For emerging tech, DoD funds $100M in new projects to help bridge ‘valley of death’

On the same subject

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  April 11, 2024 | International, Land

  MDA awards Lockheed $4.1B contract to upgrade battle command system

  The new upgrades to the C2BMC system include enabling it to safely pass data between allies and partners globally and connect to space sensors.

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  March 16, 2020 | International, C4ISR

  Pentagon seeking 5G prototypes for smart warehouses

  By: Nathan Strout The Department of Defense is seeking 5G prototypes related to the development of smart warehouses, the National Spectrum Consortium announced March 12. The department has released a Request for Prototype Proposals through the consortium and is looking for a variety of smart warehouse enabling 5G technologies to test at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia. The department has divided the prototype technologies its interested in into three broad categories: A 5G network, enhancements to that network, and applications enabled by that network. Here is how the National Spectrum Consortium explains it: 5G Prototype Testbed – The objective of this prototype project is to design and deploy a 5G network prototype that can serve as a reference implementation for Marine Corps smart warehouse operations. 5G Prototype Enhancements – The objective of this prototype project is to design and field prototype 5G network enhancements that can serve as reference implementations for Marine Corps smart warehouse operations. 5G Prototype Applications – The objective of this prototype project is to design and field prototype 5G enabled applications that can serve as reference implementations for Marine Corps smart warehouse operations. The request is the first of four 5G RPPs the department is planning to release as it prepares to begin testing a variety of technologies at four military bases. The Pentagon has previously said that they plan to test 5G enabled augmented reality and virtual reality at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, dynamic spectrum sharing at Hill Air Force Base, and smart warehouses at Marine Corps Logistics Base and Naval Base San Diego. The RPP is available to members of the National Spectrum Consortium, an acquisition vehicle created via a five-year, $1.25 billion Other Transaction Agreement by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Emerging Capabilities and Prototyping. “This is the first of four proposals that the DOD has released. We encourage our membership, which is made up of traditional contractors and innovative startups, to collaborate and respond to these incredibly important RPPs,” said Joseph Dyer, chief strategy officer of the National Spectrum Consortium. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/5g/2020/03/12/pentagon-seeking-5g-prototypes-for-smart-warehouses/

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  June 30, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Army selects eight counter-drone systems for the joint force

  Nathan Strout Following an Army-led assessment, the Defense Department will be narrowing the number of different counter-small unmanned aircraft system solutions deployed by the joint force from about 40 to eight. In November, the defense secretary delegated the Army to lead an effort to reduce redundancy in the development and fielding of various C-sUAS solutions by the services. The Army subsequently set up the Joint C-sUAS Office to conduct that assessment, and over the last few months the office has worked to narrow down the dozens of counter-drone systems fielded by the services. “Our goal is to align existing and future Counter-UAS technology solutions to best address operational needs while applying resources more efficiently,” Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, the JCO's first director, said during a media call June 26, one day after the assessment results were announced. “This is really why the organization was stood up — to eliminate the redundancy that was being fielded.” That assessment, which Defense Department leadership have approved, looked at approximately 40 systems, about 30 of which were primarily used for the C-sUAS mission, said the director. The assessment concluded that the joint force should move forward with fielding just eight different systems — a variety of fixed, mounted and dismounted solutions. “So essentially moving forward, we will focus our investments,” Gainey said. “The services have each been assigned sponsor of each one of those systems, so as we move this forward as a joint approach, it will coordinate the future upgrades to these systems and the contracting of these systems across the joint force.” C-sUAS systems that were not included in the final selection will be replaced by the approved systems, although JCO could not provide a timeline for how quickly this will take place, how much it will cost or how many units will need to be replaced across the services. Gainley noted that the services are currently conducting an analysis of how many systems will need to be replaced. Of the eight approved solutions, three are fixed, one is mounted and three are dismounted. The approved C-sUAS systems are as follows: 1) Fixed/Semi-Fixed Systems Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS), sponsored by the Army Negation of Improvised Non-State Joint Aerial-Threats (NINJA), sponsored by the Air Force Counter-Remote Control Model Aircraft Integrated Air Defense Network (CORIAN), sponsored by the Navy 2) Mounted/Mobile System Light-Mobile Air Defense Integrated System (L-MADIS), sponsored by the Marine Corps 3) Dismounted/Handheld Systems Bal Chatri, sponsored by Special Operations Command Dronebuster, no sponsor, commercial off-the-shelf capability Smart Shooter, no sponsor, commercial off-the-shelf capability 4) Command and Control Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD-C2), sponsored by the Army (includes FAAD-C2 interoperable systems like the Air Force's Air Defense System Integrator (ADSI) and the Marine Corps' Multi-Environmental Domain Unmanned Systems Application Command and Control (MEDUSA C2)) https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2020/06/26/army-selects-eight-counter-drone-systems-for-the-joint-force/