Posted by John Keller
FORT MONMOUTH, N.J., 27 Dec. 2009. U.S. Army sensors experts are pursuing a research initiative called the Complex & Urban Terrain Sensing (CUTS) program that uses radar and other sensors to detect, track, and locate enemy mortar, cannon, and rocket firing positions automatically within the difficult confines of cities and towns.
CUTS involves the OmniDirectional Weapons Location (OWL) radar, which the Army wants to develop to detect and pinpoint the locations of mortars, cannons, and rocket launchers -- including conventional indirect weapons fire, as well as weapons fired with non-standard trajectories -- when fired in a variety of situations.
The OWL radar also should have the ability to provide the location of weapons fired in mountainous terrain from elevations above and below the radar. The idea for the OWL radar is to produce track data of sufficient quality to hand off to fire control systems for quick counter-battery fire. OWL also should be able to protect itself from jamming and electronic deception.
Sponsoring the CUTS program (solicitation number W15P7T09RS152) is the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command's Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate (I2WD) at Fort Monmouth, N.J.
Those interested in participating in the CUTS program must submit white papers by 11 Jan. 2010 that provide information on proven sensor technologies appropriate for the CUTS program.
Companies that have expressed interest in the program are Northrop Grumman Corp. in Baltimore; SRC Inc. in North Syracuse, N.Y.; Thales-Raytheon Systems Co. LLC in Fullerton, Calif.; Micro Systems Inc. in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; and Mark Resources Inc. in Torrance, Calif.
The contracting office for the CUTS program is the Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) contracting center at Fort Monmouth. Send white papers to the CECOM Contracting Center, Attn. AMSEL-AC, Building 1208, Fort Monmouth, N.J. 07703-5008.
For questions, contact Devan DeWitt at he CECOM Contracting Center by phone at 410-436-2385. More information on the CUTS program is available online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/f683eab7b0b33ee451482b6942fd081c.
Follow me on TwitterJoin the PennWell Aerospace and Defense Media Group on Linkedin at http://bit.ly/9MXl9
Become a fan of Military & Aerospace Electronics on Facebook at http://bit.ly/1VGM0Q
Post your aerospace and defense-related material to the #milaero community on Twitter. Use the #milaero hashtag.
