ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (May 31, 2013) -- The U.S. Army recognized the Research, Development and Engineering Command's communications-electronics center for outstanding technical achievement advancing Army mission command, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting capabilities in 2012.
The Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center received five Research and Development Achievement awards. This prestigious award is given to just over one percent of the eligible Army workforce and honors proven scientific and technical excellence, wrote Mary J. Miller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology, in the April 30 award announcement.
CERDEC's awards recognized excellence in enabling technologies in the areas of advanced sensor and laser systems and for development of a software architecture for managing complex mission command activity.
"The Army level R&D Awards are recognition at the highest level of the Army on the outstanding research and impact of the awardees accomplishments," said Jill H. Smith, CERDEC director.
"Our people have made great contributions - improving lattice matched substrates to improve focal plane arrays, innovative monoblock lasers with exceptional advances in efficiency, size, weight, power and cost that will have industry following suite, development of new optics design that is much smaller, less weight and more affordable for Soldier imaging systems, algorithms that take multiple sensor outputs which increases detection range by an order of magnitude, and an Open Enterprise Service Manager to enable more efficient development of software. I congratulate and thank them for their contributions for the Soldiers."
Awardees:
REDUCTION OF DISLOCATIONS BY USE OF RETICULATED CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC PLANES
This effort reduces the cost of focal plane arrays by using new material. Focal plane arrays are used to create different types of scopes and optics. Because the Army is working to incorporate high definition focal plane arrays in four different ground systems, the new substrate will greatly reduce cost for implementation into those four systems, while still increasing identification range.
• Mr. Andrew Stoltz, Physicist; Dr. David Benson, Physicist; Mr. Peter Smith, Electronics Engineer; Dr. Randolph Jacobs, Physicist; and Dr. Tony Almeida, Physicist (CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate)
MONOLITHIC LASER TECHNOLOGY FOR PORTABLE LASER DESIGNATORS
Laser-guided munitions are incredibly precise and minimize collateral damage, however fielded laser designators and markers use outdated laser technology. NVESD research has reduced the cost of manufacturing, laser size and weight, and improves shock and vibration performance by developing a "monoblock" construction technique that bonds all optical components to a common support rail. Monoblocks have reduced cost by a third, increased the laser efficiency and battery life by a factor of five times and reduced the weight of the system by one-fifth.
• Dr. Brian Cole, Physical Scientist; Mr. Chris McIntosh, Physicist; Mr. Alan Hays, Physicist; Mr. Andy Pogany, Electronics Engineer; Mr. John Nettleton, Electronics Engineer; and Dr. Lew Goldberg, Supervisory Physicist (CERDEC NVESD)
FOLDED LIGHTWEIGHT ANNUAL TACTICAL (FLAT) OPTICS FOR SIZE AND WEIGHT REDUCTION FOR MAN PORTABLE IMAGING SYSTEMS
Instead of using the standard germanium-based optical design, the NVESD team explored a novel optical design: the FLAT optics. The FLAT optics replaces the heavy and expensive germanium lenses, thereby significantly reducing the cost and weight for our Soldiers.
• Dr. Phil Perconti (now at Army Research Lab), Supervisory Electronics Engineer; Mr. Jay Vizgaitis, Electronics Engineer; and Mr. Colin Reese, Electronics Engineer (CERDEC NVESD)
MULTI-SENSOR CORRELATION WITH INCREASED STANDOFF RANGE FOR IMPROVED COMMON MODE CLUTTER REJECTION
The Multi-Sensor Interface enables multiple sensor outputs to improve clutter rejection, or improve situational awareness and increase detection range by a factor of ten. The team developed and transitioned a valuable military product that will drastically improve the Warfighters' ability to detect roadway threats.
• Mr. Sean Jellish, Electronics Engineer; Dr. Chris Marshall, Chemist; Mr. Jim Hilger, Electronics Engineer; and Dr. Phil Perconti, Supervisory Electronics Engineer (CERDEC NVESD)
OPEN ENTERPRISE SERVICE MANAGER TOOL
As increasingly complex Service Oriented Architecture-based systems are deployed throughout the DoD, systems operators and maintainers require more sophisticated Enterprise Service Management tools to collect performance data and to understand system capabilities and vulnerabilities. OpenESM is a government open source software project that has the ability to monitor other software components and systems for status and performance metrics. OpenESM bridges multiple capability gaps in commercial offerings for the Army. In addition to its precise web service monitoring capabilities, it differs from commercial and other open source products in its ability to provide and export information in a variety of standardized data formats while integrating with GOTS and COTS software.
The Army, Navy and Air Force successfully used OpenESM in a joint experiment to assess Combat Systems/Command and Control systems technology solutions.
• Alexander O'Ree, a Computer Scientist (CERDEC Command, Power & Integration Directorate)
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CERDEC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.
RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.
Related Links:
140 U.S. Army RDECOM scientists recognized by Research and Development Achievement Awards
Army.mil Science & Technology News
U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command
U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center
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