Appropriation Requests - FY2011 Defense Appropriations Act
- Unmanned Aircraft System Maintenance Training Program—$2,000,000 for Northland Community & Technical College to support the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) maintenance and repair training program, which will fill a key deficiency in the industry for these increasingly important aircraft systems.
- Minnesota National Guard Reintegration Program—$2,000,000 for the Minnesota National Guard’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program, which is nationally recognized for its training and support for Guard members and their families to address adjustment to veteran status, family conflicts, and employment issues early, thereby reducing other social costs.
- Minnesota National Guard Counterdrug Program—$2,000,000 for the Minnesota National Guard to support the Guard’s ongoing educational and drug interdiction activities.
- Midwest Energy Initiative (MERIT) Planning, Research and Design—$500,000 for the Minnesota National Guard to upgrade Army National Guard infrastructure to make it energy-efficient as well as more cost-effective.
- Development and Validation of Advanced Design Technologies for Hypersonic Research—$1,000,000 for the University of Minnesota to continue the development and validation of advanced design technologies for hypersonic research into the next generation of hypersonic vehicles.
- Minnesota National Guard Drill Hall Communications System—$1,260,000 for the Minnesota National Guard to upgrade its communications systems at all 63 of its drill halls throughout the state, improving the Guard’s ability to train its troops and increasing their readiness.
- Preparedness and Response Information System for the Minnesota National Guard—$757,000 for the Minnesota National Guard for Geographic information systems (GIS), which would be placed at the Minnesota National Guard’s Joint Operations Center in St. Paul and at its Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) site at Camp Ripley.
- Continuity of Operations Planning Site, Phase 1—$800,000 for the Minnesota National Guard’s Continuity of Operations Planning Site at Camp Ripley that will enable more effective management of first responder operations through communications between all deployed Minnesota Guard troops as well as state and local personnel.
- Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) Sensors for Minnesota National Guard UH-60 Medevac Helicopters—$900,000 for Equipment improvements to the thermal imagining systems on the Minnesota National Guard’s UH-60 helicopters, which would offer a unique and potentially life-saving search and rescue capability for both state and federal missions.
- All-Hazard Response Capability for the Minnesota National Guard—$2,310,000 for the Minnesota National Guard to equip its High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) with an improved all-weather/all-terrain track.
- Light Utility Helicopter Envelop Protective Cover—$2,000,000 for Shield Technologies to provide the Light Utility Helicopter program with sets of covers for the exterior cockpit, interior dash/ center console, pilot tube, and external rescue hoist that should reduce corrosion by up to 90 percent.
- All Terrain Ultra Light Vehicles for the National Guard—$2,400,000 for Polaris Industries to provide All Terrain Ultra Light Vehicles to the National Guard.
- F-35 Wing Skins and Nacelle Skins Production Capacity—$2,000,000 for the procurment of a critical non-destructive inspection technology produced by PaR Systems in Shoreview, MN to support the production of lightweight carbon composite fiber laminates on the F-35.
- Ground Guidance Navigation Software Integration for Special Operations Forces—$1,000,000 for the procurment of Ground Guidance licenses for the integration of Ground Guidance Software into existing Special Operations Forces mission planning and mission execution platforms.
- Cybersecurity Information Assurance Assist—$3,000,000 to McAfee, Inc. to provide up-to-date, state-of-the art network security to U.S. Naval critical infrastructures deployed within and outside the Continental United States.
- Radiation Hardened Microelectronics Carbon Nanotube Technology—$3,000,000 for Honeywell International for radiation hardened microelectronics for national security applications designed to withstand extremely harsh natural and manmade radiation environments. Carbon nanotube offers lower-power, high-density, non-volatile microelectronic devices.
- Advanced Digital Hydraulic Hybrid Drive System—$1,200,000 for Eaton Corporation to demonstrate a retrofittable, military-purpose series hybrid hydraulic system on a HMMWV intended to show 60% fuel economic improvements and to reduce the hybrid system weight and volume by 50%.
- Increased fuel savings on the LHA-8 and follow-on ships—$2,000,000 for Converteam for the Increased Motor and Generator Efficiency (iMAGE) system, which is designed to increase fuel savings on the LHA-8 amphibious assault ships.
- Gun Propellent Demilitarization—$2,000,000 for Gradient Technology for the safe demilitarization of many tons of off-spec and obsolete gun propellent, which can be recycleed for a domestic source of nitroguanidine (NQ), a key ingredient in modern propellents.
- Anode Materials for Improved Lithium Ion Battery Performance—$2,000,000 for 3M Company to provide an innovative anode material at prototype and initial supply levels meant to enable improved large-format lithium ion batteries for electric/hybrid military vehicles and their attendant improved fuel efficiency and on-board electric power.
- Composite Electronic Armor—$2,000,000 for Ennorex LLC to scale up Ennorex’s composite electric armor for vehicles to tactical size, integrate it, and test it to seek to demonstrate its ability to defeat a spectrum of improved explosive device threats – especially explosively-formed penetrators and rocket-propelled grenades.
- Rubber Track Conversion System for MRAP Vehicles—$2,000,000 for Mattracks, Inc. for the rubber track conversion system Mattracks is developing for MRAP vehicles, which will provide increased mobility in terrain and conditions that tires can no longer negotiate.
- Throwable Reconnaissance Robot—$2,000,000 for the University of Minnesota to do research and development to improve the sensing, mobility, and communications capabilities of the Recon Scout Reconnaisance Robot, a small video-equipped, throwable, and mobile robot.
- Modular Hit-Avoidance System (M3WS)—$2,000,000 for ATK for development of a modular system capable of being adapted to different platforms to enable U.S. military vehicles to detect and either avoid or defeat incoming munitions.
- Next Generation Military Sterilizer—$1,500,000 for Sterilucent, Inc. to continue development of a “cold” sterilizer of medical instruments in far forward surgical units providing combat casualty care.
- Advanced Modeling Technology for Large-Structure Titanium Modeling Initiative $1,000,000 for Third Wave Systems’ advanced modeling software that simulates the machining environment for optimizing speed and cuts, resulting in faster production of titanium, which is generally difficult and time-consuming. The aim is to reduce production costs and cycle times for titanium used to make stronger but lighter military components.
- Arista Histology and Chemical Studies—$2,000,000 for Medafor, Inc. for histology and chemical processing studies aimed at minimizing fatal hemorrhaging and adverse effects by enabling rapid hemostatic response with fully functional coagulating bandages and agents for battlefield and operating room use.
- Biodegradable Fire Suppression Gel for Composite Material Fires—$1,000,000 for Earthclean Corporation for further development and testing of biodegradable fire suppression gel for use in Air Force fire fighting vehicles to completely extinguish composite material fires in an efficient, environment-friendly manner.
- United Service Organizations (USO)—Request funding to help the USO continue and expand its programs in support of deployed servicemembers, wounded warriors and their families.
