Supporting maneuver through acquisition

By Shawn NesawSeptember 9, 2024

(FORT BENNING, GA) – Fort Benning, Georgia, hosts Operation Thunderstrike April 29 at Red Cloud Range. The event, which was opened to the public, featured a live-fire demonstration of Tanks, Bradleys and Apache Helicopters.
(FORT BENNING, GA) – Fort Benning, Georgia, hosts Operation Thunderstrike April 29 at Red Cloud Range. The event, which was opened to the public, featured a live-fire demonstration of Tanks, Bradleys and Apache Helicopters. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — At its most basic level, maneuver is the ability to move to achieve an advantageous position. In today’s complex, multi-domain battlefield, the U.S. Army relies on a multitude of advanced systems to maneuver effectively in any operational environment.

PEO IEW&S works closely with the Maneuver Center of Excellence, and the Maneuver community overall, to identify and develop new capabilities that enhance the maneuver force. This includes systems to see, navigate, disrupt and integrate to ensure our Soldiers are better connected, more informed and mission ready.

Looking Forward

Forward-looking infrared, or FLIR, has been used by the Army since the mid-1960s to enhance targeting and surveillance capabilities. It gained prominence during the Vietnam War, being employed for night-time operations.

PEO IEW&S and its Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors, supports the acquisition and development of the most advanced FLIR system to date, third generation forward-looking infrared, or 3GEN FLIR.

3GEN FLIR provides high-definition images at longer ranges under a variety of environmental conditions including fog and smoke. Enhanced sensitivity means clearer and more detailed thermal images. Higher resolution and processing gives commanders and Soldiers better, more accurate information for more accurate target recognition. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will have the ability to process these high-definition images and provide additional information to all echelons of the Army. The system is on tap to integrate on the Abrams main battle tank with additional options for integration on manned fighting vehicles.

“The 3GEN FLIR provides the U.S. Army with overmatch in the detection, recognition, and identification of enemy activity and targets,” Lareina Adams, Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors said.

3GEN FLIR replaces its highly successful and effective predecessor — the second generation FLIR, or 2GF. For decades, the 2GF was a game-changer on the battlefield.

SIGINT, EW and Cyber

The Terrestrial Layer System Brigade Combat Team Manpack — or TLS BCT Manpack — the current program of record for the U.S. Army’s endeavor to develop and field electromagnetic spectrum dominating electronic warfare capabilities, is a wearable pack capable of providing signals intelligence, electronic warfare and cyber capabilities. Project Manager, Electronic Warfare & Cyber is the Army’s acquisition organization leading the effort to give mounted and dismounted soldiers the best of breed technology in a form factor that doesn’t impede maneuver operations.

Soldier utilizes TLS BCT Manpack to provide SIGINT, EW and Cyber capabilities for his unit.
Soldier utilizes TLS BCT Manpack to provide SIGINT, EW and Cyber capabilities for his unit. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo) VIEW ORIGINAL

The TLS BCT Manpack is designed for dismounted and mounted, light infantry units. It’s tailorable and modular design provides commanders mobile electronic warfare capabilities for any mission and in any environment. TLS BCT Manpack delivers radio frequency surveying, signals collection and direction-finding operations as well as EMS attack and force protection all in a wearable pack.

“BCT Manpack, being a dismounted sensor, can get into more restrictive, austere terrain to sense on enemy formations,” Capt. Austin Knighton, Assistant Product Manager for TLC BCT Manpack explained.
Navigation

In today’s modern operations environment, soldiers rely on assured positioning, navigation and timing, or APNT, capabilities to gather information about their location, teammates’ locations, terrain and enemy locations in areas where traditional systems like GPS may be disrupted, degraded or denied.

PEO IEW&S’ Project Manager Positioning Navigation and Timing plays a critical role in supporting Maneuver operations by providing valuable assured PNT solutions to the Army by means of dismounted assured PNT systems and mounted assured PNT systems — known as DAPS and MAPS, respectively.

Soldier navigates using Dismounted Assured PNT system (DAPS)
Soldier navigates using Dismounted Assured PNT system (DAPS) (Photo Credit: U.S. Army graphic) VIEW ORIGINAL

Product Manager Dismounted Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing is responsible for the development of DAPS which provides Commanders reliable alternatives to GPS when it is unavailable or degraded.

Similarly, Product Manager Mounted Assured PNT provides reliable PNT to Soldiers integrated with Army vehicles enabling forces to shoot, move and communicate in GPS challenged environments via mounted assured PNT systems. MAPS devices integrated in maneuver’s mounted platforms give commanders and forces confidence in their communications, command and control, targeting and firing, intelligence systems and networks.

Soldier uses Mounted Assured PNT system (MAPS)
Soldier uses Mounted Assured PNT system (MAPS) (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo) VIEW ORIGINAL

These PNT systems allow soldiers freedom of movement in GPS challenged environments. Providing Soldier-valued PNT solutions today to maneuver forces is critical to ensuring future overmatch in today’s rapidly evolving GPS denied domains.

"Our enemies have prioritized the development of navigation warfare systems to create large GPS denial-of service areas with the intent to disrupt maneuver, communications, fires, mission command and ISR capabilities,” Mike Trzeciak, PM PNT said. “PM PNT is rapidly developing and fielding Modernized capabilities to facilitate freedom of maneuver while providing secure timing to communications, networks and ISR capabilities across the Army."

As future operations will increasingly require the ability to function without GPS, ensuring that Commanders have access to trusted, dependable, and accurate alternative PNT sources is vital for achieving mission success.

Integrated Sensor Architecture

Integrated sensor architecture, or ISA, is like the USB-C cord in the world of military sensors. It's the common connection across devices. And just like USB-C which was less common a few years ago, it's proliferated throughout most of the tech we use today. ISA is trending on a similar trajectory, aiming to connect the myriad sensor capabilities the Army utilizes to gather, analyze and distribute data.

PEO IEW&S' Integration Directorate leads the ISA effort, working with organizations across the Joint Force and other government organizations to make ISA the standard framework for integrating various sensors into the Army’s network-centric systems. ISA ensures all sensors can connect and talk to each other in a tactical and dynamic environment.

Working with the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical, Mounted Mission Command, PEO IEW&S ISA experts are working to integrate ISA standards into all vehicles to give mounted and dismounted soldiers a more robust intelligence picture.

“The maneuver community wants and needs a better intel picture,” Christine Moulton, Integration Directorate Acting Director said. “ISA connects current systems like Army Intelligence Data Platform and the intel cloud to other systems allowing them to communicate and work for soldiers, not against them.”

As ISA incorporates into future systems, it will allow those systems to work seamlessly with legacy systems and enables faster upgrades in capabilities by allowing individual sensors/capabilities to be adopted more quickly to fielded systems.

PEO IEW&S also fields several other major programs that have supported the maneuver community for years.

  • Counter RCIED Electronic Warfare (CREW) / Duke
  • Modi Dismounted EW System
  • Vehicle Optics Sensor System (VOSS)
  • Long Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System (LRAS3/FS3)
  • Driver’s Vision Enhancer (DVE)
  • Boomerang Generation III (BG III)
  • Husky Mounted Systems (HMDS)