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Army displays draw crowds at Armed Forces Day event
Relevance Score: 4.094 2009-06-10 11:35:22
The Army displayed technology, community and opportunity this weekend at the 57th annual Joint Service Open House at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The Golden Knights Parachute Demonstration Team, the 82nd Airborne Division, recruiters and the Virtual Army Experience were only a few of the groups that were involved in the open house, May 15-17, which highlighted each branch of the armed forces. The event gave Soldiers an opportunity to talk with members of the community and be among other servicemembers. "It's fun to be in an environment where all of the branches are shown equally," said George Munro of the Army Virtual Experience team. The Army Virtual Experience was a new addition to the event. The 25-minute simulator put participants on a virtual mission to reopen a supply route for a humanitarian group. Participants were placed into a team where they were briefed on their mission and taken to a simulator room stocked with humvees and virtual weapons. After the mission was completed, the team performed an after-action review to evaluate the mission and talked to Soldiers serving a subject-matter experts. "We're trying to give them a taste, in 25 minutes, of what the Army's all about," said Munro. "People think about the Army because they don't have the same word-of-mouth information they used to. We're trying to show off the amazing things that Soldiers do..." The 82nd Airborne Division display connected veteran paratroopers and families to some of the newest privates. "We've also been talking to some retired guys who were in the 82nd Airborne," said Pfc. Kevin Ouwenga. "We talked about the types of parachutes they used versus what we have now and the different types of training." "You get a lot of old-timer stories," said Pfc. Kyle Williams. "You fill in the history with actual experiences." Talking to families about their personal experiences was a major function of the day for even the youngest members of the 82nd. "We've also been talking to a lot of families and their kids - they want to know what it's like to jump out of airplanes," said Ouwenga, who enlisted nine months ago. "I don't have that much experience, but if there's someone who's interested in joining, I can tell them exactly what it's going to be like." Army Recruiting also drew a variety of visitors throughout the day. "We've had a pretty good mix of people coming out here today," said Sgt. 1st Class Frank McClaine of the Oxon Hill Recruiting Station, Landover Recruiting Company, Baltimore Recruiting Battalion. "People want to know what the age requirements are to join, what sort of bonuses are available, and what sort of jobs are available," said McClaine. Both teens and adults were interested in opportunities with the Army. "The teens are interested in how the Army can help them attain a certain goal or job while the adults are the ones tired of bouncing around from job to job and want to know about how the Army can give them a stable job," said McClaine. The Golden Knights' Black Demonstration Team also performed several jumps from more than 12,000 feet in the air. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Golden Knights and a special commemorative parachute was opened to highlight the milestone. "In 1959, 19 members of the U.S. Army got together and formed the strategic corps parachute team and it developed into the Golden Knights," said Sgt. Rachel Haddon, Black Team member and narrator of the demonstration. "Each member was selected to assist in the development of modern parachuting techniques, provide world-class competition parachuting, and to perform live aerial demonstrations in support of Army Public Relations and Recruiting." "In 1961, we were dedicated to be the Army's official aerial demonstration team and one year later, we adopted the name, The Golden Knights," said Haddon. Haddon also explained that tandem jumps are also performed by the Golden Knights to some re-enlisting Soldiers, community leaders and celebrities. The team featured tandem jumps and a variety of jumping techniques by the 14 members. Each member of the Black Team has logged at least 300 free-fall jumps. The Joint Service Open House 2009 attracted tens of thousands of visitors. From free-fall jumping to facilitating virtual missions, the Soldiers involved were able to reach out to the community in a uniquely joint environment. "I've never been a part of anything this big ... we're all on the same team, fighting the same fight," said McClaine. "This has been a great experience for us," said Pfc. Tyler Johnson. "I would love to come back next year - I'm having such a blast in D.C."
Ongoing Military Ops Propelling Military Airborne Communications Market
Relevance Score: 2.848 2010-01-24 11:45:36
Forecast International projects that the U.S. military airborne communications market will be worth more than $7.8 billion from 2009-2018. During this timeframe, the military is expected to purchase some 9,200 airborne communications systems in addition to funding new technology development. Examples of the advanced communications programs currently under way are Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), Battlespace Information Exchange, Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), and RF Sensors and Countermeasures, as well as Tactical Data Link and Tactical Data Network programs. The military is also investing R and D funds to continue development of ARC-210 radios and CNI and MIDS technologies. Also in progress is the Video from Unmanned aircraft for Interoperability Teaming - Level 2 (VUIT-2) effort. This transformational program is intended to provide a multimission-capable family of satcom terminals to the U.S. military and will eventually link ground, air and space platforms. The FAB-T program is expected to be worth over $4 billion to the Boeing team overall, with over $2.8 billion to be spent on production terminals from 2009-2018. Another $1.2 billion is forecast to be allocated for various FAB-T engineering improvements and R and D efforts.
Bragg GIs 1st to Field Grenade Launcher
Relevance Score: 2.740 2009-07-09 11:16:55
The barrels were hot in the Army's charter fielding of the new M-320 grenade launcher at Range 23 here, as paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division fired the weapons for the first time. Paratroopers of soon-to-deploy 1st Brigade Combat Team received familiarization training on the shorter-but-heavier advanced grenade launcher from a half-dozen civilian and Army trainers. Staff Sgt. Robert Eaton, a squad leader with A Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and was involved with clearing virtually every village and town from the Kuwaiti Border to Baghdad. He used the Vietnam-era M-203 grenade launcher in combat and said he was impressed with its successor. "I wanted to find out how quickly I could fire the M-320, get behind cover, reload, re-acquire a target at a different distance, and then engage," said Eaton. "I fired three shots in just under 30 seconds," he said, well pleased. "In Iraq, I found the M-203 to be pretty accurate, but it was more of a weapon of intimidation," said Eaton. "If you are getting shot at from a building, you put a round through two windows to the left. It might not kill him, but it's definitely going to get him to put his head down. Now with the 320, you'd probably put the round within killing range, and a lot quicker," he said. "The principles are still the same as with the M-203. It's just more accurate and faster to get your rounds on the target," said Eaton. For Bob Phung, Army civilian and project engineer for Product Management Individual Weapons in Picatinny, N.J., the training was the fruition of a journey that began in 2006 when his office received the product requirements from combat development at Fort Benning, Ga. The result was a weapon that is more accurate at night than day, thanks to a laser rangefinder and infrared laser pointer; a weapon that is more versatile, with its ability to mount on an assault rifle or be fired as a standalone; and a weapon that is safer, due to its double-action trigger. A side-opening breach also allows quicker reloading and the use of larger rounds, said Phung. "Even though the barrel is over three inches shorter, the shot group is tighter than on the M-203," said Phung. On Range 23, Staff Sgt. Joseph Foti repeatedly assured paratroopers, "This stuff works. Trust it." A trainer from Fort Benning's 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, he and fellow trainer, Staff Sgt. Raymond Miller stressed to paratroopers that they use the weapon in the manner in which it was designed to be used. "Many times, guys get new equipment, and they second-guess it," said Foti. "But the engineers who developed this weapon have already removed the guesswork," he said. The day-and-night sight is a new take on an old piece of equipment that many Soldiers have found problematic in the past, said Miller. The original sight was bulky and prone to mechanical issues, he said. "The new sight has been through full-fledged operational tests," said Miller. "Its issues have been identified and resolved, and now it's a good piece of kit." Both trainers have used the M-320's predecessor in combat and see practical advantages to the new grenade launcher's modularity. "A Soldier doing cordon-and-search is going to be doing a lot of room clearing," said Miller. "He can remove the M-320 so that he can lift his primary weapon quickly without all that weight." "And at the end of the day," said Foti, "he can marry the weapons back up and use it in a defensive posture, taking really-good range sketches. That way, the squad leader, platoon sergeant and company commander understand that, if they have dead space out there, they have an M-320 that will fill that dead space with a guy that is accurate and proficient with it." The M-320 mounts to an M-4 in less than five minutes, said Miller.
DoD Announces Units for Upcoming Afghanistan Rotation
Relevance Score: 2.735 2009-07-15 17:52:38
The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of two units to Afghanistan. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy, have been alerted to replace forces currently deployed in Afghanistan, in order to maintain the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, will deploy with approximately 3,800 troops to Afghanistan in late fall 2009. The 173rd Brigade Combat Team, with approximately 3,700 troops, will deploy to Afghanistan in the winter of 2009-2010. Both units will conduct the full spectrum of combat operations. The United States continues to be NATO-ISAF’s largest troop contributor, and remains committed to leading the offensive in counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, training and equipping the Afghan national security forces and assisting with reconstruction. Force levels in Afghanistan are conditions-based and will be determined in consultation with the Afghan government and NATO.
Ballistic Missiles Defeated with Airborne Laser (ABL)
Relevance Score: 2.687 2009-06-19 02:00:35
Ballistic missiles may soon become obsolete with the emergence of the YAL-1A Airborne laser (ABL) in service. A modified US air-force Boeing 747-400F has completed several tests that prove its ability to effectively down incoming ballistic missiles before they become a threat. Infrared systems will be able to track the origin and target of a ballistic missile, while the nose mounted turret is responsible for delivering a directive energy laser to take out the fuel tank of a ballistic missile. Ballistic missiles don’t stand a chance of reaching their intended target with the Air-borne Laser in the sky. The video below shows the advances being made in this new military technology which may pave the way for several more directive weapon military applications.
2011 Defence Budget – Supporting the Troops in the Field
Relevance Score: 2.401 2010-02-03 12:48:23
In addition to the Department’s base budget, the fiscal 2011 request includes $159 billion to support troops engaged in overseas contingency operations (OCO) in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is not a supplemental request. It is intended to fund all currently known requirements for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for the entire fiscal year. Included in the FY 2011 OCO request are: • $89.4 billion for operating costs, linked to the operating tempo of frontline combat and support forces in theater. This includes $0.7 billion for additional family support initiatives in addition to those in the base budget. • $21.3 billion for reconstituting equipment -- repairing and replacing equipment lost and damaged as a result of ongoing operations -- including $2.8 billion to reset equipment redeploying from Iraq and returning to inventory. • $2.4 billion to ensure greater ISR support for U.S. warfighters, including funds for five Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System aircraft and efforts to address vulnerabilities of unencrypted airborne data links. • $13.6 billion to train and equip Afghanistan and Iraq Security Forces -- $11.6 billion for the training and equipping of Afghan security forces and $2 billion for the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces. • $1.2 billion of military construction to expand the logistical backbone and operational foundation in Afghanistan. This will enable counterinsurgency forces to fight more effectively by increasing operational capability, providing troop housing, replacing expeditionary facilities at the end of their lifecycle, consolidating functions and facilities, and supporting Special Operations forces operating in Afghanistan. In addition, the Administration is submitting a FY 2010 supplemental appropriation request of $33 billion to cover the FY 2010 defense costs for the additional 30,000 troops that will be deployed to Afghanistan in support of the President’s new strategy for the region.
Energy harvesting for future UAVs
Relevance Score: 2.279 2009-06-16 22:55:29
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are expected to power Air Force unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the future because they are an optimum energy harvesting source that may lead to longer flight times without refueling. The University of Washington's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) project team, with lead researcher Dr. Minoru Taya is working on airborne solar cells by using a flexible film and a thin glass coating with transparent conductive electrodes. He has found that DSSCs made from organic materials, which use (dyes) and moth-eye film, are able to catch photons and convert them into synthesized electrons that can harvest high photon energy. A few years ago the team mounted dye-sensitized solar cells on the wings of a toy airplane. The propeller was effectively powered, but the plane was not able to become airborne because the glass based solar cells they were using were too heavy. Upon experimentation, they decided to use film battery technology, which worked and in fact, enabled the plane to fly. "These kinds of solar cells have more specific power convergence efficiency (PCE), very clean energy and easy scalability to a larger skin area of the craft, as well as, low-temperature processing, which leads to lower costs overall," said Taya. The team is currently working on DSSCs with higher PCEs using bioinspired dyes, which are installed in the wings of the UAV (airborne energy harvesters). "Any airborne energy harvester must satisfy additional requirements, like weight and durability in airborne environments. If those are met, then there may even be longer UAV flight times," said Taya. In the meantime, the engineers are researching the challenges of DSSCs' technology and are seeking to learn how durable they are and how well their technology may integrate with other Air Force vehicles. The team is also trying to determine how to build the solar cells in the wing surface of the aircraft and how to store energy harvested from them. "Some of these challenges will be overcome by the researchers working under this AFOSR MURI within the next two years. In order to make the DSSCs' solar energy harvester transferable to the wings of an UAV, additional engineering tasks remain, which may require another project to be funded for five additional years," Taya said. In the end, the team hopes to reach their goal of developing large, flexible DSSCs with higher energy conversion efficiency. Generally, solar cells that are larger have decreased efficiency. Therefore, the team is using a metal grid, which has high surface resistance and can accelerate electron transport for larger-sized flexible DSSCs while maintaining high efficiency.
Body Armor Demonstration In Italy.
Relevance Score: 2.073 2009-07-20 21:19:25
Three dozen soldiers wearing body armor and carrying heavy packs are hiking into the rising sun amid mountainous terrain. Their forward operating base (FOB) is barely perceptible in the distance from high up along a ridge, and the soldiers know it will be many hours before they return to a hot meal and the comfort of a cot. In between will be a day like all others since they arrived: long marches, entering and exiting armored vehicles, firing rifles, scrambling through obstacle-laden villages and treacherous insurgent houses and wolfing down an MRE (meal ready to eat) in stolen moments at midday. If this sounds like a typical day for a soldier in Southwest Asia, the Training and Exercise Management Office at Yuma Proving Ground has arranged similar conditions for soldiers in Arizona. Recently, the proving ground delivered a realistic environment in support of a critically important exercise aimed at developing the next generation of body armor. The perfect fit Since the beginning of American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan earlier this decade, YPG has played an instrumental role in reducing the incidence of the most horrific events experienced by soldiers in theater. Fatalities from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have diminished with the mass fielding of the MRAP (mine-resistant ambush-protected) vehicle, which underwent extensive testing at the proving ground, as well as cutting-edge electronic counter-IED technology developed and tested at YPG. Yet while the most horrific fatalities have been dramatically reduced, heavy body armor can impede the mobility of soldiers on the battlefield. Consequently, soldiers run the risk of being outmaneuvered by the enemy. To counter this threat, in December 2008 the Defense Department issued a request for information to find a more lightweight armor system for American soldiers. “Our goal is to field a lighter, more mobile body armor system to allow soldiers operating in high elevations increased mobility without lessening the amount of protection the armor provides,” said Jeremy Reed, a project officer from Fort Benning's Maneuver Battle Lab who served two tours in Iraq. Since the new armor system would be especially beneficial to soldiers deployed in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, evaluators needed a site that accurately simulated the topography encountered in Southeast Asia. Yuma Proving Ground's extensive range space was a logical choice. “We wanted a location that mimics the environment there and YPG meets all the requirements,” said Lt. Col. Robert Myles, product manager for soldier survivability at Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier of Fort Belvoir, Va. PEO Soldier is an Army organization responsible for developing, acquiring and fielding virtually everything soldiers wear or carry. A key part of its mission is to constantly improve soldiers' equipment to enhance their lethality, survivability and comfort. Using volunteers from Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy, the Maneuver Battle Lab staged a two-week long exercise at YPG in May to evaluate personal armor systems. All troops that participated had previously been deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Since the systems under test will likely be tested at YPG's Tropic Regions Test Center (TRTC) at a future date, TRTC personnel provided support for the evaluation. Of the eight YPG data collectors who recorded test data, five are typically based at TRTC's facility in Panama. “We're testing the compatibility, mobility and effectiveness of the equipment,” explained Maj. Michael Williams, branch chief of the Maneuver Battle Lab. “Our job is to test in conditions as close to combat as possible.” Average day Each day began with a conference at the FOB in which each soldier donned the armor that would be evaluated that day. The soldiers were organized into teams, each of which was assigned a different armor system each day. For comparison purposes, one of those systems was the Improved Outer Tactical Vest currently in use in Iraq and Afghanistan. The soldiers carried the exact same rucksack every day, which data collectors weighed to confirm that the previous day's specifications would be duplicated. The soldiers then undertook a foot march into a nearby mountain range. The soldiers and several data collectors climbed uneven rocks up the slope, wound their way across the top of a ridge, then descended back to the valley below. “The terrain is exactly like Afghanistan,” remarked Staff Sgt. Joshua Vaughn, who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, as he marched up the mountain. “It even smells like Afghanistan.” After data was collected, the soldiers proceeded by bus to a rigorous obstacle course outside the K9 Village, one of YPG's simulated insurgent villages. Each soldier tested the maneuverability of the body armor by climbing walls, negotiating a tire course, crawling through narrow tunnels and covered ditches and climbing up and down deceptively steep A-frame roofs and staircases. They pulled themselves up through high windows, and navigated through the narrow, dark warren of a simulated insurgent house. Each soldier went through the course multiple times while carrying their rifles and occasionally throwing an inert grenade at a distant insurgent mannequin. Even for these highly conditioned veterans of overseas combat, the course was physically challenging, but representative of the conditions encountered by ground forces in theater. There was little time to rest, however, as the troops proceeded to a firing range, where they practiced combat maneuvers while still wearing the armor. Under the blazing hot sun, groups of soldiers took turns following a series of directions from a uniformed leader who barked instructions through a megaphone. “On my command, you will run to the 10-meter line and engage your target,” he boomed through the megaphone. “Ready? Run!” The participants charged the 10 meters and fired as the retractable targets moved upright, sending them falling to the ground amidst crackling reports and the acrid smell of gunpowder. At the conclusion of this stage of the day's activities, the soldiers returned to the FOB and ate a quick lunch of MREs, then spent the remainder of the afternoon rotating through a series of test stations. The stations measured how quickly soldiers could enter and exit a series of common combat vehicles that were on site, the range of motion each soldier was capable of while wearing the armor, how easily the armor could be donned and doffed in a variety of positions while wearing a helmet. They also examined how quickly a simulated wounded soldier could be evacuated while wearing the armor. When the day's objectives were completed, the soldiers ate a hot meal in the FOB's mess area and retired to their tents to rest up for another day of the same exercises. Culmination Over two weeks, testers collected quantitative data on the performance of each armor system, as well as more than 10,000 pages of feedback from the soldiers who participated in the exercise. The tested armor systems will next undergo ballistics testing at another facility. The evaluations conducted at YPG could benefit deployed soldiers as early as this summer. “YPG is a great place,” said Williams. “We couldn't have asked for a better place or better people to work with.”
NGC Continues Pursuit Of Electronic Warfare Program.
Relevance Score: 1.992 2009-11-12 18:06:48
NGJ will function as the "shooting end" for the new Northrop Grumman-built airborne electronic attack weapon system on board the EA-18G Growler. Northrop Grumman has submitted its proposal for the Technology Maturation phase in the U.S. Navy's competition to develop and field the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ). The jammer will complete the Navy's fielding of a flexible, adaptable weapon that will help defeat enemies on the electronic battlefield, whose weapons can range from those developed in defense laboratories to weapons procured from the corner store. The company estimates that the eventual NGJ production program value could be hundreds of millions of dollars or more to the winning competitor. NGJ will function as the "shooting end" for the new Northrop Grumman-built airborne electronic attack weapon system on board the EA-18G Growler. It is a critical replacement for the pre-digital ALQ-99 jamming system that, though still effective, faces diminishing availability of components and capabilities in the face of digital threats that improve and adapt almost daily. "The first shot fired in a conflict is no longer a bullet. It's an electron," informed Stephen Hogan, vice president of Northrop Grumman Information Operations and Electronic Attack. "We saw how the Russians used electronic attack in Georgia, and we see every day how terrorists operate, using store-bought electronics to harm our soldiers and innocent bystanders. "Northrop Grumman essentially invented airborne electronic attack five decades ago to protect our military, and we recently won awards for our new system for the Growlers. We understand this kind of warfare and have the new ideas to deliver the Next Generation Jammer on time and within budget," informed Hogan. The Navy is expected to select up to four competing teams for NGJ Technology Maturation contracts in the first quarter of 2010. These teams would refine their system concepts and components in preparation for a downselect in 2011, when the Navy is expected to award two Technology Demonstration contracts that will incorporate the best of all the proposed technologies. The Navy plans to award an Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract to a single supplier in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Boeing Awarded Contract To Develop Counter-Electronics HPM Aerial Demonstrator
Relevance Score: 1.989 2009-06-01 11:41:33
Boeing was awarded a $38 million contract April 27 to develop and test a nonlethal, high power microwave (HPM) airborne demonstrator for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Counter-electronics High power microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP). The CHAMP Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program will be the first to demonstrate a counter-electronics HPM aerial demonstrator. "This demonstrator will provide a revolutionary, nonlethal system, allowing the military to neutralize specific targets while minimizing or eliminating collateral damage," said Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works. "Integrating AFRL's compact microwave technology with Boeing's proven air vehicle design and manufacturing expertise could lead the way to a new breed of nonlethal but highly effective systems. HPM is truly a game-changing technology and we are proud to play a role in its transition to the warfighter." The three-year program includes ground and flight demonstrations that will focus on technology integration and military utility. Boeing, as the prime contractor, will provide the airborne platform and serve as the system integrator. Albuquerque, N.M.-based Ktech Corp., the primary subcontractor, will supply the HPM source. Sandia National Laboratories will provide the pulse power system.