November 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army's Network Cross-Functional Team released a solicitation outlining capabilities it's interested in acquiring as part of future tactical network tools.
The broad agency announcement was posted last week on beta.sam.gov. It lays out future research areas the Army's tactical network modernization team made up of the NetworkCFT and Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, wants to explore as part of future capability sets — new network tools it's delivering every two years.
“The Network-CFT is focused on integration of tactical network efforts and ensures disciplined innovation as it works with speed and precision,” the announcement read. “The Network-CFT is conducting experimentations and demonstrations of proven joint and special operations solutions, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology, and Non-developmental items (NDIs) with operational units to inform future requirements.”
The tactical network modernization team is seeking technology that aligns with its four lines of effort for upgrading the network: unified network; common operating environment; joint interoperability/coalition accessible; and command post mobility and survivability.
All proposed technologies must be at a technology readiness level of six, the announcement read, meaning they're ready to be demonstrated as a prototype in an environment similar to the field.
For the unified network effort, the Network CFT-PEO C3T team are seeking “available, reliable and resilient network that ensures seamless connectivity in any operationally contested environment.” Capability Set '23, the next iteration of tactical network tools, is focused on increasing network capacity and reducing latency. Unified network includes capabilities such as advanced waveforms to improve resiliency.
The common operating environment line of effort “is interested in the means of ensuring a simple and intuitive single-mission command suite that is easily operated and maintained by Soldier.”
The joint interoperability/coalition accessible team is looking for tools that can “more effectively” interact, both technically and operationally, with joint and coalition partners.
The final line of effort, command post mobility and survivability, is interested in means of improving the “deployability, reliability, mobility and survivability” of command posts. The Army's current vision for future command posts are those that can be quickly set up and torn down, while also having low electromagnetic signatures to avoid detection by adversaries.
“Certainly, any time that you adopt a lot of commercial technologies you start to look at how your signature is on the battlespace, so I really look to industry and how they can bring some of their best ideas and technologies for how we can potentially do spectrum obscuration, as well as decoys so we can minimize our footprint on the battlefield,” said Brig. Gen. Rob Collins, commanding general of PEO C3T.
The Army's announcement is valid through the end of October 2025.
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March 23, 2022 | International, Naval
Green Heat Update: a 477K contract has been awarded! The IDEaS program, in collaboration with Defence Construction Canada (DCC), is thrilled to announce that a contract for the Green Heat Test Drive has been awarded to Black & McDonald. Their creative energy solution will be paired up with existing heating systems to help lower our carbon footprint through a large-scale, low carbon energy generation/transfer system. A test building has been selected in Kingston, Ontario, where the team will begin the design phase. Visit the challenge page to find out more about IDEaS' contribution to the greening of Defence. The Corrosion Detection Sandbox has selected its participants! The Corrosion Detection in Ships Sandbox (CDIS), previously postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, resumed its call in December 2021. The following nine participants have been selected to travel to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, to demonstrate their innovative solutions at the Center for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE) facility from April 25 to May 20, 2022. Allied Scientific Pro Canadian Nuclear Labs CMQ Centre de Métallurgie Crawford Technologies Eddyfi Technologies #3, Floormap X InspecTerra MLVX Technologies Inc Qii.AI Visiooimage Inc. They will each have up to five days to test their solutions in real time alongside Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces experts and potential users. The goal of this Sandbox is to demonstrate how we can better detect and assess corrosion behind surface coatings onboard Royal Canadian Navy platforms in order to reduce operational impact and improve the effectiveness of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Join us in wishing our participants good luck! For more information, visit the CDIS challenge page. The IDEaS Team Mise à jour Énergie Verte : un contrat de 477K a été remporté ! Le programme IDEeS, en collaboration avec Construction de défense Canada (CDC), est ravi d'annoncer que le contrat pour le Banc d'essai Énergie Verte a été remporté par Black & McDonald. Leur solution créative en matière d'énergie sera combinée à un système de chauffage existant afin de réduire notre empreinte carbone gr'ce à un système de production/transfert d'énergie à grande échelle et à faible teneur en carbone. Un b'timent pilote a été sélectionné à Kingston, en Ontario, où l'équipe débutera la phase design. Visitez la page du défi pour en savoir plus sur la contribution d'IDEeS à l'écologisation de la Défense. Les participants pour l'Environnement protégé Détection de la corrosion à bord des navires ont été sélectionnés! L'Environnement protégé Détection de la corrosion à bord des navires, précédemment reporté en raison des restrictions reliées à la COVID-19, a relancé son appel de propositions en décembre 2021. Les neuf participants suivants ont été sélectionnés pour se rendre à Dartmouth, en Nouvelle-Écosse, pour présenter leurs solutions innovantes au Center for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship Facility (COVE) du 25 avril au 20 mai 2022. Allied Scientific Pro Canadian Nuclear Labs CMQ Centre de Métallurgie Crawford Technologies Eddyfi Technologies #3, Floormap X InspecTerra MLVX Technologies Inc Qii.AI Visiooimage Inc. Ils auront chacun jusqu'à cinq jours pour tester leurs solutions en temps réel aux côtés d'experts du ministère de la Défense nationale/des Forces armées canadiennes et d'utilisateurs potentiels. L'objectif de cet Environnement protégé est de démontrer comment nous pouvons mieux détecter et évaluer la corrosion derrière les revêtements de surface à bord des plates-formes de la Marine royale canadienne afin de réduire l'impact opérationnel et d'améliorer l'efficacité de la maintenance planifiée et non planifiée. Joignez-vous à nous pour souhaiter bonne chance à nos participants! Pour plus d'informations, rendez-vous sur la page du défi Détection de la corrosion à bord des navires. L'équipe IDEeS
October 1, 2018 | International, Land
By: Shawn Snow The top Marine has been steadily increasing the Corps' footprint in the arctic region, preparing Marines for a fight in extreme cold-weather environments as the U.S. defense strategy shifts toward near-peer threats. It's an oft repeated remark by Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller that the cold weather business is something the Corps hasn't done for some time. And it certainly shows in some of the equipment the Corps uses in Norway, like the nearly 40-year-old Cold War relic over-the-snow vehicle, the Bv206. The Corps has been rapidly replacing its cold-weather gear to include skis, pack frames, boots and shelters. And now, a new over-the-snow vehicle could be on the horizon for the Marines. One potential replacement for the aging Bv206 could be BAE's BvS10, which is already in use by Marines in Norway, who have been training on the British variant of the BvS10 known as the Viking. The BvS10, while predominantly suited for the Arctic region, is actually an all-terrain vehicle that can also traverse mud, swamp, gravel or even water. The tracked vehicle, which can carry 11 to 12 troops, has a ground pressure less than the human foot, according to Keith Klemmer, BAE's U.S. BvS10 representative. The low ground pressure spread across the tracks gives the vehicle superior mobility in a multitude of terrains, especially snow. And for military operations, the BvS10 can mount the Ma Deuce .50 caliber machine or even the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, which affords troops the ability to engage targets from the protections and confines of the vehicle. Speaking of protection, the armor plating on the BvS10 can withstand small-arms fire and the RPG-7, Klemmer said. The Bv-S10 can operate in temperatures ranging from -50 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and boasts an impressive range of nearly 200 miles, according to Klemmer. While the Corps is prepping for its fourth six-month rotation to Norway, it's only been recently that the Corps and the U.S. military has once again focused on the Arctic and European theaters. For the past twenty years, the desert terrain of the Middle East has garnered the attention of the Corps and as a result, the military's fleet of over-the-snow vehicles have taken a back seat in priority. But with a renewed spotlight on the Arctic region, and a Marine footprint that is expected to double in Norway in the coming months, the time may be ripe to upgrade the Corps' suite of snow vehicles. And the U.S. military is showing interest. In early June, the Army posted a request for information, or RFI, to industry leaders for what it has dubbed the Joint All Weather All Terrain Support Vehicle, or JAASV. According to the RFI, the Army wants its future tracked snow vehicle to operate in temperatures between -50 and 115 F. And the Army wants a multi variant vehicle that can carry troops, serve as an ambulance, or a command system. The BvS10 fits much of that description. The main cab can serve as a command node, while the back cab can transport nearly eight troops. The rear cab also has the ability to flip up and serve as an ambulatory vehicle. “The JAASV shall be a tracked vehicle that has excellent on and off-road mobility in extreme cold temperatures, deep snow, rugged uneven terrain, thick brush or forest, soft wet ground, rivers, streams, and lakes, and mountainous terrain,” the RFI reads. The Army also wants the JAASV to be air mobile by CH-47, UH-60 and C-130. And while this RFI was submitted by the Army, the Corps has a tracked record of partnering with the Army on a number of procurement projects. The Corps hasn't made a decision yet to upgrade its snow vehicles, but the Marines are increasingly becoming focused on the Arctic domain and its forces are already learning how to operate partner forces' BvS10s in the region. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/09/28/with-an-increasing-footprint-in-the-arctic-the-corps-may-need-a-new-snow-vehicle