installed onboard advanced unmanned aerial platforms such as IAI’s Heron-1 and Heron TP UAVs, as well as aerostats and manned platforms able to perform strategic missions.

Joseph WeissCEO and PresidentIsrael Aerospace Industries

subsidiary Insitu, leads the field in agile ISR technology and has accumulated over 750,000 operational flight hours and nearly 100,000 sorties in support of global missions. Boeing’s unmanned systems constantly move technologies forward, making them smarter, more efficient and better aligned with customers’ needs.

Boeing’s newest unmanned addition is Sensor Hosting Auton-omous Remote Craft (SHARC), an autonomous surface ves-sel designed for extremely long-endurance surveillance and

communications roles. Developed by Boeing partner Liquid Robotics, SHARC remains on-station for months by harnessing wave power for propulsion and solar energy for payloads. SHARC seamlessly bridges ISR capabilities provided by Boeing assets ranging from satellites, manned aircraft and unmanned vehicles like the ScanEagle with sub-surface crafts. Sitting at the interface between water and air, it provides broad-area, continuous access and awareness across the entire battlespace from seabed to space.


customers with the option to install hardware and tactical mission system software for true “plug and play” system packages. This approach provides options for adding and customizing capabilities that are specific to evolving missions.

The game-changing capabilities of Lockheed Martin ARTAMIS can be tailored to a variety of aircraft—including the C-130J ‘Sea Herc’ aircraft—and can be installed permanently or as a removable pallet. The ability to add and remove capabilities offers a level of agility to special operations forces with diverse mission sets oper-ating around the world.

Lockheed Martin ARTAMIS can provide airborne ISR support to special operations forces with the added ability to build capabil-ity incrementally. The mission system was engineered to be easily upgraded without a costly overhaul. Both hardware and software systems can be added and enhanced quickly and efficiently. These upgrades are made possible by the use of service-oriented architec-ture that provides a growth path for customers.

The core mission system of ARTAMIS hosts a data processor, operator controls and displays, sensors, networking, video and storage. Specifically, the system can be tailored to meet customer requirements using the following state-of-the-art sensors: electro-optic infrared sensors, multimode radars, electronic support measures, communication intelligence and automatic informa-tion systems. ARTAMIS can also be configured with a variety of weapons systems.

ARTAMIS reduces operational costs, as well as the amount of manpower and maintenance needed to manage the system. The advanced sensors and systems enhance operators’ situational aware-ness and provide ISR data that helps to inform decisions and actions.

To maximize commonality among mission systems across legacy aircraft and next-generation aircraft, ARTAMIS provides flexible options for installation designs to match the configuration and capabilities of the aircraft. By transferring key capabilities across different platforms, the ARTAMIS solution offers a superior airborne ISR capability to an ever-changing defense landscape where special operations forces are paving the path for increased global security. O



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a soldier conducts preflight checks on a Tier i small unmanned aerial Vehicle, “puma,” during training. [photo courtesy of the u.s. army/by sergeant Hillary rustine]


BlacK Watch

General Dynamics Mission Systems and Rockwell Collins shipped more than 1,200 AN/PRC-155 radios to the government as part of a follow-on low-rate initial production (LRIP) contract for 1,500 new radios. The remaining radios will ship during the first quarter of 2015. The two-channel PRC-155 radios are the Army’s digital ‘connecting point’ for soldiers and their commanders to share information while collaborating locally and globally via the Warfighter Information Network–Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2.

The PRC-155 connects line-of-sight radios to satellite communi-cations systems so soldiers can share observations from their current location while receiving reconnaissance information or other data to quickly confirm or adjust mission plans from anywhere in the opera-tions area. Soldiers can also use the PRC-155 to reach back to regional headquarters using secure satellite communication networks.

“The two-channel PRC-155 keeps soldiers consistently and securely connected to the tactical communications grid from anywhere,” said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics Mission Systems. “This is also the only U.S. Army tactical radio to provide the digital connections that Army organizations need to stay in touch, one to another, from just about anywhere on the planet.”

“Our team is proud to be completing the final radio deliveries for this LRIP, enabling the PRC-155 to become the first two-channel fielded radio to be operationally deployed for the U.S. Army,” said Mike Jones, vice president and general manager of communication and navigation products for Rockwell Collins. “We look forward to meeting this milestone and providing the warfighter with an enhanced networking capability that provides greater situational awareness while improving mission success rates.”

Lockheed Martin and Esri have deployed commercial software to the Amazon Web Services Commercial Cloud Services (C2S) environ-ment for the first time with an intelligence community customer, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), in a move that enables government agencies to better share geospatial intelligence.

The deployment of the portal for Esri’s ArcGIS geographic informa-tion system (GIS) provides a single environment for analysts to securely organize and share data throughout the intelligence community and DoD. It’s also the foundational step in consolidating multiple geospatial intelligence portals into the single NGA-provided portal, resulting in technology and license cost savings.

This is NGA’s second pioneering step in the cloud after the agency moved their Map of the World application to the C2S environment late last year.

“Deploying Esri’s Portal for ArcGIS to a commercial cloud environ-ment securely organizes existing data and facilitates collaboration across intelligence agencies,” said Jason O’Connor, vice president of analysis and mission solutions for Lockheed Martin. “This cloud implementation also further shapes the government’s processes for architecting and imple-menting enterprise class services within a cloud environment.”

ArcGIS connects users to maps and geographic information. Users can create and view maps, compile geographic data, analyze mapped information and share geographic information in a range of applications.

“Working with Lockheed Martin and the NGA on this strategic implementation for national security is particularly meaningful,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri president. “It recognizes the importance of consolidating geospatial intelligence information into a single portal to facilitate rapid situational awareness and response by our intelligence community.”

Thales announced that it has been selected by Northrop Grumman Corporation to supply its state-of-the-art flight management system software, i-FMS200, which will be embedded in the avionics mission equipment package that Northrop Grumman will provide to upgrade the U.S. Army’s UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters. The upgraded version of the Black Hawk helicopter will be known as UH-60V.

Thales has been working closely with Northrop Grumman over the past three years to provide a proven, scalable and modular flight management system (FMS) software design that meets the requirements for the UH-60V program.

Thales’s FMS software has proven its ability to be integrated by Northrop Grumman into its newest equipment during a flight demonstration on board a UH-60L helicopter.

Moreover, hosting the Thales’s FMS software directly on Northrop Grumman’s mission computer will provide architecture weight and cost optimization on the UH-60V aircraft, eliminating the need for stand-alone FMS hardware.

Flight Management System Software Selected

Intelligence in the Cloud Enables Geospatial Information

Sharing Across Intel Community

1,200 AN/PRC-155 Radios to Provide Vital Communications

for U.S. Army


Compiled by Kmi media Group staff

DoD is taking action to fill a critical capability gap in its tactical wheeled vehicle fleet by advancing the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle ( JLTV) program. Oshkosh Defense, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation company, submitted its proposal in response to the U.S. government’s request for proposal for JLTV low-rate initial production and full-rate production. Oshkosh’s JLTV proposal addresses the U.S. Army and Marine Corps’ need for a lightweight, highly-mobile, net-ready vehicle with unprecedented levels of protection for U.S. warfighters on the modern battlefield.

“Our troops deserve the best vehicle and technology our government can provide, and no other company serves this mission more effectively than Oshkosh,” said U.S. Army Major General (Ret.) John Urias, execu-tive vice president of Oshkosh Corporation and president of Oshkosh Defense. “Our JLTV proposal reflects Oshkosh’s heritage of building high-performance tactical vehicles and an unparalleled commitment to providing our troops with the most capable and reliable JLTV at an affordable price.”

Air-to-Air Radar Tracks Multiple Airborne

Controp Precision Technologies Ltd.—a leader in electro-optical/infrared defense and homeland security solu-tions—demonstrated its recently intro-duced Micro-Stamp Dual Sensor Day/Night Stabilized Miniature Payload for Small UAVs for the first time at Aero India 2015. With a low weight of a mere 300 grams, the gyro-stabilized miniature payload is now being supplied to the first customer.

Vice President of Marketing Johnny Carni said that “already gaining customers, the Micro-Stamp generates a lot of interest from the users in the field, and we expect to receive more orders in the near future.”

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a manu-facturer of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) systems, radars and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, announced a major technological advancement related to the integration of RPA into international and domestic airspace. GA-ASI successfully flight-tested a pre-production Due Regard Radar (DRR), marking the first fully functional air-to-air radar on a RPA that meets the requirements for “due regard” operations in international airspace.

“This flight test is the culmination of over four years of radar development activity,” said Frank Pace, president, aircraft systems, GA-ASI. “DRR will allow users to operate Predator B independently in international airspace without the need for land-based, sea-based or off-board airborne airspace surveillance, offering our customers greater freedom of movement around the globe.”

The purpose of the test was to verify the DRR’s functionality onboard a Predator B RPA, plus integration with the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) II with Resolution Advisories, which is the collision avoidance system used on many commercial aircraft today. The collision avoidance maneuvers were automati-cally and successfully executed onboard Predator B to verify system functionality and validate hardware-in-the-loop simulations.

“This latest flight test aboard an RPA is a significant milestone in the continued maturation of our DRR air-to-air radar program

that began in 2011,” said Claudio Pereida, executive vice president, mission systems, GA-ASI. “We are honored to be leading the effort to help define standards for flying aircraft such as Predator B in the National Airspace System in close cooperation with the FAA, NASA and our industry partners.”

Throughout December, multiple flight tests occurred at GA-ASI’s Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility and Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, Calif. Predator B was flown in scripted encounters against multiple small- and medium-size manned aircraft, while the pre-production DRR simultaneously tracked multiple targets and continued to search a wide field-of-regard.

GA-ASI’s Due Regard capability, which includes the pre-produc-tion DRR and other components, is now at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 and is ready for a customer to take into an opera-tional environment to conduct an Operational Test and Evaluation. The company’s sense and avoid (SAA) system, which integrates the DRR and TCAS II capabilities, is currently at TRL 6 and will mature once it incorporates all of the requirements being developed by Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics Special Committee 228. The integrated SAA system will continue to fly aboard NASA’s Ikhana (Predator B) in 2015 in support of a series of NASA flight tests that will measure the performance of the entire system in a variety of situations.

Proposal for JLTV Production Advanced Miniature Payload


Colonel Michael J. Hertzendorf is a 1989 distinguished military graduate of Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y. He gradu-ated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the aviation branch.

His previous assignments include company executive officer and scout platoon leader with C Company, 2-2nd Aviation, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Stanley, Korea; scout platoon leader, Assistant Squadron S-3 and troop commander, 1-7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; platoon leader, company operations officer, battalion plans officer, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.; regiment plans officer, 160th SOAR (A); battalion S-3, Joint Special Operations Aviation Command J-3, battalion executive officer and task force commander, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR (A), Fort Campbell, Ky.; commander, E Com-pany, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR (A), Taegu, Korea; joint air officer, Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; battalion commander, 4th Battalion, 160th SOAR (A), at Fort Lewis, Wash.; and chief of staff, Army Special Operations Aviation Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. Hertzendorf last served as the battalion commander for Task Force 1-160th SOAR (A), Fort Campbell.

Hertzendorf’s military education includes the United States Army War College; Army Command and General Staff College; Combined Armed Services and Staff School; Aviation Officer Basic and Career Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course (High Risk); and Airborne School.

Hertzendorf holds a Master of Public Administration from Murray State University and a Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies from the United States Army War College.

A Special Operations Master Aviator with over 14 years of service in the 160th, Hertzendorf’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clus-ters, Air Medal with numeral three, Master Aviator Badge, and Parachutist Badge.

Q: Colonel Hertzendorf, having taken command of the Night Stalkers, a unit with a strong legacy, what are some of the

central tenets of your commander’s guidance and goals over the next 12 months?

A: At the regiment, we see two operational priorities for the unit. First, win the current fight and sustain our core competencies. That means we continue to provide unparalleled precision sup-port to our ground force commanders while maintaining a core of mission-focused leaders and soldiers who can excel in ambigu-ous, uncertain, volatile and continuous evolving environments. Our second operational priority is posture the force for the future. It is important that we have the right capabilities to meet the requirements for theater employment within the global SOF network construct for both surgical strike and special warfare missions. Additionally, we have to continue to recruit, assess/select, train, sustain and manage a force of world-class talent.

Q: Independently, is there a need for a medium-lift rotary-wing platform with greater range, speed or other capabilities?

A: We believe there is always a continued need to develop plat-forms with greater range and speed. It is imperative, however, that we don’t forget about vertical maneuver—the ability to pre-cisely land and depart while providing accurate fires in support of the ground force commander. Any discussion on future vertical lift platforms must take into account vertical maneuver.

Posturing Army Aviation SOF Forces for the Future

USASOC Aviator

Colonel Michael J. HertzendorfCommander

160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)

Q&AQ&A


Q: Are you satisfied that current night vision technology, for the cockpit, is sufficiently integrated for combat missions?

A: Over the past 30-plus years, we’ve made tremendous strides in night vision tech-nology. This technology has given the 160th SOAR (A) and conventional Army a tremendous advantage on the battlefield. We have to continue, however, to develop technologies that allow our aircrew mem-bers to operate in any degraded visual environment (DVE). ‘Owning the night’ is not good enough anymore—we need to operate and excel in all limited visibility environments.

Q: Would it be possible for you to address the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining qualified special operators?

A: Promotions for our senior warrant offi-cers and non-commissioned officers are becoming more difficult as the Army gets smaller. We are concerned that we will lose a large amount of talent over the next five years, especially with our combat veterans who have tremendous combat and SOF experience. Our CW4s literally have thousands of hours in combat, and we will never make up the experience deficit unless we find a way to keep senior warrants beyond the two-year selective con-tinuation option. The return of sequestration only amplifies my concerns.

Q: Are brownouts and degraded environments sufficiently mitigated by recent cockpit technologies?

A: Our state-of-the-art common avionics architecture system cockpits provide excellent situational awareness, and our train-ing makes it possible for our aircrew members to land in the most extreme brownout conditions daily. However, we still see room to improve our cockpit situational awareness in all DVEs. We see DVE operations as one of the regiment’s future capability gaps.

Q: Is your command witnessing an increase in simulation training for mission planning and joint operations?

A: Absolutely! We continually use simulations to develop our aviators and prepare them for the complex missions that they will face in the future. We have the capability now to put aviators almost anywhere in the world to rehearse potential joint opera-tions. We can build air-to-air refueling, shipboard operations and austere environments into these scenarios. This capability is an exceptional force multiplier as we conduct operations outside designated theaters of active armed conflict. These rehearsals have also been exceptionally beneficial in developing future fully mission qualified and flight lead qualified aviators. We can

provide that candidate instant feedback without disrupting a massive joint exercise.

Additionally, we’ve reached out to our SOF customers to participate in simulation exercises. Their participation helps train the common tactics, techniques and procedures that we’ve learned over the past 15 years, which is mutually beneficial to 160th SOAR (A) and the ground force commander.

Q: Is there anything else that you would like to discuss?

A: The regiment’s reputation of being on time/on target +/- 30 seconds is one of the pillars of our foundation. Our mission-planning equipment facilitates this and dramatically shortens the traditional paper-maps planning cycle. As the speed of the battlefield decision process increases, this planning cycle is now merging with the mission execution cycle. To facilitate the ground forces speed of execution, our airborne mission network-ing program brings a next-generation planning and execution capability to our aircraft. Real-time data will soon be shared through secured mesh networks that move with the aircraft and ground forces, accelerating the speed of decision. It pro-vides a common operating picture to everyone, enabling faster and safer mission changes and true situational awareness to commanders. This network also brings a true joint interoper-ability with Link-16 networks and over-the-horizon capability with future Army common equipment fieldings. I’m looking forward to exploiting the possibilities provided by this robust network. It could include everything from electronic warfare enhancements to manned-unmanned teaming and real-time maintenance reporting. O

since the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001, the 160th soar (a) has been continuously and actively engaged in combat operations. [photo courtesy of the u.s. army]


On any given day, special operations forces are deployed in over 75 countries, in many cases working side by side with mul-tiple interagency and international partners in remote, austere environments. Often, special operations forces are faced with little or poor infrastructure across vast distances.

“Lack of physical infrastructure impacts and limits distribu-tion networks,” said Colonel Steve Allen, director of logistics for SOCOM. “Poor-quality roads can be an impediment to efficient, safe and timely mobility on the ground, especially when impacted by weather. Local, commercial air transportation can be viable. However, a challenge is to find local carriers that meet regulatory safety requirements.”

Lack of infrastructure also impacts the maturity of supply chains and complicates access to various goods and materials, such as construction materials and repair parts for equipment. While most special operations require non-SOF support, due to where SOF operates, there is a critical requirement for the combat service support provided by the general-purpose forces and strate-gic logistics providers.

“Patient evacuation of wounded, injured and ill SOF can also be highly challenging due to the vast distances and lack of highly capable medical treatment facilities and medical evacuation transport in remote regions,” said Allen. “These capabilities are routinely provided by the general-purpose forces or host nation agreements.”

overcoming logiStical hurdleS

The unique, persistent and distributed nature of current and anticipated special operations in austere, remote locations pres-ents a daunting problem set for the SOF logistics enterprise, in conjunction with DoD logisticians as a whole, to overcome. Finite and ever-shrinking resources and the capabilities of the general purpose force, other government agencies and forces of partner nations put a premium on establishing and fostering both tradi-tional and non-traditional partnerships.

“Partnering across the spectrum of the conventional services, the interagency and partner nations is what will enable SOF to

By chriS mccoy, Sotech editor

SOF LogisticsSound logiSticS allow Sof to operate efficiently in remote and auStere environmentS.

Special Section


obtain needed support at the right place and right time,” said Allen. “In remote and austere environments, SOF must often rely on local economies and relationships with partner nations for much of its support. Partnerships provide the opportunity for SOF to access a wider array of logistics capabilities in order to find creative solutions for remote and austere environments.”

outcome-BaSed logiSticS

Many well-known defense contractors play a role in serving SOF logistical needs. Leidos of Reston, Va., is one such example. Concerning logistical challenges in austere environments, Tom Lindenmayer, CWO5/USMC, Ret., Leidos account manager, had this to say:

“One challenge is competition for assets for moving equip-ment, fuel, food, ammunition and personnel in many ‘backwater’ areas of the world where unimproved airstrips and underdevel-oped infrastructure are the norm.

“This competition adds additional strain to commanders’ pri-orities and poses a great challenge for logisticians charged with maintaining the sustainability of deployed troops. The 5th SOF truth that SOF operations require non-SOF support will never be more apparent than in the work-up phase prior to operations in those austere environments,” he continued.

According to Lindenmayer, Leidos has been a proponent of outcome-based logistics contracts with performance metrics where the contractor bears more of the programmatic risk in sup-porting operations.

“We support this approach because we are confident our proven, well-designed menu of processes and tools, knowledge-able people with relevant experience, and finely honed logistics

skills can deliver more efficient operations with minimal risk,” he said. “From a technological perspective, Leidos continues to invest in research and development to bring innovative ideas to our customers. We are currently working several big data efforts designed to give logisticians near real-time understanding of sta-tus of supplies and equipment to improve operational efficiency and drive down costs.”

Leidos follows the philosophy of not offering a “one-size-fits-all framework” for logistical demand.

“We work to understand our customers’ requirements and then bring the best tools, either individually or in combination, to meet those needs. If a program requires asset visibility, con-figuration management, maintenance work ordering tracking and reporting, we offer our toolset called ProVM,” said Lindenmayer. “If a program wants to assess resource allocation by testing alter-native scenarios as part of a logistics trade-off analyses, we use a toolset called Model Analysis Reliability Kit. If a program wants a web-based interface for placing and tracking orders to minimize the cost of supply chain management, we offer our toolset called InView.”

InView provides access to 250,000 additional vendors beyond the original equipment manufacturer reseller network, and offers the ability to obtain competitive pricing from multiple vendors on each part of each delivery order.

“The success of our approach is that we provide our custom-ers with a menu of options and capabilities, delivering a tailored solution designed to fit program needs,” said Lindenmayer. “Lei-dos has proven its capabilities in integrated data management in supporting programs such as the Mine Resistance Ambushed Protected Joint Program Office and the USMC Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare.”

Prepositioning Equipment for Procurement “TSSi provides the option of prepositioning critical equipment

for immediate procurement. The company also assumes the finan-cial risk associated with stocking items that have long lead times so warfighters can get the equipment they need when they need it,” said Bill Strang, president and CEO of TSSi.

With the tactical operations line of products, TSSi has devel-oped, integrated and supplied the SOF community with U.S.-made products for 35 years. Some of the most familiar products are the M-9 Assault Medical Backpack, Mass Casualty Kits and Explosive Ordnance technician kits.

“Our warfighter faces several challenges when it comes to material purchases. Fighting the ever-present LPTA (lowest price technically acceptable) contracts, TSSi does not compromise quality for lowest price. We add value by providing the warfighter with the best possible solution for his or her current mission,” said Strang. “Secondly, our warfighters have challenges with the method in which they are allowed to procure equipment. TSSi’s intent is to match the customer to the contract that provides the best solution

to their funding requirements. TSSi holds several contracts that assist our warfighters with rapid procurement of goods, including blanket purchase agreements, tailored logistics support, military interdepartmental purchase request and general service administra-tion schedules.”

Strang continued, “TSSi has an outstanding past performance record in providing life cycle management for medical and custom-ized kits. We receive kits back for reset and retrofit, which reduces the overall operational cost and initial assembly/delivery times when combined with our prepositioning logistics.”

“TSSi continues to develop customer-driven solutions for prepositioning, life cycle management and Blanket Purchasing Agreements,” he said. “The partnerships developed with key manu-facturing and subcontracting facilities allows us the opportunity to improve inventory forecasting and alternate solutions. As our customers’ missions routinely change, TSSi strives to enhance the survivability of our forces and mission success. TSSi’s mission is to deliver rapid solutions and best value as an industry partner.”

SOTECH 13.2 | 19 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

At the enterprise level, Leidos has been working on a capability to interface with any number of service-specific or commercial inven-tory and maintenance systems to give SOCOM an integrated view of the status of supplies and equipment.

In other words, decision-makers would have the answers to where the equipment is and what shape it’s in provided in a single, web-accessible view.

“We also are heavily invested in cybersecurity to ensure the data is safeguarded and only accessible to authorized personnel,” said Lindenmayer. “One of the interesting challenges in cybersecurity for logistics is that the soldiers in the field are frequently on highly secure classified networks, while the logistical data they are access-ing is unclassified or commercial.”

Lindenmayer continued, “Carefully designed methods have to be used to securely get this unclassified data to the front-line users who need it without jeopardizing the security of the classified systems carrying it. At a user level, we are combining capabilities that would allow equipment users to order parts and supplies via an Amazon-type service.”

Users would select required items, put them in a shopping cart, pay via a government credit card and have parts delivered to their location.

“The approach eliminates the requirement for large stocks of supplies, maximizes the ‘pay as you go’ model and is particularly well-suited to low-density, COTS items,” said Lindenmayer.

challengeS ahead

According to Leidos, the challenges they see ahead in the near future are mostly the same as the ones from the past few years. “First, SOCOM will always be called on to support a pop-up requirement that nobody saw coming six to eight months previ-ously. With this emphasis on SOF going global, we see challenges in moving personnel and equipment in a quick reaction mode to meet mission requirements ‘somewhere’ where they aren’t deployed today,” said Lindenmayer. “The speed of technological change will mean there is always improved, increased capability. Much of this capability is delivered through IT improvements that make more actionable information available to warfighters and decision-makers when they need it, and that information must be delivered to the right place at the right classification level to make it actionable.”

This includes utilizing increasing amounts of COTS technologies and commercial, software-as-a-service data providers.

“SOCOM will have to be disciplined enough to establish data and information requirements, yet agile enough to continue to drive for improved performance. This will take trust in teaming and partner-ing with defense contractors, something SOCOM does well now,” said Lindenmayer. “Next, there are challenges associated with the DoD Financial Improvement Audit Readiness requirement, which requires SOCOM’s processes, systems and procedures be financially compliant and auditable no later than the end of fiscal year 2017. Finally, there is the uncertainty in the budget and its specific impact on SOCOM, given the increased emphasis on controlling cost while accomplishing the mission.”

Leidos believes that SOCOM logistics and sustainment efforts are going to come under pressure to standardize their approach across the service components.

“We believe this can benefit the readiness posture for deployment and mission support without jeopardizing the unique nature of the community,” said Lindenmayer. “This standardization approach will lead to cross-service efficiencies and bring more of the SOF com-munity under a shared resources concept, allowing for reductions in costs and the contractor footprint required to support SOCOM efforts on a global scale.”

developing a cloSe working relationShip

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin has experienced logistical challenges OCONUS as the result of the withdrawal of troops and the changing U.S. government transportation and logistics footprint. Due to unplanned delays, resupply times have increased, which affects sparing of systems. Weather and terrain also make it more difficult to transport supplies across the country. Security, of course, is always a primary concern.

“Lockheed Martin has developed a close working relationship with local coalition forces,” said Jerry Mamrol, director of Army tactical and strategic solutions. “As new units cycle in, our in-theater managers pass along logistics lessons learned and processes that have proven effective in working with the U.S. government (USG) and coalition partners since 2007. In addition, the fact that our in-theater personnel are in contact with our CONUS managers and experts at our 24/7 operations center helps bring a timely resolution to issues and concerns that arise.”

Regardless of the type of transportation, Lockheed Martin works with the government program office and local in-theater personnel to coordinate and plan scenarios for logistics missions. “Many of our personnel have been in theater for an extended time and understand the processes and potential issues that must be included in the plan-ning process,” said Mamrol. “Military air support for our personnel and equipment is provided either by rotary- and fixed-wing U.S. government or contract air assets.”

In order to meet future SOCOM logistical requirements, the company feels one of the most important requirements is receiving timely updates on the future logistics operational environment.

“We understand that the drawdown planning is a fluid process, but the sooner we know what the future holds, the better we can assist the USG to meet operational requirements,” said Mamrol.

Mamrol also explained, “as the troops draw down in force size, there may in turn be a decrease in support for the movement of materials, parts and contractor personnel.”

The company actually prepositions critical spares at sites that do not have ready access to timely air movements.

“We also work with local U.S. government logistics personnel to forecast material requirements and determine quantities required to support timely resupply based upon a changing transportation environment,” said Mamrol. “Lockheed Martin has achieved very high operational availability of our OCONUS systems in large part due to our close working relationship with the U.S. government. As the drawdown continues, we remain closely coordinated with our government partners in order to manage shifting operational requirements.” O



Special Section


Air Commandos flew 100,000 combat hours in 2014 across five continents without a single Class A mishap. And they did it predomi-nantly at night, often hugging the terrain right in the enemy’s back-yard. Air Force Special Operations Command airmen proved again that they can be a part of the most combat-intensive command in the Air Force and still keep safety a top priority by taking home three Air Force-level safety awards for 2014.

AFSOC won the Major General Benjamin D. Foulois Award for the second consecutive year as the Air Force’s best flight safety program. This prestigious award recognizes the major command with the best flight safety record. AFSOC led the Air Force with no Class A mishaps in two years, despite the challenges of fly-ing six separate types of aircraft for 115,000 total hours, mostly at night. As the workhorse of special operations forces troop movement and intratheater airlift, AFSOC aircraft overcame the constant hazards of landing on austere and unimproved fields. AFSOC also created Africa’s first web-based Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard map, increasing crews’ awareness of bird conditions across the continent.

“Safety is paramount to the first special operations forces truth, that ‘humans are more important than hardware,’” said Lieutenant General Bradley Heithold, AFSOC commander. “These awards are a testament to our Air Commandos and their outstanding ability to get the job done and get it done safely.”

The 27th Special Operations Wing safety team at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., captured the Air Force Chief of Safety Outstanding Achievement Award for Weapons Safety. Along with benchmarking the AFSOC standard for a comprehensive air show risk assessment plan, Cannon’s safety office oversaw the largest military construction program in the nation last year, including 38 projects at an estimated $1.29 billion, ensuring Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion and safety compliance.

Additionally, the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan, earned the Air Force Chief of Safety Outstanding Achievement Award for Ground Safety, Category IV. The group’s safety education programs comprehensively trained 1,675 assigned and deployed people in a range of risk management, supervi-sory, motorcycle and traffic safety subjects. Throughout Operation

Enduring Freedom in the Philippines and Afghanistan, as well as in disaster relief operations following the strongest storm to ever make landfall in the Pacific, the group maintained an exceptional safety record of no Class A or B mishaps. Finally, unit safety people conducted 48 spot inspections to cement safety and operations inte-gration, earning the group a command-first “highly effective” rating during its 2014 Unit Effectiveness Inspection.

“It does not surprise me that AFSOC did so well. I am enor-mously proud of the matchless motivation, dedication and profes-sionalism that define this command,” Heithold said.

Winning Air Force-level safety accolades is nothing new for AFSOC. This year, the command took its sixth Foulois Trophy since 1996.

Colonel Scott Wolfe, AFSOC director of safety, attributes the command’s success to Air Commando culture.

“We are out there doing the right things the right way,” he said. “Winning these awards acknowledges that we are on the right path in our safety culture, which is well-nested in our AFSOC priorities.”

Wolfe said winning awards in flight, weapons and ground safety shows how everyone in AFSOC, in every job and at every level, is contributing to the command’s safety accomplishments, despite the inherent risks involved.

“Our goal in AFSOC safety is to help leadership at all levels cre-ate a culture of proactive safety while ensuring mission success,” Wolfe said.

AFSOC airmen perform dangerous jobs in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. But according to Wolfe, the way Air Commandos approach and mitigate risk contributes to their out-standing safety record.

These latest honors attest to how America’s Air Commandos are the safest in the Air Force, day or night, any time, any place. O

1st Lieutenant Ben Sowers is an AFSOC public affairs officer.



By 1St lieutenant Ben SowerS

afSoc takeS home three Safety awardS for 2014.


SEAL Team 17 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85 (HSC-85) recognized the centennial celebration of the Navy Reserve with a visit from Chief of Navy Reserve, Vice Admiral Robin Braun and events onboard both Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

Navy operational support centers and reserve detachments across the Navy marked the centennial with celebrations through-out the nation and at duty stations around the globe.

“It’s a celebration of the service, sacrifice, history and heritage of the Navy reserve, as well as a dedication to all the veterans, the com-munity, families and the employers that support the reservists,” said Captain Mark Howell, commander Navy Region Southwest Reserve Component Command. “Without all those folks, we cannot be as successful as we are.”

Braun kicked off the event, which attracted about 400 friends, family members and, in some cases, local employers of Navy reserve sailors, by leading a group re-enlistment and two promotion cer-emonies. Afterward, the crowd had the chance to tour the facilities and ask questions about HSC-85 aircraft on display.

Navy wife Veronica Sheahan explained that without seeing the environment that her husband Lieutenant Commander Michael Sheahan works in, his reserve weekends can sometimes feel like a bit of a mystery.

“I think it’s fantastic,” she said, referring to the event. After touring the displays, participants made their way to Naval

Amphibious Base Coronado for a dynamic display of the combined capabilities of SEAL Team 17 and HSC-85. The demonstration included dropping five SEAL operators from a helicopter into the bay; the operators then breached the shoreline, captured a target, combated enemy gunfire in a simulated gun battle and then entered the bay with their detainee for boat extraction. The crowd was also treated to a simulated battle between the extraction team and a mock combatant patrol boat.

Spectators had the opportunity to view SEAL vehicles, aircraft, boats, field medical equipment and historical displays.

“It was awesome that the [kids] got to see the guys jump out of the helicopter and the shooting of the guns because they haven’t seen that before,” said participant Sara Merwin. “The kids love [the displays], and I can’t get them off of them. It’s fun to see them up close because they’re a lot bigger than you’d think they would be.”

According to Commander Ed Rohrbach, commanding officer of SEAL Team 17, the relationship between HSC-85 and SEAL Team 17 has been sharpened into an elite fighting partnership through constant training.

“We have worked closely with HSC-85, and they are an incred-ibly adept and versatile Navy helicopter squadron,” said Rohrbach. “They bring so much to the fight. When you combine them, they make SEALs that much more effective on the battlefield. Our train-ing is that much more effective when we do things like this on the weekends.”

Rohrbach was pleased with the participation in the centennial celebration events in San Diego. He expressed his pride in SEAL Team 17 sailors and the relationship they have developed with HSC-85, and added that everyone was excited that Braun was able to enjoy the day with them. O

Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Russell is a public affairs officer at Navy Public Affairs Support Element West.



By petty officer 1St claSS meliSSa ruSSell

Seal team 17 and hSc-85 celeBrate the centennial of the navy reServe.

a Navy seal jumps from a HH-60 helicopter during a demonstration at Naval amphibious base coronado as part of the Navy reserve’s centennial celebration. [photo courtesy of the u.s. Navy/by mass communication specialist 1st class anthony Hayes]


The experiences of U.S. special operators in southwest Asia over the last decade and half, and around the world for that matter, are testimony to the increasing reliance of warfighters on electrically-powered devices. Small teams of deployed special operations and other ground units invariably carry with them a range of devices—from radios and GPS units to night vision goggles, rangefinders and body armor cooling systems—that oper-ate on electric power.

In the early years of U.S. involvement in south-west Asia, the U.S. military relied on non-recharge-able batteries, not unlike those common in civilian life, to meet most of its portable and man-wearable power needs. That meant that troops had to carry their power sources—or, in the case of recharge-able batteries, the chargers—with them, adding weight and bulk to their already heavy packs. Sto-ries of warfighters and commanders scrounging around for any available batteries became the stuff of legend.

Since then, power technology has made great strides. Battery technology has advanced, providing greater power

density—packing more electricity into a smaller package—and requiring less frequent replacements. Difficulties encountered due to the many different kinds of batteries required to power a diverse array of equipment have been mitigated with adapters that allow for certain levels of interoperability among batteries, charging devices and equipment. Charging equipment increasingly relies on renewable sources such as solar and wind power. Power manage-ment systems optimize the charging and power usage processes.

“Technology is playing an ever-increasing role in the U.S. military, which makes long battery life ever more critical in the devices that servicemem-bers use,” said James Poole, director of DoD sales at Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “Men and women on the front line cannot stop their mission to charge their devices.”

“Some of the frustrations special operators have seen in the past have involved the necessity of carry-ing a bunch of batteries and a bunch of types of bat-teries and the inability to recharge those batteries in the field,” said Phil Robinson, vice president for

electronics and power systems at Protonex, a provider of fuel cell

portaBle energy iS more efficiently aiding the Sof operator.

By peter BuxBaum

Sotech correSpondent

Advances in Battery Technology

Phil Robinson


power solutions for portable, remote and mobile applications. “But we have seen some recent advances that help them carry fewer bat-teries and varieties. Meanwhile, power requirements are still going up because new capabilities are continually being developed, and they don’t want to have to leave those at home.”

“Power needs are increasing all the time, especially alternative types of power,” said Bill Walker, director for OEM and interna-tional military sales at Analytic Systems. “The military does not want soldiers carrying 30 pounds of double-A batteries. You can tell from the dead battery field in Iraq how things have moved away from standard lead-acid batteries. Batteries and power conversion products need to be lighter, stronger, smaller and less expensive.”

Indeed, stronger, smaller and less expensive are the very requirements articulated for power sources and related products for deployed teams and their man-portable equipment by the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC). “For individual equipment and some team-level equipment, the basic requirements are power generation capabilities with reduced form factor that reduce the requirement for replacement batteries or that are renewable,” said Captain Barry Morris, a MARSOC spokesman.

“Servicemembers require laptops and tab-lets featuring long-life batteries that can charge quickly,” added Poole. “Another requirement is devices featuring removable batteries, allowing them to quickly swap out a drained battery for a fresh one. In some devices, this can be done while the unit is still running, thanks to a bridge battery. Devices with these features are now table stakes in the military market.”

Power management systems are the power universalizers in a landscape of diverse batteries and chargers. “We can take any battery, whether designed to work with each other or not,” said Robinson, “and the power manager does all the conversions necessary to charge any rechargeable military battery from any man-portable equipment. Special forces groups are now going to the field with more energy-dense rechargeable batteries and are increasingly powering off vehicles and using solar power to recharge batteries in the field so that they’re not carrying a ruck full of primary [non-rechargeable] batteries for all the equipment they have.”

“We work closely with the special operations community,” said Walker. “So when a customer chooses a battery, we can provide the charging solution given the appropriate charging algorithms of that battery to enhance the life of the battery or provide the correct DC/AC inverter output for a customer’s needs if they have an unusual battery voltage.”

The Special Operations Research, Development and Acqui-sition Command (SORDAC) integrates demand signals from the operator community into a single special operations forces requirement, and then releases that requirement to the technol-ogy development community in search of potential solutions. “If potential solutions are identified, SORDAC may choose to invest resources and to provide program management and oversight as part of the evaluation process,” said Morris.

Most of the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products that have been evaluated by SORDAC were developed for civil-ian use and then adapted for potential military applications.

“Modifications with some COTS products have yielded improved solar panels, more efficient cabling systems and extended life bat-teries,” said Morris. “Most COTS products must be ruggedized to be suitable for military applications.”

“COTS products that can be modified to military standards are definitely the way to go,” said Walker. “Almost every RFP and RFQ we get from the military is requesting something not on the shelf, so if a COTS product can be modified to user specs, the military saves time and money. Analytic Systems can modify our agile COTS high-performance power conversion products for one unit or 1,001 units in a reasonable period of time, as soon as two weeks.”

Analytic Systems’ COTS products have been designed in-house from the board up to be agile so that they can be customized to user specifications. “We have the needed in-house experience to meet military standards,” said Walker. “We have designed a num-ber of new products from scratch and customized COTS units to meet important military program needs.” Among these are the

power supply for the SRCTec LCMR, a lightweight counter-mortar radar; the battery charger for the SPARKS II, a mine roller IED defeat program; the power supply for the Textron/AAI Corp Shadow UAS, Ground Control Stations; the new VMC, the vehicle-mounted charger for the U.S. Army; and the lithium-ion charger for the Marine Corps and Army Improved Target Acquisition System (ITAS).

Portable warfighter equipment such as pilot recovery, surveillance and border patrol systems increasingly use lithium-iron phosphate batteries, rechargeable batteries that offer longer lifetimes,

better power densities and greater safety than conventional batter-ies. Although rechargeable, they are “tricky to charge,” noted Mark Dettmer, president of Mission Critical Energy, Inc. The company makes charging systems that can be used with the Valance-brand lithium-iron phosphate battery, which is popular with special operations groups and the Navy.

Mission Critical Energy makes a micro wind turbine charger with a 1.2 meter blade sweep that can be taken into the field to charge many of the specialized batteries used in portable military equipment. The company recently introduced a quiet wind turbine system. “We cut the decibels in half,” said Dettmer. “Users have said that it can operate right over their heads, and they can’t hear it. The sound of the wind is often louder than the wind turbine.”

The company also makes solar chargers, some of which can be completely immersed in salt water. “Some of these are used with submerged sensor packs,” Dettmer explained. “They automatically resurface when they need to be recharged with the solar panel and then they head back down.” The same kind of idea is being used to recharge batteries using solar power that power sensors dropped in remote locations such as mountaintops.

Makers of battery charging equipment continue to face a num-ber of challenges. “The batteries that are available all have their own power management systems,” said Dettmer. “Each battery manufacturer tries to set themselves apart from the others so that they don’t violate someone else’s patent. Because power manage-ment systems are not consistent across the industry, everyone on the charging side of the fence is forced to try and make their equipment so that it can be adjusted, or else it cannot work with different power management systems.”

Mark Dettmer


Another problem is that enhancements to the batteries them-selves have constrained the ease of rechargeability. “The scientists who perfected the new battery technologies weren’t looking at the ease of recharging,” said Dettmer. “As a result, these batteries are difficult to charge outside of the laboratory environment. There are also Chinese brands that are entering the market and being used by U.S. government agencies that have a charge limit of 15 to 20 amps, but users often want 30 to 40 amps. Our micro wind turbine can output 25 to 29 amps.”

Solar and wind chargers are increasingly necessary in areas where it is impractical, if not impossible, to use diesel generators. “Diesel is still an option, but refueling with diesel generators can be a problem. There are some areas where diesel is impossible to find or cost prohibitive to deliver to. Increasingly, solar and wind are being thought of as the primary charging modalities with die-sel as a backup,” said Dettmar.

Protonex markets power managers that are suited to a variety of applications. The company’s Squad Power Manager (SPM) line weighs under 1 pound and can handle up to five different devices at once. Protonex’s Best Power Manager (BPM) weighs less than 3 ounces. “It’s ideal for someone who needs a universal charger when weight is at an absolute premium,” said Robinson.

Power managers allow batteries to accept power from just about any source. “They can take them from military and civil-ian vehicles,” said Robinson. “They can take them from found batteries from burned-out shells of vehicles. Almost every power management kit is equipped with a solar panel so that they can harvest power from that. Within the special operations commu-nity, we also see hand-cranked recharging, something we don’t see elsewhere.”

Protonex’s devices are hardware-based, but are embedded with software that includes the intelligence necessary to adapt various battery systems to the equipment they are supposed to be power-ing. “So a team may have a 14-volt battery and need to power a 19-volt laptop and a 9-volt radio,” said Robinson. “Figuring out all of the conversions that are necessary is software-based. The sophisticated software we have running on our devices figures all that out so that users can focus on their missions. The user just plugs things in. Our power manager figures out what needs to be done and does it automatically.”

The Marine Corps has integrated BPM into its Marine Aus-tere Patrolling (MAP) system. “The Marines have done quite a bit of studying as far as what kind of energy they can save, what kind of weight they can save, and what level of mission life they can support,” said Robinson. “They had a team enabled with the MAP system and determined that they could go on indefinite missions and harvest everything they needed. From a power standpoint, they are able to plan [and] sustain unlimited duration missions.”

Robinson envisions very high power systems being developed for the U.S. Special Operations Command’s TALOS program. TALOS, the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, also known as the Iron Man suit, is envisioned as a robotic exoskeleton that SOCOM is designing with the help of universities, laboratories and indus-try. The suit, which will be bulletproof, weaponized, and have the ability to monitor vital signs, will be comprised of layers of smart material and sensors.

“The power requirements for the Iron Man suit are dramati-cally higher than other systems,” said Robinson. “I believe TALOS

will spin off some very useful power technologies for special warf-ighters in addition to having a power system for the suit itself.”

In the future, battery technology will make renewable energies far more efficient than they have ever been, according to Dettmer. “These developments will make solar panels and micro wind tur-bines effective for people who need operations to be taken care of in a 24-hour cycle,” he said.

Robinson sees makers of lithium-iron phosphate batteries adapting their products to make them universal power storage units for a wide variety of equipment and not the small numbers of units, such as man-pack radios, that have a bay for those types of batteries built in. He also predicts that power management sys-tems will soon be incorporated in military requirements.

“It is a brand-new technology that has been fielded only in the last five years,” said Robinson. “They are still figuring out where it should fit. I hear that there are requirements being written, and I think we will see them over the next year or two.”

Analytic Systems is currently turning its attention to develop-ing commercial applications which may be adapted for military use at some point in the future. “With sequestration, there is not as urgent a call for military products,” said Walker. “We are turn-ing our design team to both higher power units and lower power units with wider voltage range that hopefully will also have a mili-tary requirement in the future. We already know the general needs of the military, so our commercial products will not take much customizing to move into the military markets, unless they come up with something altogether new.” With new battery chemistries being produced all the time, Analytic Systems is also moving to software-controlled chargers so that any battery chemistry can be charged with a simple software change.

“We are trying to stay aware of all new battery formats,” said Dettmer. “We hear talk of a new lighter and more powerful oxygen-based system. The oxygen-based system is said to be unstable and dangerous, but that was what they were saying about the lithium-iron phosphate battery 10 years ago. Part of our job is to be able to charge the new batteries that are coming out. We have to stay ever diligent as new credible batteries get tested in the field and are adopted.”

“Based on our experience with the military, extending battery life is one of the critical factors for special operations forces, and that is where we see battery technology evolving,” said Poole. “Most commercial off-the-shelf products don’t have replaceable batteries or extended battery life, so this is the way we are improv-ing battery technology to help the military.”

MARSOC’s focus continues to be enhancing power genera-tion efficiency and reducing form factors. “The special operations forces community will pursue power generation capabilities with reduced form factor with power output equivalent to or greater than current capabilities,” said Morris. “The community may also pursue more efficient solar-powered capabilities, more efficient power harvesting capabilities, and more efficient kinetic energy generation and collection capabilities. The requirement will con-tinue to be the development of ruggedized systems with reduced form factor and more efficient power generation capability.” O




for more information, contact SOTECH editor chris mccoy at [email protected]

or search our online archives for related stories at www.sotech-kmi.com.

The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) is being designed to give protec-tion and capabilities to U.S. special opera-tors, but the process of designing it may be as revolutionary as the suit itself, said U.S. Special Operations Command officials.

TALOS started 18 months ago after incidents downrange caused SOCOM to take a hard look at how special operators are outfitted.

“We’ve put a lot of great technology on the battlefield, but have we really taken a step back and taken a clean sheet and said for the next five, 10, 15 years do we need what we’ve got now, or are there other game-changing technologies we can incorporate?” James Geurts, SOCOM’s acquisition executive, said during a recent interview.

taloS iS an important program

Geurts said there are two fundamental reasons for the TALOS program. The first is the most obvious: DoD needs to examine new ways to protect and enable special operations servicemembers.

“It’s not just body armor; it’s all the things that go into that,” he said.

This includes sensors, heads-up dis-plays, an exoskeleton to reduce the load special operators carry, medical sensors and much, much more.

The second reason keys on the question, “Are there new ways we can redesign how we acquire capability for the force?”

Geurts used the examples of Kickstarter and collaborative crowdsourced designs. He also pointed to the strides 3-D printing/manufacturing has made.

appreciation of technology

Special Operations Command is uniquely positioned to do both, he said. “We’re a joint force; we value technology; we’ve got inherent capabilities to acquire it; and we have a long history of always looking

to exploit whatever is available rapidly and get it on the battlefield,” Geurts said.

The Army, Navy and Air Force have responsibility to man, train and equip forces. The services and defense agencies have their own acquisition systems, with their own strengths and weaknesses, just like SOCOM.

“The key to me is how do we take the strengths of both—just like we do operation-ally—so we’re both better,” Geurts said.

SOCOM’s advantages include nimbleness, agility and adaptability, Geurts said. The ser-vice branches, he added, have the advantage of scale, amplification, large networks and deep benches.

Small, Joint acquiSition taSk force

The TALOS effort is a good example of what SOCOM can bring to the acquisition process, Geurts said. The command has a small joint acquisition task force concentrat-ing on the suit. They have opened the process up to an incredible number of companies, government agencies and entities and aca-demia. They also held a “rapid prototyp-ing event” last year, he said, that brought together all these players. It allowed a range of people to exchange a range of experiences, products and processes.

The hands-on event strengthened the network that has grown up around the suit, Geurts said. This acquisition strategy has worked beautifully for TALOS, he said, which has made tremendous progress.

“If we can close the distance between operator, acquirer and technologist, then I can create things that each would not inde-pendently create on their own,” he said. “[We’re] always worried about not providing a solution to the operator because they didn’t know to ask for it or not taking advantage of technology because I didn’t know how [the operators] could use it.”

“The real strength is the network,” Geurts said. “I’m not a person who thinks we should find one perfect acquisition process. I don’t

think it exists. We buy a multitude of things. At SOCOM, what I’m looking for is: How do I have a multitude of tools and an acquisition workforce that knows which tool to pick for the job?”

Creating the next aircraft would probably call for a disciplined acquisition process that looks hard at the requirements and the trade-offs, Geurts said. Replacing a sensor on an aircraft, he added, may call for a more agile and adaptable process.

tailored for invention, not acquiSition

“If I’m inventing something that doesn’t exist, neither of those processes is likely the best,” Geurts said. “TALOS is putting together another tool we haven’t fully exploited in DoD that’s tailored for invention, not acquisition.”

For this process, the question becomes how does SOCOM “crowdsource from all entities of government, industry and aca-demia and from partners and leverage all that to get a diverse input,” Geurts said.

TALOS has attracted companies and enti-ties not used to working within a DoD system. “The wider and more diverse the players, the greater the solution set we can come up with,” he said.

Another question SOCOM is wrestling with is how to create “rolling collabora-tion events” and not just a “once-and-done,” Geurts said.

TALOS already has spun off 12 or 14 things that are a byproduct of the research. “The end-product is certainly important, but the new things we acquire along the way and the new processes we develop are just as important,” he said. O

Jim Garamone is a writer for DoD News, Defense Media Activity.

By Jim garamone

dod newS, defenSe media activity

TALOS Update‘iron man’ Suit’S proceSS important to dod.


SOtech reSOUrce center

Calendar

March 29-31, 2015Quad-ANashville, Tenn.www.quad-a.org

March 31-April 2, 2015AUSA Global ForceHuntsville, Ala.www.ausa.org

April 29-30, 2015Warrior Expo WestSan Diego, Calif.www.warrior-expo.com/warrior-expo-west

TBDAUSA Braxton Bragg SymposiumFort Bragg, N.C.www.suggsgroup.com

May 12-14, 2015SpecOps West Warfighter ExpoJoint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. www.specopswest.com

May 19-21, 2015SOFICTampa, Fla.www.ndia.org/meetings/3890

June 22-23, 2015Special Operations Summit & Warfighter Expo Ft. BraggFort Bragg, N.C.www.specialoperationssummit.com/

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Navy Air/Sea looks at programs at the individual level and how they become integrated into systems of systems. General topics include fixed wing, rotary wing, ships, submarines, unmanned systems, communications, sensors and optics, detection and surveillance systems, survivability, missile defense, logistics, maintenance, weapons and ordnance, to name a few.

Each issue of Navy Air/Sea includes...ConTraCT awards

current fiscal year. The Pearl harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl harbor, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $35,600,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a pre-

viously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-14-G-0020) to complete a Joint Strike Missile (JSM) risk reduction and in-tegration study of the F-35 Air System for the government of Norway. The objectives of the study are to further mature JSM weapon design and to ensure compat-ibility of the weapon with the F-35. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (50 percent) and kongsberg, Norway (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2018. International partner funds in the amount of $10,000,000 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patux-ent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

H & H builders inc., (small busi-ness) Tooele, Utah, is being awarded a maximum amount $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-

quantity job order contract for electrical, mechanical, painting, engineering/design, paving (asphaltic and concrete), flooring (tile work/carpeting), roofing, structural repair, fencing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and fire suppression/protection system installation in the Naval

Facilities engineering Command South-west area of responsibility for the San Diego, Calif., metropolitan area. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at Facilities engineer-ing and Acquisition Division (FeAD) Naval Base Point Loma, FeAD Naval Base San Diego and FeAD Naval Base Coronado (excluding Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of Febru-ary 2020. Fiscal 2015 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the

amount of $5,000 are being obligated on

this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was com-petitively procured as a service-disabled veteran-owned small-business set-aside via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 12 proposals received. The Naval Facilities engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, is the contracting activity (N62473-15-D-2415).

Sikorsky Support Services inc., Stratford, Conn., is being awarded an $11,582,807 modification to a previ-ously awarded firm-fixed-price contract

(N00019-09-C-0024) to exercise an option for organizational, selected intermediate and limited depot-level maintenance for aircraft operated by Adversary Squadrons. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station (NAS) key West, Fla., (40 percent), NAS Fallon, Nev., (30 percent) and the Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Ariz., (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Navy Reserve) funds

in the amount of $11,582,807 are being obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patux-ent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $9,603,500 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024 13 C-5403) for Standard

Missile 2 (SM-2) and Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) engineering and technical services. This contract will provide for engineering and technical services in support of SM-2 and SM-6 to ensure continuity in produc-tion, design integrity and total systems integration of the missile round and its components. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy (23 percent) and the governments of Japan (50.2 percent), Taiwan (14.8 percent), the Neth-

erlands (4.3 percent), korea (4.2 percent), Germany (2.9 percent) and Spain (0.6 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program or cooperative agree-ments. Work will be performed in Tucson,

and is expected to be completed by De-cember 2015. FMS, fiscal 2015 research,

development, test and evaluation, fiscal 2014 weapons procurement (Navy) and Cooperative Agreements funding in the amount of $9,603,500 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Krempp Construction inc., (small business) Jasper, Ind., is being awarded $6,699,538 for firm-fixed-price task order 0003 under a previously awarded multiple award design-build construction contract (N40083-14-D-2722) for renovations to Building 2034 and Building 2035 at the Naval Support Activity, Crane. The work to be performed provides for all labor, equipment, tools, supplies, transportation, supervision, quality control, professional design services and management neces-sary to perform asbestos abatement, gutting the existing buildings, construc-

tion of interior partitions, installation of fire-rated ceiling, fire suppression system, electrical and mechanical upgrades, addressing seismic issues, accessibil-

ity compliance, installation of interior finishes, installation of anti-terrorism force protection compliant windows and the installation of an exterior insulation finish system. Work includes but is not limited to design, general construction, alteration, repair, demolition and work performed by special trades. Work will be performed in Crane, and is expected to be completed by July 2016. Fiscal 2015 Navy working capital funds contract funds in the amount of $6,699,538 are being obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Public Works Department Crane, Crane, is the contracting activity.

Correction: Contract awarded Feb. 3, 2015 to Maritime helicopter Support Co., Trevose, Pa., (N00383-11-D-0003F) for $25,499,598, should have stated the completion date as February 28, 2015. The short timeframe is to cover a one-month extension.

WWW.NPeO-kMI.COM

44 | FeBRUARY 10, 2015

PEO Air ASW, ASSAult & SPEciAl MiSSiOn PrOgrAMS

2015

Cindy BurkeBusiness/Financial

Management

Cmdr. Laura SchuesslerChief of Staff

Rear Adm. CJ JaynesProgram Executive Officer

Bruce DinopoulosAssistant Program Executive OfficerLogistics

Jim McLaughlinRDT&E

Shawn SladeScience & Technology

David MeiserAssistant Program Executive OfficerRDT&E

Jim SchmidtTest & Evaluation

Steve NickleContracts

Glenn PerrymanDeputy Program

Executive Officer

Chuck CobaughLogistics

Mac BrownAssistant Program Executive Officer

Test & Evaluation

NAVAIR SUPPORT

HEADqUARTERS

LOGISTICS

RDT&ETEST & EVALUTATION

low-profile Cargo handling System The Boeing CompanyCountry of origin: uSAlanguage: englishAircraft have different spaces and areas. Some of the areas may be

cargo areas for carrying cargo. Cargo areas may be on the main deck

or on the lower deck of the aircraft. while an aircraft is on the ground,

the cargo area may be unloaded and loaded. Existing cargo conveyance

systems used in aircraft may be installed on top of the floor of the cargo

area. The roller systems may be mounted on axles in a track channel,

or tray, that rests on the floor of the compartment. The upper surface of

the rollers, where the cargo will contact, may extend 2’”‘ to 3”‘‘ above

the cargo floor. Since the cargo area may have a fixed height, the height

of the cargo to be loaded may be restricted and the overall useable

volume of the cargo compartment may be reduced. Current cargo conveyance systems may incorporate several roller

trays in a cargo compartment. The roller trays may be oriented along the

longitudinal axis of the aircraft. In addition, transverse trays with balls

may be present in a cargo doorway area. The balls may be metal and

freely rotating. Freely rotating may be defined as rotating in any direction

and around any axis. Existing commercial cargo handling systems allow

the loading of standard or non-standard cargo containers, palletized

cargo or special equipment. Some applications, such as fuselage-mounted auxiliary fuel tanks,

may be loaded or unloaded during maintenance. These fuselage-

mounted auxiliary fuel tanks may increase the amount of fuel that can

be carried but are limited in volume by the restrictions imposed by exist-

ing cargo conveyance systems. Increasing the amount of fuel carried

may be used to increase the range of an aircraft or increase the amount

of fuel that can be offloaded by a tanker aircraft. This design relates generally to a cargo handling system and, in

particular, to a low-profile cargo conveyance system. More particularly,

the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for allowing

the loading of taller cargo into a cargo area on an aircraft and increasing

the cargo area volume compared to current cargo conveyance systems.

10 drawings

underwater Vehicle SimulationU.S. NavyCountry of origin: uSAlanguage of origin: englishDaily global ocean forecasts that include a four-dimensional (4-D)

(latitude, longitude, depth and time) estimation of ocean currents can

be generated. An approach taken for the estimation of vehicle position

over time is to start with a known position from infrequent fixes (global

positioning system (GpS), ultra-short baseline (USbL), terrain-based,

etc.) and use the vector sum of the vehicle velocity (heading and speed

through the water) with the forecast current. Validation of this approach can be accomplished using log data that

was received from underwater gliders which provides GpS positions at

each dive and surfacing point. An underwater glider propels itself using

a buoyancy engine and wings that create lift to produce horizontal mo-

tion. From a vehicle motion modeling perspective, an underwater glider

must have vertical motion to move horizontally. Since underwater glid-

ers do not use engines for propulsion, they generally have substantial

endurance suitable for ocean sampling, underwater plume tracking and

sustained surveillance. however, these vessels are slow, with sustained

horizontal speeds typically below 0.5 m/s, and navigating them is chal-

lenging, as ocean currents can exceed 2 m/s. The Naval Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) was developed to gener-

ate daily global ocean forecasts predicting temperature, salinity and

currents. Figures 1 and 2 show representative current forecasts during

underwater glider deployment exercises. In these figures, color 303

represents current speed in m/s and arrows 301 indicate the current

direction. Figure 1 shows the current at the surface with speeds as great

as 0.8 m/s. Figure 2 shows the current at 1000 m, the maximum depth

of the glider dives, where the speed is predominately below 0.02 m/s.

position estimation for underwater vehicles operating in the open

ocean can be problematic with existing technologies. Using GpS can

require the vehicle to surface periodically, which poses a potential navi-

gation hazard and subjects the vehicle to the faster currents near the

surface. Inertial systems can be ineffective without the use of Doppler

Velocity Logs (DVL) whose ranges can be too limited for deep ocean op-

eration unless the vehicle is very near the seafloor. Surface- or bottom-

mounted transponder systems can be expensive to deploy and restrict

the geographic area that the vehicle can operate in. A ship equipped

with a USbL system can be used to track an underwater vehicle, which

can be an expensive option for long deployments. A complication in the open ocean is that position estimation is

problematic while submerged. Glider depth can be directly measured

by the vehicle using a pressure sensor. Vertical velocity can be derived

from depth versus time, and horizontal speed through the water can be

estimated given vertical velocity, vehicle pitch angle and a parameter-

ized hydrodynamic model for the vehicle. Consequently, the only certain

position information, for purpose of simulation, is depth (as a function of

time), the time of the dive and the starting and ending surface positions.

In the present embodiment, the motion model can use initial simplifying

assumptions, including zero hydrodynamic slip between the vehicle and

ocean current and a symmetric V-shaped flight trajectory. For the simu-

lations conducted, the maximum depth of the dive and the time of the

dive can be used to compute an estimate of a single vertical velocity.

beyond this model, sources of error in position prediction can include

Defense innovationsCompiled by KMI Media Group staff

FEbRUARy 3, 2015 | 33

www.NpEO-kMI.COM

The Navy’s

Proposed FY2016 Budget

The Department of the Navy released its

proposed $161.0 billion budget for fiscal year

2016 on February 2.

This budget is part of the $534.3 billion

defense budget President Barack Obama

submitted to Congress on the same day.

Rear Admiral William Lescher, deputy

assistant secretary of the Navy for budget,

briefed media at the Department of Defense

budget press conference about the Navy and

Marine Corps portion of the budget.

“Our PB16 budget submission balances

warfighting readiness with our nation’s fiscal

challenges,” said Lescher. “Our force employ-

ment approach aligns capability, capacity

and readiness to regional mission demands,

ensuring our most modern and technologically

advanced forces are located where their com-

bat power is needed most, delivering presence

where it matters, when it matters.”

This year’s budget submission was guided

by the chief of naval operations’ tenets of

warfighting first, operate forward and be ready.

It makes critical investments in people, ships

and innovation so that the Department of the

Navy can execute the defense strategy.

The Department of the Navy requested

$44.4 billion for procurement, focused on pro-

viding stability in the shipbuilding account and

keeping the Navy on track to reach 304 ships

by FY20. In FY16 the Navy will buy nine new

ships, including two Arleigh Burke destroyers,

two Virginia-class submarines, three littoral

combat ships and the first next-generation

logistics fleet resupply ship, the T-AO(X).

Additionally, this budget includes fully

funding the refueling for the aircraft carrier

USS George Washington and the procurement

of a dock landing ship (LPD 28) that Congress

provided partial funds for in the FY15 budget.

The budget includes a $50.4 billion request

for operations and maintenance, reflecting

A PuBlicATioN

Warfighter FirstCombat Readiness, Material Readiness and Personal Readiness

Vice Admiral Thomas S.

Rowden

commander

Naval Surface Forces/

Pacific Fleet

Q: Tell me about your organization at Na-

val Surface Forces headquarters and what

your deployed footprint looks like. Do you

expect your org chart to look the same in

12 to 18 months?

A: We’re what’s known as a “type command,”

which means we’re responsible for outfitting

the surface combatants, making sure we have

the right sailors with the right qualifications

and that we are properly maintaining these

ships so they’re ready when fleet commanders

require them. To that end, my staff provides

logistical, training and combat systems sup-

port, as well as material inspections to stay

ahead of challenges.

We’ve seen progress in how we handle

the manning, training and equipping of the

force over the past few years, and we’ve laid

the foundation for what’s coming next. Our

organizational chart has grown and evolved,

particularly as we bring the Naval Surface

Warfighting Development Center online.

We will continue to see growth in the first

littoral combat ship squadron, DDG 1000

squadron, as well as Destroyer Squadron 7

in Singapore. All of these events move in

sync with the purpose of keeping our fleet

in the best material condition to support the

CNO’s tenet of “warfighting first.”

Q: You’ve been in command about six

months. What have you established as your

most important goals and what metrics

will you use to measure progress?

A: The most important thing is “warfighting

first.” It’s the CNO’s primary tenet and the

one I take as my charge as the type com-

mander for the surface force. It guides my

vision for the surface force. It is as simple as

it is crucial: “Providing combatant com-

manders with lethal, ready, well-trained and

logistically supported surface forces to assure,

deter and win.” You get there by prioritizing

goals, and I have only one real priority: to

ensure that everything we do makes us better

warfighters.This goal is built on meeting three

enduring pillars which enable warfighting

first: combat readiness, material readiness and

personal readiness. Each answers a basic ques-

tion. Combat readiness asks, “Are we training

our sailors to fight and win?” Material readi-

ness asks, “Are we providing warships ready

for combat?” And personal readiness asks,

“Are we developing our sailors?”

You’ll notice all of these pillars tie into

one word: readiness. Every surface warfare

officer (SWO) understands the importance

of readiness. As “SWO Boss,” I have the

primary responsibility for readiness, and it’s

paramount to warfighting—and everything

else we are called to do.

Continued on pAGe 40 ➥ Continued on pAGe 31 ➥

www.NPeo-kmi.comFeb2015

plus:• WhO’S WhO

AT PeO(A)

• NAVY SBIR

INNOVATIONS10

FeBRUARY 10, 2015

WWW.NPeO-kMI.COM

JAnuARy 2014 iMPlEMEntAtion PlAn FoR nAtionAl StRAtEGy FoR ARCtiC REGion

On May 10, 2013, the Obama Ad-ministration released a document titled “National Strategy for the Arctic Region.”20 On January 30, 2014, the Obama Admin-istration released an implementation plan for this strategy.21 Of the 36 or so specific initiatives in the implementation plan, one is titled “Sustain federal capability to con-duct maritime operations in ice-impacted waters.” The implementation plan states the following regarding this initiative:

objective: Ensure the United States maintains icebreaking and ice-strength-ened ship capability with sufficient capacity to project a sovereign U.S. maritime presence, support U.S. inter-ests in the polar regions and facilitate research that advances the fundamental understanding of the Arctic.next Steps: The federal government requires the ability to conduct operations in ice-impacted waters in the Arctic. As maritime activity in the Arctic region increases, expanded access will be required. Next steps include:

• The lead and supporting departments and agencies will develop a document that lists the capabilities needed to operate in ice-impacted waters to support federal activities in the polar regions and emergent sovereign responsibilities over the next 10 to 20 years by the end of 2014.• Develop long-term plans to sustain federal capability to physically access the Arctic with sufficient capacity to support U.S. interests by the end of 2017.

Measuring progress: Sustaining federal capability will be demon-strated through the Federal Government’s ability to conduct operations in the Arctic to support statutory missions and sovereign responsibilities, and to advance interests in the region. progress in implementing this objective will be measured by completion of the capabilities document, and long-term sustainment plan.

Lead Agency: Department of homeland SecuritySupporting Agencies: Department of Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Transportation, National Science Foundation[.]22CoSt EStiMAtES FoR CERtAin ModERnizAtion oPtionSnEW REPlACEMEnt SHiPS

The Coast Guard estimated in February 2008 that new replacement ships for the Polar Star and Polar Sea might cost between $800 million and $925 million per ship in 2008 dollars to procure.23 The Coast Guard said that this estimate

is based on a ship with integrated electric drive, three propel-lers and a combined diesel and gas (electric) propulsion plant. The icebreaking capability would be equivalent to the pOLAR Class

Icebreakers [i.e., Polar Star and Polar Sea] and research facilities and accommodations equivalent to Healy. This cost includes all shipyard and government project costs. Total time to procure a new icebreak-er [including mission analysis, studies, design, contract award and construction] is eight to 10 years.24

The Coast Guard further stated that this notional new ship would be designed for a 30-year service life.

The high-Latitude Study provided to Congress in July 2011 states that the above figure of $800 million to $925 million in 2008 dollars equates to $900 million to $1,041 million in 2012 dollars. The study provides the following estimates, in 2012 dollars, of the acquisition costs for new polar icebreakers:

• $856 million for one ship;• $1,663 million for two ships—an average of about $832 million each;• $2,439 million for three ships—an average of $813 million each;• $3,207 million for four ships—an average of about $802 million each;• $3,961 million for five ships—an average of about $792 million each; and• $4,704 million for six ships—an average of $784 million each.

The study refers to the above estimates as “rough order-of-magni-tude costs” that “were developed as part of the Coast Guard’s indepen-dent polar platform business Case Analysis.”25

25-yEAR SERViCE liFE ExtEnSionSThe Coast Guard stated in February 2008 that performing the exten-

sive maintenance, repair and modernization work needed to extend the service lives of the two ships by 25 years might cost roughly $400 million per ship. This figure, the Coast Guard said, is based on assessments made by independent contractors for the Coast Guard in 2004. The service life extension work, the Coast Guard said, would improve the two

icebreakers’ installed systems in certain areas. Although the work would be intended to permit the ships to operate for another 25 years, it would not return the cutters to new condition.26 An August 30, 2010, press report stated that the commandant of the Coast Guard at the time, Admiral Robert papp, estimated the cost

www.NpEO-kMI.COM

14 | FEbRUARy 3, 2015

Exclusive Q&A interviews with Navy/Coast Guard leadership, program officers and operational force commanders

Acquisition program reviews

Solution-based technologies

Strategy and doctrine analysis

Research and development activities

Budget and funding trajectories

Insightful commentary from military, industry and academia

Industrial Intelligence – monthly U.S. and international patent reviews

For more information and to subscribe, contact Jeff McKaughan at [email protected]


Q: Could you tell our readers about some of the solutions that you presently offer to the military?

A: Polaris Defense provides the United States and its allies with a family of ultra-light off-road vehicles includ-ing the MV850 all-terrain vehicle (ATV), MRZR Lightweight Tactical All-Terrain Vehicles (LTATV) and Dagor ultra-light combat vehicle (ULCV).

Our newest vehicle, the Dagor ULCV, was designed to fill a mobility gap for light infantry, special operations forces to meet an immediate threat. The gap was a vehicle that is easily transported by tactical air, carries enough payload to be mission-effective and carries its full payload in extreme off-road terrain. Dagor is built with trophy truck-inspired suspension to carry 3,250 pounds of pay-load or a nine-man infantry squad at a higher rate of speed over terrain usually traveled on foot. This allows the warf-ighter to move quickly to the objective with mission-critical equipment. We are proud that Dagor fills that gap and can be supported with a COTS supply chain any-where in the world, making it easy to use and maintain.

We have worked with our special forces customers to quickly field the MRZR2 and MRZR4 LTATVs. These vehicles are highly mobile off-road platforms and can be con-figured a number of ways to help U.S. and international expeditionary forces meet mission demands and emerging threats. The MRZR2 and MRZR4 LTATVs can be supplied with accessories, spare parts, mechanical and operator training. Both vehicles can be configured a number of ways, including two- and four-person variants for the MRZR LTATV. Air trans-port certifications include air drop, CH-47 internal and V-22.

In addition to the family of ultralight combat vehicles, Polaris provides govern-ment and military customers with Ranger side-by-side utility vehicles; Brutus diesel side-by-side utility vehicles with a front power take-off system; Terrainarmor air-less tires on MV850, Ranger, and Brutus

models; the Ranger with Hippo MPS; and snowmobiles. Other off-road capabili-ties that Polaris Defense provides include Polaris unmanned and optionally manned vehicles that are ready to accept robotics hardware and software without impacting traditional operation of the vehicles; Pri-mordial Ground Guidance software that helps plan fast and concealed routes on-and off-road for dismounted and mounted soldiers as well as Klim technical rid-ing gear made to protect operators from extreme weather as well as flames and abrasions. And through its Global Elec-tric Motorcars brand of electric vehicles, Polaris provides a Low Speed Vehicle for on-road use. Across all its product lines, Polaris uses robust commercial off-the-shelf components to provide faster speed to market, intuitive operation and easier maintenance worldwide.

Q: Why has Polaris been successful in the Defense market?

A: Polaris Defense is quick to respond to warfighter needs with highly mobile, ultra-light off-road vehicles using robust commercial-off-the-shelf components for quicker speed to market and easier maintenance worldwide. Our expertise in off-road-vehicles is unmatched in Power Sports or Defense industries and it brings significant performance and cost advan-tages to military customers.

Polaris Defense reduces risk to our military and government customers by

conducting research and development with internal funds and bringing prod-ucts like Dagor to the market quickly; Dagor was produced in less than two years, from concept to production. In the rapidly changing threat environment that our military faces, we feel Polaris Defense provides real value in the ultra-light mobility space.

Q: What are the advantages you bring as a commercial company providing commercial-off-the-shelf solutions?

A: The commercial industry brings game-changing resources to the military, and off-road mobility is an excellent area that can be met by the world-class off-road industry. Commercial parts from com-panies like Polaris Defense are typically lower-priced and tend to have cheaper sustainment with worldwide availabil-ity. We also can provide faster fielding times because we are geared for speed to market.

Q: What technologies and vehicle advancements are you bringing to ultra-light off-road vehicles?

A: Polaris is known for off-road vehicle innovation and with a large percentage of our engineers having military back-grounds, we’re able work with the military customer to gain a thorough understand-ing of their off-road mobility needs. One recent example of this is our Terrainarmor non-pneumatic tires, now available on the MV850 ATV. This breakthrough tire tech-nology is engineered to maintain operabil-ity after sustaining tire damage that would destroy a typical pneumatic tire. They also are designed for peak performance at full vehicle payload and eliminate the need for an on-vehicle spare, which increases avail-able payload and reduces the logistical burden. Terrainarmor tires are designed, tested and proven at more than 6,000 miles at full combat load, more than 1,000 miles with railroad spikes driven through them and more than 1,000 miles after being shot by an M4 or AK47. O

inDUStry interVieW Special Operations technology

Rich HaddadGeneral ManagerPolaris Defense


April 2015Vol. 13, Issue 3Next ISSUE

SOFIC PreviewA look into what’s in store for the 2015 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.

UAVsAcross the services, special forces utilize a wide range of UAV platforms.

InserTIon orDer DeaDlIne: APRil 8, 2015 | aD MaTerIals DeaDlIne: APRil 15, 2015

Bonus Distribution: AUVSI

SPeCIAl SeCtIOnGunshipsFixed-wing gunships are a crucial platform for supporting SOCOM’s ground forces.

COVer And In-dePth InterVIew wIth:

diver GearAdvancements in diver gear are aiding elite divers such as Navy SEALs and EOD specialists.

BiometricsBiometric identifiers are physiological characteristics such as fingerprints and iris and voice recognition.

FeAtUreS


Col. John J. DickinsonCommander193rd Special Operations Wing

0 25 50 75 100

3C

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Job Number: BOEG_INS_UAS_9585MClient: Boeing

Date: 9/23/14

File Name: BOEG_INS_UAS_9585M

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Fonts: Helvetica Neue 65

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Space/Color: Page — 4 Color — Bleed

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Gutter:

Production Artist: S. Bowman

Retoucher:

GCD: P. Serchuk Creative Director: P. Serchuk Art Director: J. Alexander Copy Writer: P. Serchuk Print Producer: Account Executive: D. McAuliffe Client: Boeing Proof Reader: Legal: Traffic Manager: Traci Brown Digital Artist: Art Buyer: Vendor: Garvey Group

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Decision-Making Superiority Delivered.

Agile. Powerful. Capable of sustained operations in the middle of nowhere: The Insitu ScanEagle® UAS platform works the way you do. Adding ScanEagle to your small, specialized teams brings strategic capability to the tactical level. With expeditionary launch and retrieval, multiple target tracking, stealthy ops, and an unparalleled record of success—covering over 800,000 combat flight hours—ScanEagle is ready to go, just like you.

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Documents

SOTECH 13.2 (March 2015)