Defense Outlook

The business environment for CEC in the defense sector is currently more favorable than it has been in many years. The department of defense (DoD) has articulated its requirements for flexible, effective and efficient multi-mission forces capable of projecting overwhelming military power worldwide with increased options to respond to potential crises and conflicts. Enhancements in land force lethality, protection, mobility, deployability, sustainability, and command and control capabilities are at the heart of the new defense program in which robotic perception, unmanned ground combat vehicles, maneuver command control and communication (C3), beyond line of sight fires, organic all weather targeting air vehicles and advanced laser radar sensors feature prominently. The FY2003 U.S. defense budget funds programs that will transform the way in which combat will be pursued in the future. It includes $68.7 billion for procurement (+10% over 2002), projected to increase to $98.9 billion by FY 2007. $53.9 billion is earmarked for research, development, test and evaluation. Amongst its key items, the budget advances a number of transformation initiatives containing direct points of interest for CEC, including: Missile Defense. $7.8 billion for a broad-based research, development, testing, and procurement effort aimed at deployment of layered missile defenses as soon as feasible and $815 million for space-based sensors that can detect missile attacks Ground Forces Transformation. $812 million to procure 332 Interim Armored Vehicles, $707 million to advance the Future Combat System, and $911 million for ongoing development of the Comanche reconnaissance helicopter Unmanned vehicles. $1 billion to increase the development and procurement of Global Hawk, Predator, and other unmanned vehicles DD(X). $961 million to develop revolutionary stealth, propulsion, and manning technologies for a new family of surface combatants. Science and Technology (S&T). $9.9 billion, 2.7 percent of the DoD topline. DARPA: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has an important innovative role in the early stages to bring about the force transformations being envisaged.         [Click on image to enlarge] To name a few, the agency is pursuing the concept of micro air vehicles (MAVs) to accomplish unique military missions, particularly with regard to flight operations in restricted environments. The mission areas are small unit reconnaissance and surveillance, and support operations in urban settings. At only 6 to 9 inches in length, MAVs are an order of magnitude smaller than previously available flying systems. This creates a demand for new lightweight, efficient high-density power sources.  DARPA is pursuing concepts for a new, small-scale class of propulsion systems as small as from 0.2 to 2 inches in diameter, with thrust levels from ¼ to 22 pounds. The object is to enable the development of a new generation of very small weapons and military platforms including micro air vehicles, unmanned combat air vehicles, missiles and space launch vehicles. Radical capabilities, from shirt-button-sized micro gas turbine and micro rocket engines to 2 inch scale gas turbine and pulse detonation engines that have been explored at larger scales to prove their feasibility.       [Click on image to enlarge] DARPA is funded $246 million for the development of several unmanned combat air vehicles bent on risk reduction through the use of unmanned combat air systems to effectively and affordably perform enemy air defense suppression, strike and surveillance missions.   Its Netfires joint program with the U.S. Army concerns a containerized, platform-independent, multimission concept for future combat systems (FCS) to provide rapid response and lethality in packages requiring significantly fewer personnel, decreased logistical support and lower life-cycle costs, while increasing survivability compared to current direct fire gun and missile artillery. The program includes a multimission precision missile and a loitering attack missile that can be remotely commanded. The Organic All-Weather Targeting Air Vehicle (OAV) is to provide FCS direct and indirect weapons system targeting under all operating conditions at small unit levels. It involves two all weather vehicles for operation at upper and lower tiers. The A160 Hummingbird VTOL UAV handles the upper tier carrying out airborne surveillance and targeting against ground targets as well as providing airborne communications/data linkage between the various ground and command components. In addition, it acts as mother ship to deploy unmanned ground sensors, unmanned ground vehicles, MAVs and to provide a data link between them and the C2 components.   The lower tier OAV is a less than 75 pond unmanned air vehicle that can fly autonomously in adverse weather. It leverages DARPA’s MAV technologies and uses a ducted fan scalable between 9 and 29 inch outside diameter to accommodate varying missions and payloads. Beyond this there are major programs under way for land-based and ship-based Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) to effectively and affordably suppress enemy air defense and carry out strike and surveillance missions. Procurement and production of earlier UAVs is under way with significant increases in the 2003 budget for more Global Hawk, Predator and Shadow aircraft. Ground Combat: DARPA has a PerceptOR program to identify and develop revolutionary unmanned vehicle prototypes flexible enough to operate in off-road environments. They also have an unmanned ground combat vehicle (UGCV) program to develop vehicle prototypes exhibiting advanced performance in endurance, obstacle negotiation, and transportability (small size) based on novel designs unrestrained by the need to accommodate human crews. These prototypes may include unique mobility configurations (traditional wheeled/tracked to organic -mimicking, i.e. walking/crawling), exceptional drive trains, advanced structures/composites, terrain/soil analysis, sensory exploitation and interaction with robotic control architectures. CEC is already engaged in a U.S. Army program to develop quick-reaction, flexible, armored, combat personnel vehicles. The battlefield keeps getting more closely tied to the use of electronics. Computers, robots and sensors are commonly used. Infantrymen are equipped with digital radios and computers. Night vision goggles are in full use, tanks have sophisticated targeting computers, radar and imaging devices, all of which need to be powered and in many cases cooled. CEC has provided air cycle cooling systems for fighting vehicles and intends to expand its participation as new vehicle cooling requirements grow. Power Generation: CEC has designed a unique backpack self-contained 500 Watt gas turbine battery charger which fits in well with DARPA's portable power program focused upon projects that will produce electric power for soldiers or small groups of soldiers. The program is developing planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), thermophotovoltaics (TPV), alkali metal thermal to electric converters (AMTEC), and small turbine engines that will operate in the 300- to 500-W range on approved military fuels. These small units to be carried by soldiers are replacing larger trailer mounted diesel generator sets. CEC's affiliate, TMS, has also done some pioneering in the fuel cell field by providing high performance air pressure systems for PEM fuel cells and has other unique approaches to high altitude electricity supplies for unmanned reconnaissance, communications and control platforms, including lighter than air (LTA) airships.