MARKING There are no current funded development efforts for Mine/Minefield Marking. PROTECTION There are no current funded development efforts for Protection equipment. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM These programs focus on finding and developing new science Advanced and technology solutions to critical user needs. Technology Demonstrations (ATD) are major technology demonstration programs that are approved at the Department of Army level. Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations are generally "systems of systems" that may incorporate multiple ATDs and are approved by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Technology. The ACTD develop new concepts of operations by placing residual systems in the hands of the CINCS for evaluation and potential use in wartime. JOINT PROGRAMS At the forefront of the Army's Countermine Science and Technology program is the Joint Countermine Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). The vision for the Joint Countermine ACTD is to demonstrate the seamless transition of countermine capabilities from sea to land operations in the face of serious mine warfare threats, i.e., sea mines, littoral mines and land mines. The Joint Countermine ACTD combines fielded systems, those in advanced development, and science and technology items with command and control advances and robust modeling and simulation activities to demonstrate a countermine system of system solution to the mine problems facing a joint commander. It represents the culmination of near term Army technology developments and provides a basis for demonstrating new capabilities in an operational environment. The Army technologies plus selected Navy and USMC technologies are being provided to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command, for use in designated 1997-98 fleet exercises. In total, twelve novel countermine systems will be demonstrated, four of which are Army. The novel Army countermine systems include Airborne Standoff Minefield Detection System (ASTAMIDS) to remotely detect enemy minefields, Close In Man-portable Mine Detector (CIMMD) to detect both metallic and plastic mines, and the Off Route Smart Mine Clearance System (ORSMC) to clear top and side attack mines. The basis for the countermine technologies in the Joint Countermine ACTD are completed and ongoing Advanced Technology Demonstrations for both mine detection and mine neutralization systems. DETECTION Vehicle mounted Mine Detector Advanced Technology Demonstration This vehicle mounted Detection System will fuse pulse induction metal detector with down looking ground penetrating radar and forward looking infrared cameras. This combination of sensors will provide reliable detection probabilities at acceptable rates of advance. The field demonstration of this technology is scheduled for the latter part of FY 97. BREACHING Off Route Smart Mine Clearance Advanced Technology Demonstration The Off Route Smart Mine Clearance System employs multispectral signature reproduction technologies (acoustic and seismic), advanced threat signal processing emulations, low observable technologies and teleoperation to clear routes of smart side and emerging top attack mines. The use of teleoperation provides operator survivability. The platform for the advanced technology demonstration is a HMMWV which provides a low cost, easily transportable solution. CLEARANCE No efforts are currently underway that specifically address mine clearance in military operations. However, in fiscal year 1995, the Army executed a congressional special interest program in humanitarian demining in support of ASD (SO/LIC) to demonstrate technologies, techniques and equipment that make demining operations safer, more cost effective and less manpower and training intensive. The Department intends to leverage the most promising of these efforts for military clearance activities. Mr. Reingruber OASD (SO/LIC), will address humanitarian demining efforts. PROTECTION In addition to the work described previously to protect HMMWV's and 5-ton trucks, efforts are underway to leverage those designs for application to the 10-ton Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT). The goal is to provide sufficient vehicle protection for crew survivability while not substantially hindering vehicle performance or capacity. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES DETECTION Emerging technologies under study for mine detection have the potential to decrease false alarms and to increase detection standoff distances. Technologies include hyperspectral and multispectral sensors, vehicle mounted forward looking radar and artificial biosensors for detection of explosives. A supporting technology is neural networks which offer the potential to truly integrate sensors for high detection probabilities and to provide ultra high speed signal processing across multiple environments. Other agency work in autonomous platforms is being studied for application to the mine detection challenge. BREACHING An emerging concept for leap ahead breaching is the Mine Hunter Killer. A technology demonstrator will integrate forward looking standoff detection devices (electro-optic and radar) with point or small area neutralization devices (explosives, kinetic energy or directed energy) to provide an efficient in-stride breaching capability. Other emerging breaching technologies include electron beam and radio frequency projection, light weight lasers, chemical neutralization of explosive compounds, as well as kinetic energy and area explosives. FOREIGN SYSTEMS DETECTION |