The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Force Protection thrust seeks to develop and mature technologies that provide protection from myriad modes of enemy attack throughout the spectrum of warfare, including concepts such as asymmetric and irregular warfare and distributed operations which concentrate on the small unit (battalion and below) and individual warfighter levels. End products will include protective systems expeditionary in nature, light-weight and capable of providing a far greater degree of performance than any comparable system currently available. The functional areas of investigation are explosive hazard defeat through detection, breaching and neutralization of all explosive hazards, counter sniper, counter rocket, artillery, and mortar (CRAM), counter-bomber and personal protective equipment.
Technology investment areas include detection, neutralization and mitigation.
Force Protection Science and Technology Challenges
Detection
- Detection of buried objects in multiple soil types at stand-off, out of direct line-of-site, over-the-horizon distances
- Clutter rejection in all environments under all conditions
- Detection of multiple signatures simultaneously within one system
Neutralization
- Real time multi-modality sensor fusion with detection sensors
- Fully integrated multi-modality family of systems performing multiple functions while on the move
- Space, weight and power limitations associated with directed energy systems for explosive hazard defeat systems, and CRAM systems, and air-defense systems
Mitigation
- Material/systems with the capability to protect the warfighter against all kinetic and non-kinetic asymmetric threats with an ultralight-weight protective system
- Preventing detection throughout the lectromagnetic spectrum found on the battlefield, including near instantaneous materials response to threats
The Expeditionary Maneuver and Combating Terrorism Department welcomes innovative ideas and white papers in response to the ONR long-range broad agency announcement.
Download the Force Protection Thrust's Willful Intent slides.
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