Army researchers shop industry for technologies in miniature electronics, sensors, and anti-tamper

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – U.S. Army researchers are asking for industry's help in several advanced electronics and sensor technologies for Army weapons systems.

Officials of the Armaments Center of the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., issued a broad agency announcement (W15QKN-26-S-1AZR) on Wednesday for the DEVCOM AC Emerging Technologies project.

Electronics and sensors topics of this project are fabrication technology for microsystem chips based on the silicon deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process; anti-tamper systems for remote armament systems; microsystems packaging for remote armament systems; distributed radar, infrared, and direction-finding sensors for threat detection and fire control; and enhanced survivability by disrupting anti access-area-denial systems at extended ranges.

Fabrication technology for microsystem chips based on the DRIE process is for miniature electronics board applications involve microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices for safe, arm, and micro-initiation components.

Anti-tamper technologies

Anti-tamper systems for remote armament systems are to protect remote armament systems on the battlefield, in urban environments, and in storage. Research involves capability that tracks tampering attempts on uncrewed systems, as well as those able to deactivate battery-operated uncrewed systems.

Microsystems packaging for remote armament systems involves optical, electrical, and hermetic sealing techniques and capabilities.

Enabling technologies in distributed radar, infrared, and direction-finding sensors for threat detection and fire control are for existing and emerging weapon to provide detection range, angular coverage, update rates, and measurement accuracies to assure that countermeasures are effective against ground vehicles, uncrewed aircraft, and direct and indirect fire.

These sensors also must be affordable, be able to operate on the move in harsh environments like dust, fog, and rain, and should meet MIL-STD requirements for electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic compatibility, temperature, pressure, other environmental conditions.

Sensors for threat detection

Sensors must be able to operate in increasingly congested electromagnetic environments for different missions, and should configurable and re-programmable, with good clutter and background-cancellation capability.

Sensors should be able to discriminate amongst targets for accurate, automatic identification of threats, while rejecting targets that are not of interest. They also must be able to determine threat intent, with labeled data for algorithm development and training of artificial intelligence (AI) processors. Sensors should use open, modular, scalable architectures and comply with the Army's Modular Active Protection System framework.

Enhanced survivability by disrupting anti-access and area-denial systems at extended ranges involves delivering effects to deny, degrade, and deceive enemy sensors. This capability should be scalable, and focused on delaying and degrading counter fire and creating uncertainty and confusion.

These effects will require distributed, collaboration, and autonomous behaviors such as distributed autonomy, munitions-hardened hardware, and field-upgradeable software. Effects also should be effective against enemy uncrewed aircraft.

Miniaturized electronics

Army researchers also are interested in miniature high-efficiency power amplifiers, tunable bandpass filters, and distributed local oscillators; clutter and multipath mitigation; special-purpose integrated circuits such as RF systems on chips; additive manufacturing and 3D printing; active electronic phased arrays; digital antenna arrays; precise antenna calibration; electronic protection; heterogeneous processing backends; built-in test and diagnostics; sense, target, engage autonomy; munition hardened electronic warfare payloads and antennas; scalable and field-upgradable software; counter uncrewed aircraft; counter radar; long-range threat detection; data fusion; machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI); and intelligent autonomous situational awareness.

Also of interest are gun-launchable sensors, environmental sensing, flexible printed hybrid electronics, inks for printed electronics applications, interconnects for flexible electronics, substrate materials, and low-power electronic components.

Companies interested should email white papers no later than 4 March 2031 to the Army's Kelly Lynch at [email protected]. Those submitting promising white papers may be invited to submit full proposals.

Email administrative questions or concerns to Kelly Lynch at [email protected]. Email technical questions to Jessica Gondela at [email protected]. More information is online at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/b75c77d156b14c84af07401ed51ec7f3/view.