Washington, DC – Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed approval late yesterday by the Senate Appropriations Committee of the Fiscal Year 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, which includes $15 million for Long Island.

The bill will now proceed to the Senate floor for consideration. Following consideration and passage on the Senate floor, the bill will head into a Conference Committee where the House and Senate will resolve the differences between the two bills. Following conference, the bill will again be sent to the House and Senate for final approval, after which it will be sent to the President for his signature.

“With so many brave men and women serving this country, this funding is good news both at home in Long Island and abroad,” Senator Schumer said. “This money will help give our troops the most technologically advanced equipment possible while investing in Long Island’s local economy.”

“As our men and women in uniform continue to fight bravely overseas, these New York companies are helping to support them with the best equipment and technology available. This funding is a tremendous boost to these local companies who are on the cutting edge of research and development and are also local employers, contributing to our regional economy. As we look to develop the state’s future as a center for research and results, these are the kinds of investments that we need to continue making,” Senator Clinton said.

Funding in the FY 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill includes –

ATK Alliant Techsystems – Scramjet Research - $6 million

The bill appropriates $6 million in funding to continue development of scramjet technology needed to integrate and demonstrate hypersonic strike platforms, such as the United States Air Force’s X-51B vehicle. In a continuing effort to push technology forward, this Air Force program seeks to bring the HyTech engine to a flight test and provide a flight test platform for future technology development. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) advocates working to integrate an alternate engine concept into the X-51A program, thus broadening the program’s technology base. Additionally, this program is coordinated with continuing NASA research to ensure broad potential applicability.

Telephonics – Aircraft Wireless Intercom System (AWIS) - $2 million

Funding will support the acquisition and installation of non-encrypted AWIS kits for Active and Reserve Force MEDEVAC aircraft. AWIS will provide enhanced safety and communications linkage between flight crew and medical personnel on board the aircraft during air and ground operations. Currently, there is no integrated communication system between the MEDEVAC flight crew and medic once the medic leaves the aircraft to attend to the on board loading of patients aboard the aircraft. The AWIS will provide capability that will allow medic personnel freedom of both hands to perform onboard medical procedures while communicating with the flight crew, and eliminate the safety hazards and operational restrictions inherent to the existing tethered system. Voice communication between crewmembers and medical personnel during critical phases of rescue operations is essential to the safety of patient and crew. Battlefield necessity supports fielding of the available non-encrypted AWIS now. The benefits of AWIS serve the Army imperatives of aviation flight safety and force health protection and decreased battlefield aviations incidents through the insertion of technology enhancement to forward medical care. It further provides enhanced “aviation team coordination” during medical evacuation.

STIDD – Diver Propulsion Device - $2 million

This bill appropriates $2 million to STIDD Systems, Inc in Greenport, a leader in commercial marine seating and maritime SOF mobility platforms. STIDD currently employs over 60 people and is a prime supplier of underwater submersibles and shock mitigating seats to the Department of Defense Special Operations Forces. The Diver Propulsion Device (DPD) is a mission essential surface and underwater mobility platform for combat divers. The DPD replaces the traditional mode of physically demanding in-water manual propulsion. The DPD allows divers to carry additional gear, reduce infiltration and exfiltration times, cover large distances/areas quickly during reconnaissance/searching tasks all while conserving both energy and time for other mission requirements. Use of the DPD by the Army’s Diving Units, to include the Engineer Dive Teams and the Special Forces Dive Teams will transform their ability to accomplish their respective missions. Army Engineer Dive Teams will utilize the DPD as a means to move personnel and equipment quickly and efficiently while executing port construction/rehabilitation and ship husbandry/ repair.

Truetech – M291 Skin Decontamination Kits - $2 million

The M291 SDK is a skin decontamination kit fielded by the US Army. The lightweight, portable kit decontaminates skin from known nerve and blister agent threats without harming the skin and the adsorbent and reactive resin technology provides a unique system for the decontamination of chemical warfare agents, which has been approved by the FDA 510(k) clearance process. The technologically-advanced polymeric adsorbent, containing a bimodal pore system, provides for rapid adsorption of chemical agents from skin, effectively sequestering the agent and preventing skin penetration. The functionalized reactive resins in the M291 SDK provide for chemical decontamination of the agent, rendering it impotent.

BAE Systems – High Altitude Hyperspectral Imaging (SPIRITT) for the Navy’s SHARP Program - $3 million

SPIRITT provides a 24-hour capability to discriminate camouflaged or concealed targets from decoys as well as detect chemical agents, gas plumes and buried objects. Hyperspectral techniques detect and identify targets based on spectral signature; this technology also distinguishes disturbed earth anomalies that identify IEDs, buried mines, subterranean fortifications, and personnel/vehicle travel routes. The SPIRITT sensor combines visible and infrared high-resolution imagers with hyperspectral sensors. Hyperspectral discrimination techniques are used in the Visible, Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) and Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) bands to detect targets and to cue high-resolution imagers for target identification. Real-time on-board processing is used for rapid precision targeting. The Navy needs to fulfill its baseline requirement for standoff Day/Night imaging and the Hyperspectral P3I for SHARP. The sensor being flown as part of the USAF SPRITT ATD has demonstrated outstanding performance for standoff day/night high-resolution imaging and hyperspectral imaging techniques. The first flight tests of the four band sensor were conducted in Aug 2005 with outstanding results. The superb performance displayed in the initial test flights has led to an enhanced program to conduct operational military utility evaluation and the extension of the ATD application to additional platforms.

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