Project Horizon Military update is intended as an informational page to field answers for many of the questions we are receiving regarding breaking tactical technologies as they become declassified from the compiled sources as listed below. Rangeresqe staff will continue in our efforts to bring you the most up to date products and information as they are made available in both the military government and private sectors. Streaming news and updates: ===> ||MIT Video Update
|| Solar Soldier || Phase II Exoskeleton || Military NanoTech|| Military Robotics|| Future Combat Systems|| Gryphon- Synthetic Paratrooper ||
Section Links: Exoskeleton, Nano Tech, Cloaking Topics covered in this discussion include the military systems and tactical concepts agenda for FFW including Situational Awareness enhancement via integrated full spectrum helmet communications, State of the art developments in General Dynamics C4 Systems , GPS location and status monitoring, artificial vision magnification, auditory enhancement, advanced theory ballistic protection, Exo-skeleton& Nano-Technologies , emerging cloaking systems , Physiological status monitoring systems for the warfighter, and Soldier portable power & cooling systems.
Future Force Warrior (FFW) is the Army's flagship Science and Technology initiative developing and demonstrating revolutionary capabilities for the Future Force Soldier and Small Team. A human-centric, integrated system of systems approach is being employed to support the Army transformation into a soldier centric force. The FFW is a major pillar of the Future Force Strategy, complementing the Future Combat System (FCS) and other Future Force programs.
FFW is creating a lightweight overwhelmingly lethal, fully integrated combat system including head to toe individual protection, ad-hoc networking, soldier worn power sources, and enhanced human performance. The program is aimed at providing unsurpassed individual and small team lethality, survivability, communications and responsiveness — a formidable warrior in an invincible team. FFW will be fully integrated with FCS and other Future Force platforms.
Overview: Systems – Situation awareness . The system looks to combine rapid information transfer accelerate and improve SA by an advanced helmet system that sees all hears all and can relay this information to all. The system comes complete with a 17” internal virtual reality display viewed by the soldier, a hologram projector viewed by others, and satellite and video communications available for view to all both field and command garrison staff.
Soldier Exoskeleton – The bionic or hydraulic exoskeleton is designed to enhance strength speed and endurance to improve the warfighters function and combat effective carrying capacity. The exoskeleton is also intended to be used as ballistic protection in conjunction with liquid body armor.
Defense Nano Technology– Nano tech is being developed to assist in merging various aspects of the Future Force Warfighter system with new textiles for health monitoring and wound healing, cloaking and concealment, and atmospheric & environmental adaptation. Compact power sources such as advanced miniaturized battery packs, cutting edge hydrogen fuel cells, and integrated photovoltaic solar panels are incorporated to fuel system power demands.
Physiological status monitoring – Health. The system is incorporating an elaborate vitals monitoring network referenced via GPS locators so medics and command staff can monitor heart rate, blood pressure, diagnose and treat stress, hydration, fatigue and catastrophic combat injuries.
Cloaking concealment – Next generation fiberoptic and holographic deception cloaking camouflage concealment designs are being merged to become compatible with the FFW system.
Tactical HVAC – Compact soldier portable heating and cooling systems are in beta to maintain climate control used with FFW technologies.
All this together with the best educated, highest trained military men armed with NEXGEN ADVANCON lasers and we arrive at tomorrow's super soldier the Future Force Warfighter.
LETHALITY:
FFW interfaces with advanced, lightweight weapons and fire control optimized for urban combat, synchronized direct fire and indirect fire within and across FFW team, and leveraging FCS NLOS/BLOS fires.
SURVIVABILITY:
Lightweight, low bulk, multi-functional, full spectrum protective combat ensemble. Ballistic protection, novel signature management, semi-permeable membrane for CB/wet protection, electro-textile power/data body LAN. On-board physiological/medical sensor suite with enhanced casualty care. Customized voice, tactile, visual and auditory human interface, with integrated laser eye protection.
Netted FFW small unit/teams with robust team communications, state-of-the-art distributed and fused (thermal and image intensification) sensors, organic tactical intelligence/collection assets, enhanced situational understanding, embedded training, on-the-move planning, and linkage to other Future Force assets.
MOBILITY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE:
Unconstrained vertical and lateral movement at full up combat/ assault capability during mission execution. Objective individual soldier load weight of 40 pounds by introduction of lighter weight, multi-functional materials throughout all facets of the combat ensemble, a holistic systems approach, and offloading onto FCS robotic MULEs. Optimized cognitive and physical fight ability.
POWER:
24 hours autonomous individual operation, high density, low weight/volume, reliable, safe power source/system. 72 hours continuous team operations relying on the FCS MULE for recharging/fuel replacement.
How the Future Force Warrior Will Work
Wars are evolutionary, with each new conflict bringing more powerful and advanced weaponry. Weapons that yield success on the modern battlefield today can quickly become outdated and ineffective in just a few years. The reality of the battlefield necessitates continuous change in the pursuit to stay a step ahead of the enemy.
Future Force soldiers To better equip its soldiers, the U.S. Army is developing an advanced infantry uniform that will provide superhuman strength and greater ballistic protection than any uniform to date. Also, using wide-area networking and onboard computers, soldiers will be more aware of the action around them and of their own bodies. Suiting Up For Battle With the development of a bionic uniform for its soldiers, the U.S. Army is planning for a change in the logistics of war. Integrated physiological monitoring, enhanced communication and augmented physical strength will give the soldiers of the future the tools they need to overwhelm their opponents simply by donning a hi-tech suit.
2010 Prototype Photo Courtesy of US Army Natick
There are two phases to the Future Force Warrior program. The first phase involves the deployment of a uniform in 2010 that will meet the Army's short-term needs, although pieces of the uniform may be deployed earlier. According to Future Force Warrior Equipment Specialist Jean-Louis "Dutch" DeGay, "The Department of the Army has built what's called design spirals, so roughly every two years, if a piece of technology has matured, we try to get it in the field, rather than waiting until 2010 to field the entire system." In 2020, the U.S. Army will roll out a suit that integrates nanotechnology, exoskeletons and liquid body armor.
Basic components:
Helmet - The helmet houses a GPS receiver , radio and the wide- and local-area network connections.
Warrior Physiological Status Monitoring System - This layer of the suit is the closest to the body and contains sensors that monitor physiological indicators, such as heart rate , blood pressure and hydration. The suit relays the information to medics and field commanders.
Liquid Body Armor - This liquid body armor is made from magnetorheological fluid, a fluid that remains in a liquid state until the application of a magnetic field. When an electrical pulse is applied, the armor transitions from a soft state to a rigid state in thousandths of a second.
Exoskeleton - The exoskeleton is made of lightweight, composite devices that attach to the legs and augment the soldier's strength.
Together, these subsystems combine to create a uniform that informs, protects and enhances the abilities of its wearer. Now let's take of each of these components separately.
Battlefield Awareness
The value of enemy reconnaissance depends on how quickly that information can be relayed to the soldier on the battlefield. The soldiers of the future will have more information immediately available to them than ever before.
The Future Force Warrior setup is a significant improvement over current systems. A computer embedded in the suit and located at the base of the soldier's back will be connected to a local and wide-area network, allowing for data transfer.
DeGay explains it this way:
Essentially, it's what we call the "borg" effect, to borrow a theme from Star Trek. Everything in the battle space is a sensor, whether that's a vehicle, rotor wing, fixed wing, aviation vehicle, ground vehicle, individual soldier or unmanned robotic platform. That becomes a sensor that I can track for data. I can send data to it or take data, video or audio from it.
Prototype 2020 Courtesy Army Natick
Soldiers will utilize a voice-activated, drop-down screen in the helmet to access information without having to put down their weapons. Embedded in a pair of transparent glasses, the display will appear to the soldier as a 17-inch screen. This screen can display maps and real-time video provided by a forward-positioned scout team, satellite or aircraft. According to DeGay, "We are working to have the graphic user interface inside the computer systems to either replicate computer graphic user interfaces or even Playstation 2/Xbox graphic user interfaces," because most of today's soldiers are already familiar with how those systems work. Not only will Future Force Warriors know more about their fellow soldiers, but they also will know more about their own physiological condition. The physiological subsystem of the uniform lies against the soldier's skin and includes sensors that monitor soldier's core body temperature, skin temperature, heart rate, body position (standing or sitting) and hydration levels. These statistics are monitored by the soldier and by medics and commanding officers who might be miles away. Knowing the condition of a platoon of soldiers allows commanders to make better strategic decisions. The Future Force Warrior helmet also includes a GPS receiver, providing commanders with exact positioning data on their troops.
Another vital component of battle is military communication between soldiers. The Future Force Warrior will use sensors that measure vibrations of the cranial cavity, eliminating the need for an external microphone. This bone-conduction technology allows soldiers to communicate with one another, and it also controls the menus visible through the drop-down eyepiece. The helmet has 360-degree situational awareness and voice amplification.
"What this will allow you to do is to know where that sniper round or mortar round came from, but at the same time it will cancel out noise at a certain decibel so as to not cause damage to the soldier's ears," said Robert Atkinson, liaison sergeant, operational forces interface group, Natick Soldier Center.
The situation-awareness technology also allows soldiers to:
detect other soldiers in front of them up to a couple of kilometers away
focus in on a particular sound and amplify it
Powering the entire suit is a 2- to 20-watt microturbine generator fueled by a liquid hydrocarbon. A plug-in cartridge containing 10 ounces of fuel can power the soldier's uniform for up to six days. Battery patches embedded in the helmet provide three hours of back-up power.
Liquid Body Armor
With advances in ballistics, armies must develop better body armor . One type of modern body armor, first developed in the 1960s, is made out of advanced woven fibers that can be sewn into vests and other soft clothing. More commonly known as Dupont Kevlar®, this is one of the many body armor solutions currently employed by U.S. Forces. Another type of armor, SAPI plates, or "small arms protective insert" plates, are hardened ceramic composite plates inserted into a soldier's fragmentation protective vest in both the forward and back torso pockets.
Now, scientists are working on a new breed of armor made from magnetorheological (MR) fluids -- liquid body armor.
One type of MR fluid consists of small iron particles suspended in silicon oil. The oil prevents the particles from rusting. The fluid transforms from liquid to solid in just milliseconds when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied to it. The current causes the iron particles to lock into a uniform polarity and stack on top of each other, creating an impenetrable shield. How hard the substance becomes depends on the strength of the magnetic field or electrical current. Once the charge or magnetic field is removed, the particles unlock, and the substance goes back to a fluid state.
MR fluid will fill small pockets in the Future Force Warrior uniform fabric. The uniforms will be wired to allow an electrical current to pass through the fabric. The electrical current will be controlled by the onboard computer system and will automatically charge the MR fluid when there is a ballistic threat present.
MIT scientists who are developing the liquid body armor say that it will take five to 10 years to make the substance fully bullet resistant.
Future Warrior Concept
Overview:
The future is always uncertain, but by applying logic and imagination to current situations and technologies, a conceptual representation of how soldiers might be equipped in the distant future has been developed. This conceptualization is not U.S. Army doctrine, nor is it intended to answer every question raised by the Army After Next. It is intended to raise questions, stir imaginations, and start dialogue about how best to serve and equip our warfighters in the near future.
Description:
The Future Warrior Concept will be a completely integrated system which will be tailored to each individual, from an electro-spun Combat Uniform to a biomechanically engineered Headgear Subsystem. There are 6 major subsystems included in the concept:
The Headgear Subsystem , which we describe as Information Central, is the situational awareness hub of the system. It would include Integrated tactical processing (e.g., maps, routes, SA data); 180° emissive visor display; High data rate (GB/sec) communications; Microelectronic/optics combat sensor suite that provides 360° situational awareness; Integrated small arms protection in selected locations.
The Combat Uniform Subsystem , which we describe as Survivability Central, contains three layers: the Protective Outer Layer, the Power Centric Layer, and the Life Critical Layer.
The Weapon Subsystem , Lethality Central, permits direct and indirect target engagements. The weapon weighs 5 pounds, and combines 5 tubes of soft-launched, 15mm intelligent seeker munitions and 1 tube of stacked 4.6mm kinetic energy projectiles for close quarter combat.
The Warfighter Physiological Status Monitor (WPSM) Subsystem collects information on the vital signs (core temperature, skin temperature, heart rate, blood pressure) hydration state, stress level (mouth sensors), thermal state, sleep status, and workload capacity of the warrior. The WPSM can also recommend remote triage care needed.
The Micro-climate Conditioning Subsystem , a network of narrow tubing built into the material of the Life Critical Layer that provides 100 watts of heating or cooling to the warrior.
The Power Subsystem , Duration Central, consists of a 2- to 20-watt Micro Turbine fueled by a liquid hydrocarbon. Ten ounces of fuel, contained in a lightweight plug-in cartridge, powers the soldier for up to 6 days. Polymeric nanofiber battery patches embedded in the headgear and weapon provide back-up power for three hours.
Concepts: Land Warrior
Capabilities
The Land Warrior system enhances the soldier's lethality, survivability, mobility, situational awareness and sustainability.
Land Warrior includes everything a soldier wears or carries integrated into a fighting system. The Land Warrior system integrates functionality that addresses the soldier system domains of lethality, mobility, survivability, command and control, sustainability, and training. The system is modular, permitting the individual soldier to tailor their combat load based on unique mission requirements.
With the Land Warrior system, each soldier is always able to answer four key questions:
Where am I?
Where are my buddies?
Where is the enemy?
What does my leader expect me to do?
The Land Warrior system includes:
Weapons
Sensors
Laser rangfinder
Displays
Integrated load carrying equipment
Clothing
Helmet
Speaker and microphone
Optical display
Computer
Navigation equipment
Squad communications
Batteries and power management system
Leader communications and display
Land Warrior
System Features
Enables total integration into the digital battlefield
Integrated with Stryker Brigade Combat Team vehicles for en-route situational awareness updates and battery recharging
Integrated system for weight and power reduction, yet tailorable for operational missions
System architecture and modularity allows for future upgrades in technology and capability
Enables transition to Army Future Combat Systems interoperability
Path for technology insertions from Objective Force Warrior and other sources
Enables transition to Army Future Combat Systems interoperability
Newer Features of the Land Warrior System Include:
Provides dismounted soldier combat identification for enroute situational awareness and power recharge to reduce 'friendly fire' incidents
Commanders Digital Assistant leader planning tool
Weight and power reduction
Scalable and tailorable for operational missions
Systems
Electro-Textiles
Integration of Computers and Electronics with Textiles for Future Warrior Systems
Overview:
Natick Soldier Center has a high interest in integrating electronic capabilities and optical components with textile materials and soldier equipment. Future Warrior Systems already being planned have heads up displays, wireless weapons, global positioning, chemical detectors, battery power, physiological status sensors, and combat ID, all linked to the Warrior's personnel computer to assist in situational awareness and understanding. Electronic devices are being miniaturized for personal use; however, limited technologies exist to integrate electronics into clothing. Combat clothing materials are currently passive. Consequently, the integration of electronics into the Soldier System will provide enhanced capabilities by providing real-time information to the soldier on the battlefield. Active intelligent textile systems have the capacity of improving the Warrior's performance by sensing and responding to a situational combat need allowing the Warrior to continue his mission without distraction. The overall solution is to convert passive combat clothing into active materials that provide electronic/optical power and data transmission to the on-body computer, batteries, displays, and sensors, and several integrated antennas for near and remote communications.
Description:
Personal area network cables and connectors for attaching sensors and computer peripheral devices, as well as a variety of visually concealed antennas for near and remote communications need to be integrated into the Warrior's clothing and equipment to reduce weight and bulk of the current electronic system being hung on the Warrior. Other areas of interest include the integration of solar and other power generating components and conductive plastic batteries into textiles. Customers include PM-Soldier, SOCOM, and Objective Force Warrior.
Status:
Funding for this effort has come from a variety of sources, including Army S&T, SBIR, and Manufacturing Technology programs depending on the maturity of the individual technology.
A future soldier system electronic network has been mapped that will serve as the soldier's electronic backbone. A prototype flat USB bus and connectors integrated into narrow fabrics have been successfully developed, as well as an integrated wearable combined Soldier/GPS antenna. Current efforts also include a suite of wearable antennas, textile embedded electrical/optical zipper and rotational snap connectors, other flat textile based networks and ergonomic connectors, textile-based antenna radiators for long-distance and multi-frequency antennas, manufacturing techniques to integrate electrical/optical conductors into various textile constructions and stitchless seams, pin-less flat connectors, and a pressure sensitive textile-based computer input device.
Development of Nonwoven Fabrics for Military Applications
Overview:
The United States Marine Corps has taken the initiative to develop state-of-the-art nonwoven composite fabric technology for use as alternate fabric application for Combat Utility Uniforms (CUU's), equipage, shelters etc. This effort is being conducted via a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract. The objective of the SBIR is to utilize latest nonwoven technology to enhance performance and reduce lifecycle costs for combat type clothing. Concept includes development of lightweight composite material that offers high durability, high breaking and tearing strength, breathability, and cost reduction to replace current woven uniform material. Included is to design a Fire Retardant (FR) fabric and heavy-duty fabric for tentage and equipage applications.
Description:
Typical woven fabrics use old textile technologies that are outdated and generally outsourced to other countries. It uses twisted yarn construction that has poor insulation, filtration and barrier properties, whereas nonwovens are only a few decades old and offer innovation and technological growth. Nonwovens are fabricated with finer individual fibers that are bonded and/or entangled to supply better insulation, filtration and barrier properties. The strength of nonwoven fabrics is that they can be engineered with specific properties but with higher production rate, wider width up to 120 inches and lower costing with potential for full automation.
Phase I studies indicated that nonwoven composite fabrics can be made 25% lighter and stronger than current woven military uniform fabrics. In addition, they can be made to exhibit over three times the air permeability or breathability of the current woven military uniform fabrics.
Phase II uniform fabric would offer enhanced abrasion resistance, develop a fire and chemical/biological resistant fabric and offer combination water repellent/moisture absorbent composite fabric.
Status:
Successful commercialization is the future of nonwovens. Getting people to accept nonwovens for clothing and general applications will be the key to success. Thus far, nonwovens are generally perceived as disposables with a harsh stiff hand and weak in nature. The goal of this SBIR is to break out of this mode and prove the concept through use of military applications.
Future Force Warrior Cooling System
Overview:
The FFW-CS is a lightweight, man-portable, liquid circulating microclimate cooling system, designed to provide heat stress relief to Warfighters wearing Body Armor and/or Chemical/Biological (CB) protective ensembles in desert and jungle environments.
Description:
The FFW-CS chills and circulates cool water through a tube-type heat-transfer garment. The chilled circulating fluid in the tubing network transfers metabolic heat from the Warfighter's body and rejects it to the ambient environment via its condenser.
Specifications:
Cooling Power: 120 Watts in a 95°F environment
Electrical Power Consumption: 35 watts (time weighted average)
Weight: 3.5 pounds (excluding power source)
Volume: 1.0 liter
Coolant Fluid Temperature: 77°F
Refrigerant: R134A
Cylindrical Design
Status:
The Future Force Warrior Cooling System is being developed under Natick Soldier Center 's Microclimate Cooling Program. A fully functional demonstration prototype Cooling System is expected in mid 2008.
Warrior Individual Cooling System (WICS)
Overview:
The WICS is a lightweight, man-portable, liquid circulating microclimate cooling system, designed to provide heat stress relief to Soldiers encapsulated in the Future Force Warrior (FFW) Chemical/Biological (CB) ensemble in hot environments.
Description:
The WICS is a vapor compression cycle cooler which pumps a chilled fluid through a tube-type heat transfer garment. Metabolic heat is transferred, by conduction, from the Soldier to the chilled circulating fluid in the tubing network, and rejected to the ambient environment via the WICS' condenser.
Specifications:
Cooling Power: 120 Watts in a 95° F environment
Electrical Power Consumption: <50 watts (24 Volts DC/2 Amps)
Weight: 3.5 pounds (excluding power source)
Volume: 1.5 liters (~11.2 cm dia x 15.2 cm)
Coolant Fluid Temperature: 77° F
Refrigerant: R134A
Cylindrical Design
Status:
The Warrior Individual Microclimate Cooling System is being developed under a phase two Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program by Rini Technologies, Inc. This system will represent a 48% reduction in volume compared to the previous state-of-the-art, portable, microclimate cooling system. A fully functional prototype is expected in May 2006.
Portable Vapor-Compression Cooling System (PVCS)
Overview:
The Portable Vapor-Compression Cooling System (PVCS) is a self-contained man-portable microclimate cooling system designed to provide wearers of insulative protective clothing with cooling to reduce the effects of heat stress.
Description:
The PVCS consists of the Refrigeration Unit, Battery Module, Heat Transfer Garment, and accessory tether lines. The Refrigeration Unit chills the coolant and pumps it through the External Coolant Tether Line and into the Heat Transfer Garment. Metabolic heat from the body is transferred to the coolant as it flows through the network of tubing in the Heat Transfer Garment. The coolant then flows back to the Refrigeration Unit where the heat is rejected. The Battery Module can be disconnected and detached from the Refrigeration Unit if a DC power supply is available.
Comfortable coolant temperature delivered at 65°-70°F
Four-hour duration on batteries, indefinitely on 24-28 volt vehicle power
Compact size (Refrigeration Unit 10.125”x6.625”x6.25”, Battery Module 10.25”x6.875”x6.25)
Full body cooling through liquid cooling shirt, pants, & hood
Energy efficient (6 amps max. at 24 volts)
Refrigeration Unit Type: Vapor Compression (HFC, R-134a refrigerant)
Battery Module: Four BA5590 lithium sulfur dioxide batteries
Refrigeration Unit Weight: 10 lbs.
Battery Module Weight: 11 lbs.
Heat Transfer Garment (Shirt, pants, and hood) Weight: 6 lbs.
Status:
The PVCS has been favorably evaluated in heat stress induced physiological studies in climatically controlled chambers. Currently, the PVCS is being adapted for use on rotary wing aircraft.
Compact Renewable Power
Status:
Rangeresqe and associates are currently testing and fielding multiple miniaturized battery packs, state of the art hydrogen fuel cells, and individual soldier photovoltaic solar panels to meet the current demand for energy in compliance with the FFW system.
Prototype 2030 Courtesy RM
RangerMade Military Tactical gear consultants would like to extend special thanks to Prof. Kenneth Rutlege and Capt. Madison Beckett for their continued efforts in support of Project Horizon. Thank you, and great work!
Sources:
Future Force Warrior (FFW) - U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center
http://www.natick.army.mil/soldier/wsit/
General Dynamics
http://www.generaldynamics.com/
MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN)
http://web.mit.edu/isn/
Future Force Warrior Exhibits Super Powers (American Forces Press Service, June 27, 2004 )
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2004/n07272004_2004072705.html
Army scientists, engineers develop liquid body armor (Army News Service, April 21, 2004 )
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,usa3_042104.00.html
1st Lieutenant John H. Frushour, USMC, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
