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November 5, 2008
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Tactical Unattended Ground Sensors are buried in the ground to track personnel, vehicles and aircraft, collecting and sending intelligence information to soldiers. |
Unattended Ground Sensors serve as the eyes and ears for soldiers in the field and military planners at the command and control center. Known as UGSs, they are small in size and provide surveillance of rural or urban environments, transmitting images and data on target detections to provide near real-time intelligence.
Developed by Textron Defense Systems, these UGSs are part of a network of advanced sensors and communications technologies that enable ground combat forces to be highly agile and versatile with the capabilities to conduct a wide variety of missions. Soldiers are linked to ground and air platforms – whether it’s a tank on the ground or an unmanned aerial vehicle collecting data – so they have a more accurate picture of what’s going on around them, referred to as situational awareness.
This linked system is known as the Future Combat Systems, or FCS. Interconnected via advanced communications, FCS is comprised of 14 individual system elements, plus the network and the solider. One of the most innovative aspects of the FCS is that all of the systems are designed to work together seamlessly.
For the U.S. Army, FCS is the principal modernization program to provide advanced capabilities and increase its operational and strategic options. “Future Combat Systems is exactly the full-spectrum system that we need for our future,” General George Casey Jr., the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year.
The FCS program is currently in its System Development and Demonstration phase, and the U.S. Army plans to begin deploying some of the FCS technologies to the current force in the 2011 time frame.
Equipping Brigade Combat Teams with all 14 FCS system elements is planned for 2015.
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Urban Unattended Ground Sensors can be attached to structures or confined spaces and provide extended surveillance and enhanced near real-time target information. |
Textron Defense Systems and Overwatch Systems Tactical Operations are two of the 18 companies that comprise the FCS’ “Best of Industry” team, those that are playing lead roles in developing the systems and equipment that make up FCS.
There are two types of UGSs produced by Textron Defense Systems for the FCS Program – Tactical UGSs and Urban UGSs. Their compact size and rather simple exterior contradict the sophisticated sensing and networked communications capabilities within these devices.
Tactical UGSs, or T-UGSs, are emplaced on the battlefield to track personnel, vehicles and aircraft. Designed to be buried in the ground and therefore virtually undetectable, a T-UGS provides intelligence information – through sensors that communicate wirelessly to each other, collecting intelligence and then transmitting this information to higher echelons – that can increase the survivability of a company, platoon or squad elements.
Urban UGSs, or U-UGSs, are small, hand-held devices that can be attached to the interior of structures, such as within buildings, alleys, sewers, caves or other confined spaces. Lightweight and low-cost, they provide extended surveillance and enhanced near real-time target information. They have a multitude of uses. They can be used during clearing operations, monitor a space after it has been cleared, provide security or to detect the presence of intruders and relay pictures and reports to local forces.
“The integration of sensors, data fusion and networking technologies enables Textron Defense Systems to provide a unique capability to the soldier. The advanced situational awareness that the UGS systems provide will allow the warfighter to make well-informed decisions and will enhance security,” says Dave O’Brien, vice president, Intelligent Battlefield Systems, Textron Defense Systems. “As an integral part of the FCS program, Textron strives to provide the most innovative capabilities to our troops to meet both current and future requirements.”
Textron Defense Systems delivered its first UGSs to the U.S. Army this year for testing and integration with the U.S. Army’s Evaluation Task Force. Soldiers have been trained to use the UGSs and Textron Defense Systems is now making modifications to incorporate feedback that has been received during the testing.
Overwatch’s Tactical Operations is developing a key piece of the information network that enables FCS maneuver forces.
An FCS-equipped unit will create a massive amount of data about resources of the Brigade as well as the location and disposition of the enemy. Overwatch’s Situational Understanding software package will automate how that data is processed into information and intelligence that the commander and staff can more readily understand.
Using state-of-the-art information fusion algorithms, data will be presented in a context that accurately depicts the current status of the fight, enabling the commander and the team to make better decisions faster. That knowledge, in and of itself, will save lives and ensure that the Brigade can anticipate the next enemy action.
Combining the network, sensors, unmanned air and ground systems allows intelligence to be gathered remotely in near real time, creating more effective and safer ways of engaging the enemy. With UGSs and Situational Understanding software, FCS is changing the way of warfare for the U.S. Army.
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