Army 8. Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions
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PHASE II: This effort shall build and produce a quantity of not less than eight prototype hardware displays capable of mounting on an HGU-56P helmet and projecting a video input from a laptop computer on the helmet visor. The hardware shall demonstrate sunlight readability of the display, adjustable brightness and the ability to adjust the focal length of the display. The hardware shall demonstrate the ability to see symbols projected while night vision goggles are installed on the helmet. The vendor shall create an item specification for the product which shall be delivered. The item specification would define product capability, test requirements to prove those capabilities, and include compliance requirements of the specification written in phase II. A study shall be delivered outlining a program cost and schedule to build the product so that it would accept video input from the Army standard HUD, bench test the system for all performance requirements called out in the new item specification, and support aircraft simulator testing. All hardware developed under Phase II shall become the property of the US Government as a deliverable. The Government will furnish as many helmets as required to support development. All drawings and source code developed in response to this effort shall be delivered to the Government upon completion of this phase. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The Projection HUD shall be built and tested to accept video input from the Army standard HUD computer. The production hardware weight shall be less than or equal to the current HUD display weight with an objective of half the current display weight. The new HUD display will be tested in a simulator to the performance specification requirements. The new HUD display will undergo bench qualification testing to the performance specification requirements. The new HUD display will then enter aircraft flight testing and evaluation. Thirty six (36) displays will be built and furnished to support test and evaluation. REFERENCES: 1. AVNS-DTL-10868B, Detail Specification, Item Specification for the Air Soldier Common Helmet Mounted Display (uploaded in SITIS on 12/8/17) 2. Commercial technology potential sources: https://livemap.info/ https://www.ridenuviz.com/
TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Weapons The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the Announcement. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this SBIR proposal is the demonstration and subsequent production of new small arms barrels with improved durability, and maintaining performance in a high rate of fire in varying environmental conditions. For example; Titanium barrels with deep titanium nitrided bores have been made using Powdered Metal (PM) and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) technology. A bi-metal barrel with refractory liner will create a heat and wear resistant bore using a conventional barrel material as the outer tube. Longer barrel life is expected at a reasonable cost. The new barrel can result in a long life barrel at significant weight savings as compared to conventional steel barrels. DESCRIPTION: New Powdered Metal (PM) gun barrel technologies are being studied and new manufacturing methods and material combinations have been proposed which promise to show gun barrel life extension and consistent accuracy. Goal is to have a barrel capable of a rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute for 16 minutes and 40 seconds without a barrel change or risk of cook-off. Cyclic 200 rounds without cook off (Threshold). Capable of 108 rounds per minute sustained for 9 minutes and 16 seconds without barrel change or risk of cook off.(Objective). A cost target of $900.00 (Threshold) $400.00 (Objective) PM technologies have matured to a point where the construction of sample test barrels can begin and made ready for live fire evaluation. Advancements include: • Dual material (bi-metal) gun barrels with PM refractory material bores. • PM titanium barrel with thick titanium nitride bore. • Others A bi-metal barrel with refractory liner will create a heat and wear resistant bore using a conventional barrel material as the outer tube. Longer barrel life is expected at a reasonable cost. The titanium barrel promises a long life barrel at significant weight savings as compared to steel. Bore wear concerns are addressed by deep titanium nitriding using Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). PHASE I: The Phase I effort is intended as a first step into a new world of gun barrel manufacture. Demonstrating a sample bi-metal barrel or rugged titanium barrel, or both, will open the door to a new light weight and long lasting gun barrel technology available at a reasonable cost. Phase activities shall include: a) literature survey, b) market research, c) samples acquired and demonstrated in lab. Along with the sample supply a report providing results of the literature survey, market research, weight and cost projections, material specifications, and fabrication process description will also be supplied. PHASE II: A Phase II effort is envisioned to expand the types of new material bores and further develop as a viable gun barrel material. Government furnished ammunition will be requested for Phase II in order to establish and validate the durability, extended life, and performance of these new technology gun barrels. Government issued weapon barrels will also be requested for use as control samples. No other certifications or restrictions are envisioned. The goal is to deliver two finished barrels made with new technologies, each having been subjected to limited testing to validate feasibility, determine accuracy, and record initial muzzle velocity. The barrel technologies shall demonstrate capability of a barrel capable of a rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute for 16 minutes and 40 seconds without a barrel change or risk of cook-off. Cyclic 200 rounds without cook off (Threshold) at a target of cost $900.00 USD. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: DoD and Federal Agencies Successful demonstration of PM technology in gun barrels will lead to enormous opportunities for commercialization. The DoD is interested in maximizing barrel life while at the same time offering lighter weaponry. Once the technology is proven viable, the market will expand to other defense agencies. Commercial Firearms Market Powder metal technology can be the answer to early throat wear in high velocity cartridges. This technology will be promoted on the commercial market to major U.S. firearms manufacturers as an answer to the technological challenges presented by these calibers. The Commercial firearms market has been growing steadily with over 10-million firearms produced annually. More than 4 million of these are rifles, where the PM technology is expected to show the most significant advantages. If 10% of this market can be captured in the near term, 400,000 gun barrels yearly will represent a sizeable market. It is believed this market potential can be achieved over a 5-year period. REFERENCES: 1. Richter, D., G. Haour, and D. Richon. "Hot isostatic pressing (HIP)." Materials & design 6.6 (1985): 303-305. 2. Helle, A. S., Kenneth E. Easterling, and M. F. Ashby. "Hot-isostatic pressing diagrams: new developments." Acta Metallurgica 33.12 (1985): 2163-2174. 3. Bocanegra-Bernal, M. H. "Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology and its applications to metals and ceramics." Journal of Materials Science 39.21 (2004): 6399-6420. 4. Jackson, Melvin R., Paul A. Siemers, and David P. Perrin. "Gun barrel for use at high temperature." U.S. Patent No. 4,669,212. 2 Jun. 1987. KEYWORDS: Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), refractory metal bores, Powder metal technology, barrel manufacturing, firearms, gun barrels, small arms barrels
TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Human Systems OBJECTIVE: Design and develop a singular or multi-aspect non-pyrotechnic Battlefield Effects Replication (BFER) system/family of solutions to provide audio and visual cues of hostile threat fire, successful target engagement/hit, and lingering effects (burning). The capability must be usable within a live fire open environment for extended periods of time, and must not create any health or environmental impacts (operations and disposal). DESCRIPTION: During Force-on-Force and Live Fire Training events, there exists inconsistent replication of threat fire, successful engagement, and lingering effects signatures. The effort will be to design and develop a singular or multi-aspect approach for creating realistic cues and signatures (visual, thermal, and audio) within the training environments. Non-pyrotechnic development and solutions are desired. The non-pyrotechnic Battlefield Effects Replication (BFER) system should leverage common off the shelf control and cueing elements to the maximum extent possible. There is no requirement for a single device to do everything. Solution could be a single “box” or could be a family/product-line of solutions predicated on a common control, interface, and/or signature solution. The BFER needs to: • Replicate burning vehicles within the live fire training area (i.e., black lingering smoke), that creates a real world like obscurant in the battle space.
These elements should utilize a modular concept to fulfill the requirement; could be one box or many as long as interoperability is achieved. The S&T of the effort is the mechanism, processes, and approaches to achieve the effects. Solution must support to eventual safety certification of the solution(s). Portability of the solutions is very important; most solutions will be emplaced during training exercises. Space limitations will apply, and will be driven to the space available within a live fire target position (refer to TC 25-8 and CEHNC 1110-1-23). No hazardous materials will be allowed within the approach or solution. The design must support operations for 3 to 5 days before maintenance actions (number of actuations will vary by training event and signature replication). In terms of burning effects, hostile threat, and hit signatures, the preliminary design should support a minimum of 30 actuations. In terms of small arms hostile fire with tracer replication, the preliminary design should support 600 actuations with 40 tracer actuations. The BFER should utilize common off the shelf elements to reduce cost and increase availability. The solutions must be capable of integrating into an existing (TCP/IP) live fire range network. The sensor must not be fixed to a target system, and must be capable of operating either in conjunction with a target or in a stand-alone mode. PHASE I: Determine the feasibility and approach of developing a Battlefield Effects Replication (BFER) solution. The study shall determine the ability to create realistic effects (illumination, thermal, and audio) for the desired cues. The study shall determine the design capacity based on the various training use cases, and develop the design approach to ensure training requirements can be supported. The study shall consider the environmental impacts and ballistic protection schemas as required. PHASE II: Develop a prototype modular Battlefield Effects Replication (BFER) solution. Demonstrate its ability to create the various battlefield effects as defined in the topic description. Demonstrate its ability to align with the Live Training Transformation (LT2) product line in terms of common command and control (via Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) interfaces/contracts). Demonstration will be at TRL 7. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Military application: Transition technology to the Army Program called Future Army System of Integrated Targets (FASIT). Technology would be viable for both digital and non-digital ranges, urban operations ranges, and other live fire training ranges where Battlefield Effects Replication (BFER) solutions are required. Technology would also may be applicable to the force-on-force training environment. Commercial applications include sports, gaming, and law enforcement applications. REFERENCES: 1. Chen, Gary; Showalter, Shawna; Raibeck, Gretel; Wejsa, James; “Environmentally Benign Battlefield Effects Black Smoke Simulator”; 1 November 2006; DTIC Accession Number: ADA481520 2. CEHNC 1110-1-23; USACE Design Manual for Ranges - Revised Range Design/Construction Interface Standards Supplement 3. Training Circular (TC) 25-8, Training Ranges; https://atiam.train.army.mil/soldierPortal/atia/adlsc/view/public/6851-1/TC/25-8/toc.htm 4. Field Manual (FM) 7-1, Battle Focused Training; https://atiam.train.army.mil/soldierPortal/atia/adlsc/view/public/11656-1/fm/7-1/fm7_1.pdf
TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Information Systems OBJECTIVE: Create a user-friendly training content management system for scenario-based training, supporting discovery of scenarios or scenario elements on the basis of learning objectives. Help unit personnel build an adaptive training roadmap. DESCRIPTION: The future of Army collective simulation/scenario-based training will be a cloud-based integrated environment, which will support the breadth of a unit’s training needs. The environment will provide an exercise design capability and an exercise repository. The design capability will enable a user to design a new scenario, use an existing scenario, modify an existing scenario, and store new/modified scenarios. To support this, exercises in the repository must be discoverable based on the unit’s current training needs. The purpose of this topic is to support the development of a web-service to support discoverability and recommendation. The results should (1) provide an editable underlying structure for organizing exercises according to multiple dimensions (e.g., learning objectives, terrain, unit size and type, ratings, etc.), (2) provide a dashboard of recommended tasks (e.g., CATS—Combined Arms Training Strategies), and (3) provide a user-friendly method for associating new/modified exercises with the underlying structure. The work should include methods for establishing the organizational scheme (underlying structure) with users, and that is ultimately successful and appropriate for users/training content. The dashboard will support unit personnel in (1) creating an adaptive training roadmap, (2) recommending content that will allow the unit to progress along that roadmap, and (3) adapting exercise recommendations dynamically, based on both unit readiness and user input. The dashboard must be user friendly and support an understanding of the reasons for system recommendations. Users should be able to accept or reject recommendations, and the system should use these choices to adapt future recommendations. The web-service or services developed should be agnostic as to simulation or virtual environment and training objectives. They should also provide open APIs allowing exchange of data from other systems (e.g., the Army Training Management System). The work should also demonstrate usability by the intended user audiences, and methods by which recommendations are adapted over time. PHASE I: Phase I is a feasibility study (6-month effort) to develop an initial concept design and key elements required for the capabilities described in the Topic Description. This includes, but is not limited to (1) a concept for the underlying structure and the interface for user editing, (2) approaches for involving users in developing the content dimensions needed in the underlying structure, (3) a conceptual design/storyboards for the user dashboard, (4) conceptual methods of recommendation and recommendation adaptation, and (5) user interfaces for associating new/modified scenarios with the underlying structural taxonomy/dimensions. During Phase I, any demonstration content should be based on CATS HHC, INF BN (IBCT) 07416R000. PHASE II: Phase II is a 2-year R&D effort that will culminate in a working prototype based on Infantry CATS. While actual scenario-based training exercises do not need to be created in a repository, dummy files with descriptions of scenarios should be created to support the demonstration. In addition to demonstrating the capabilities described in the Topic Description and designed in Phase I, human-interfaces must conform to common usability heuristics (https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/), and a usability study be conducted with participants from the potential user audience (or similar). Ideally user input will be collected iteratively. A final demonstration should show the prototype’s technical ability to meet the specifics of the topic description, by demonstrating its capability to generate and adapt training roadmaps for 5 different types of Infantry units, using simulated user interaction data based on hypothetical training results and varying user acceptance of system recommendations. At least some of the training results should be read in “automatically” from one or more simulated training systems, thus demonstrating API data exchange. In addition, a user study should be conducted demonstrating that with no more than an hour’s training, users (at least 5) can interact with the system to generate the same or similar results as the technical demonstration, based on a conceptual description of the simulated input data used for the technical demonstration. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III derives from and extends efforts performed during the previous phases, and covers technology transition and commercialization. During Phase III the prototype will be transitioned to a fielding-ready system. The specific Phase III military applications will be to apply the developments to various virtual/simulation training environments which involve scenario repositories. Candidate Army environments include Close Combat Tactical Trainer, Games for Training, and the Synthetic Training Environment (STE). It is STE that this topic was particularly aimed at. The vision for the STE is to be a single multi-echelon collective training environment as described in the Topic Description. The STE will require the type of training management capability to be developed under this topic. Phase III should integrate the designed prototype with ongoing efforts to develop the STE, design the appropriate hand-shakes with other STE web-services or other Amy systems, and comply with information security requirements. With respect to commercial application, the developed services should be applicable to any learning repository for which users need to make a training plan, and update that plan as time progresses. While the military application is about training for teams, the developed services can also be applied to individual learning, and may be of benefit for university, vocational and ElHi teachers and/or training managers. REFERENCES: 1. TRADOC Force Operating Capability (FOC): Soldier and Team Performance Overmatch 2. Warfighter Outcomes: Enhance Realistic Training, Improve Solder, Leader, and Team Performance. 3. Human Dimension Strategy Lines of Effort: Cognitive Dominance, Realistic Training 4. PEO STRI: PM ITE 5. ARL-HRED-ATO: Training Effectiveness
KEYWORDS: Simulation, content management, Human Dimension
TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Electronics OBJECTIVE: Reusable alternatives to blank cartridges for use with dismounted MILES systems. DESCRIPTION: The Army’s goal has always been to train as they fight in a realistic environment. Live training intends to provide the most realistic environment to prepare the warfighter for actual combat. The Multiple Integrated LASER Engagement System (MILES) allows soldiers, commanders and instructors to simulate real-time, direct-fire, force-on-force (FoF) combat between opposing forces. MILES equipment is responsive to MILES coded LASER fire from MILES equipment. Functionally, the equipment conforms to the same hit, kill, and near miss definitions of firing event outcomes. Different versions of MILES systems are available. The Instrumentable – Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (I-MILES) is designed to simulate both the direct-firing capabilities and the vulnerability of dismounted troops, tactical vehicles and combat vehicles and to objectively assess weapon effects during training. This provides unit commanders an integrated training system to use at the home station local training area and instrumented training areas. Gun-mounted MILES Small Arms Transmitters (SATs) are designed to emit lasers when they detect indicators that their gun is being fired – they wait for an explosive sound (report) and simultaneous shock from recoil. To produce a small arms signature effect without endangering trainees, the military uses blank cartridges, a type of cartridge that contains powder but no bullet. Blanks provide an acceptable level of realism, forcing the trainee to deal with real-life tasks such as gun jams and ammo management. The standard infantryman is issued 210 rounds (7 30-round magazines) for an operation. Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCTs) contain 3 Infantry companies, each of which can consist of as many as 250 soldiers. Using those numbers, we can assume that a SBCT training exercise at the National Training Center (NTC) in Barstow, California will include as many as 750 trainees. If each soldier expends all of the rounds issued to him, a single Army Force on Force exercise can go through 157,500 blanks. At a price of $0.25 per blank, the Army could potentially pay $39,375 for blanks alone every exercise. This figure does not account for additional logistics costs such as storage and transportation or for blanks for OPFOR forces. Purchasing blank cartridges is a major cost driver for live training. This commodity is expendable, and some must be replaced each time a new exercise is initiated. Removing the need to replace blanks for each exercise could lead to major cost savings, reduced environmental impacts, and lessening the Army’s logistics burden. The idea of reusable alternatives to blank cartridges is not new. Previous offerings included a recoil actuating bolt paired with a battery-powered magazine & muzzle-mounted “flash” device. While a novel concept, the problem with this approach is that it requires modification of the firearm, leaving it unable to perform in an operational environment. An ideal solution would not require firearm modification, allowing trainees to switch from operations-ready to training-ready (and back again) with as few intermediary steps as possible.
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