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Investments to Bolster Pax Missions, Benefit St. Mary's County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, September 25, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) announced that the U.S. House of Representatives approved $16.4 million for projects at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Southern Maryland. The funding was included in the FY09 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 2638) at the request of Rep. Hoyer. The bill was passed yesterday by the House; the Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week. Also included in the bill was a pay adjustment of 3.9 percent for federal civilian employees and military personnel. "From the development of advanced weaponry to the testing of strategic aircraft, Pax missions are contributing in significant ways to bolster our armed forces and maintain our nation's status as the premier military innovator in the world," said Hoyer. "This $16.4 million will allow the continued development of cutting edge technology that will enhance the war fighters' mission capability. Furthermore, it underscores a commitment to the important contributions and vital role that Pax plays, not only to our nation's defense, but also in support of the economy and stability of the surrounding community." Funding that will benefit Naval Air Station Patuxent River included in the FY09 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act is listed below. Improved Interoperability Supporting NAVAIR and GWOT Missions - $2 Million
Funding for this project will provide upgrades for the Ship Self Defense System and Cooperative Engagement Capability Sensor Network at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Surface/Aviation Interoperability Laboratory. These upgrades will support integration, engineering, and interoperability evaluations for Maritime Domain Awareness systems involving defense, other federal, state and local agencies, and for aircraft, ship and sailor components of the carrier battle group. All-Weather, Sense and Avoid Sensors for UAVs - $2.5 Million
Currently UAVs are at high risk of collision during their normal operations because sensor systems on UAVs, designed to look down during sensor collection operations, are not generally available to look for possible collision scenarios. Funding will complete the Congressional initiative for the development, prototype fabrication, and laboratory demonstration in a ground-based vehicle of the all-weather collision avoidance system to be used by the war fighting community. It will also provide for flight testing prototype systems and documenting compliance with DOD and FAA requirements. Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility (ACETEF) upgrade - $3 Million
This project upgrades ACETEF by integrating advanced instrumentation, data reduction, and display technology used at the Atlantic Test Range with ACETEF. Additionally, it will upgrade avionics and computer systems at the Manned Flight Simulator within the ACETEF. Special Operations Forces Test Environment for Advanced Team Collaboration Missions - $2 Million
This project will integrate laboratories that are currently developing real time team collaboration technologies for our Special Operations Forces (SOF). This will enable SOF mission exercises to assess these emerging technologies at the Naval Air Systems Command (NASC) Advanced Maritime Technology Center. Adaptive Infrastructure for SOF Experimentation - $2.4 Million
This project will fund the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) partnership with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to experiment with emerging wireless infrastructure technologies. These experiments will enable both the ARL and USSOCOM to capitalize on emerging wireless networks used to support unmanned vehicles and other battlefield equipment while minimizing the potential for duplicative efforts among the two services. Unmanned Air Systems Tactical Control System - $2.5 Million
Currently, the U.S. Navy is developing multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Each of these UAV platforms has developed their own ground control systems. The funds provided in the bill will be used to develop a common ground control system that will be interoperable across multiple UAVs. It will do this by utilizing open standards software and, where applicable, commercial off-the-shelf technology. The goal of this project is to not only provide the Navy with added flexibility but also significantly lower the operating costs of these systems. Sure Trak Re-Architecture and Sensor Augmentation - $2 Million
This project upgrades and improves the Sure Trak sensors currently used at the Atlantic Test Range. Sure Trak is a monitoring and tracking system developed by the U.S. Navy for the purposes of port and test range security. These upgrades can further add to its potential for being used as a system that can monitor large geographic areas of the Atlantic Test Range and can be expanded for the purpose of counter terrorism and law enforcement functions. Congressman Hoyer was also pleased that the bill includes $6 million for a fiber optic data link system upgrade between the Atlantic Test Ranges of NAWCAD Patuxent River, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and the NAVSEA Surface Combat Systems Center. The network will strengthen the broadband signal serving these facilities and improve interoperable communications. The funding was originally requested by Maryland's Senators, Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin; Rep. Hoyer helped secure $4.1 million for the program last year and supported the inclusion of this year's funding in the final version of the bill ###
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