From virtual training to laser weapons, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) this week is showcasing a range of technologies at Modern Day Marine exposition that will prepare Marines as they continue to face an increasingly complex security landscape.
ONR program officers will be in Booth No. 2305 during the event, held Sept. 23-25 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, to discuss how their research contributes to the expeditionary ethos of Marines, trained to be "fast, austere and lethal."
ONR's Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism Department, the Warfighter Performance Department, and TechSolutions will highlight science and technology that supports the recently released Expeditionary Force 21, a Marine Corps document that will guide the service's planning over the next decade and beyond.
Expeditionary Force 21 necessitates a greater emphasis on laser weapons, training technology and cyber capabilities—all of which ONR will have on display.
Visitors to ONR's booth will see first-hand what a laser weapon can do to a target. Objects that have been scorched by laser technology being developed under the Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move program, commonly referred to as GBAD, will be on display.
The GBAD program is developing a laser weapon system powerful enough to shoot down enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and small enough to fit in the back of a Humvee or Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The technology will help keep Marines on the ground from being tracked and targeted by adversaries.
In addition, there are several other technologies Marines could use in what the Expeditionary Force 21 plan describes as an increasingly volitile, unstable and complex global environment:
Augmented Immersive Team Training (AITT)—An augmented reality training system that merges with military simulation systems to display virtual aircraft, vehicles, role players and indirect fire effects onto actual terrain.
Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS)—Video footage of demonstrations of advanced technologies that will enable autonomous, unmanned rotaroy-wing aircraft to perform the Assault Support mission.
Autonomous Critical Care System (ACCS)—A device that provides autonomous control of ventilation, fluid resuscitation, administration of drugs, sedation and analgesia, and maintenance of core body temperature through constant physiologic monitoring.
Enahnced Technologies for Optimization of Warfighter Load (ETOWL)—Modeling and simulation software that analyzes combat equipment and its impact on Marines to determine how to "lighten the load" to increase the effectiveness of squads and individual Marines.
Flexible Photovoltaics—Lighweight, high-efficiency solar panel that allows Marines to ditch the weight of extra batteries to power their portable gear; the technology also could displace generators at forward operating bases.
Littoral Mine Detection System—Sponsored by TechSolutions, this system gives warfighters the standoff capbility needed to hunt mines in the maritime, littoral and ashore environments through the use of ultra-sensitive sensors on a hand-launched quadrotor UAV.
SIGINT/Cyber Augmented Reality Glasses—A headmounted display that provides warfighters a stream of relevant mission data in their field of view to help complete critical tasks simultaneously. The glasses were sponsored by TechSolutions, which rapidly fields technology in response to direct requests from Sailors and Marines.
Supervised Autonomous Fires Technology (SAF-T)—Technology for the next generation of remote weapon systems, allowing for safe and effective weaponization of unmanned systems.
The Exhibit Hall at Modern Day Marine is open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 and Sept. 24 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 25.
ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs more than 1,000 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.