The Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) wants to hear from industry by Oct. 28 to determine if they have technologies that could provide protection for occupants and survivability for ground vehicles.
The intent of the 2010 TARDEC Survivability Market Survey is to identify state-of-the-art systems.
A system may be a single technology or a combination of technologies and must be minimally at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4, the survey said.
The Army wants to improve current and future ground system survivability by providing threat detection, hit/kill prevention, and protection for the crew, passenger, and vehicle, while preserving vehicle payload, mobility, fuel efficiency, and reliability, availability, maintainability-durability (RAM-D) capabilities.
The emphasis will be on survivability technologies that demonstrate the ability to be scalable, modular, and easily integrated onto a military vehicle.
Key attributes are affordability, a minimal weight, and small space claim.
It is desired that the multiple technologies chosen will be integrated to provide a synergistic protective effect and not simply a cumulative effect of layering individual technology capabilities.
More specifically, the Army seeks a number of attributes, including a 360-degree hemispherical, lightweight crew and passenger compartment protection from armor piercing direct fire.
It also wants lightweight crew and passenger compartment protection from blast events and fragmentation, including both side and underside threats; incoming threat detection and notification, such as from snipers and RPGs; survivability technologies to address IED or Explosive Ordnance Disposal (IED/EOD); and technologies to suppress/mitigate both internal and external vehicle fires.
Additionally, the service wants attributes such as non-lethal technology that could be used for crowd control or to subdue individuals without causing permanent injury; safety applications to enhance crew survivability, including seat restraints, specialized seat configurations, rapid egress technologies, crew compartment coating to cushion soldier impact from vertical/lateral acceleration; and soldier 360-degree hemispherical visualization during day and night operations and in all weather and environmental conditions.
Still other attributes include: hazardous agent detection within operating environment; technologies that defend against RPGs, ATGMs, and/or EFPs; signature management technologies or designs that reduce the thermal, acoustic, or RF signature of the vehicle system; and other technologies that enhance crew, passenger, and system survivability, excluding automotive components that impact mobility and technologies used to aid tactical planning.
Address questions on this market survey to: [email protected] and include name, phone, and email address for response.
No contract will be awarded from this market survey, which is not a request for proposals.