Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group

Air Warrior 

Col. John W. 

Thompson 

Commander 

160th Special 

Operations Aviation 

Regiment (Airborne) 

PRSRT STD 

U.S. POSTAGE 

PAID 

MERRIFIELD, VA 

PERMIT # 620 

World’s Largest Distributed Special Ops Magazine 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com 

December 2010 

Volume 8, Issue 9 

Airborne Countermeasures O Language & Translations O Submersibles 

ATVs O Anti-Shock Seats O Lt. Gen. Mulholland at AUSA O Parachutes

Small. Light. And incredibly fl exible. No wonder the L-3 GCS Hawkeye TM and Cheetah TM 

VSATs have been a staple of the U.S. Army’s data technology arsenal. Today, L-3 takes 

that technology to the next level with the even smaller and lighter HawkeyeTM III. Rapidly 

deployable and able to switch quickly between bands, this next-generation VSAT gives 

warfi ghters the data they need where they need it for informed, mission-critical decisions. 

Saving effort. Saving money. Saving lives now and in the future. For more information on 

HawkeyeTM III, visit L-3com.com/GCS. 

GCS 

PROUD TO DELIVER OUR 3,000 TH VSAT TO THE U.S. ARMY 

AND TO PRESENT THE NEW HAWKEYE TM III 

L-3com.com

Sp e c i a l Op e r at i O n S te c h n O l O g y 

De c e m b e r 2010 

VO l u m e 8 • iS S u e 9 

Fe at u r e S cO V e r / Q&a 

Special Sction: Countermeasures 

6 

11 

12 

16 

25 

28 

32 

Defeating Threats 

For aircraft carrying special operations teams, the defensive 

option remains increasingly sophisticated countermeasure 

systems—flares, decoys and other tactics—that ensure the 

aircraft will be protected against a missile attack. 

By Dennis McCafferty 

Mulholland Wish List 

What new systems do special operations forces require? 

Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr., commander of the U.S. Army 

Special Operations Command, outlines what he most wants 

contractors to provide. 

By Dave Ahearn 

Averting Personnel Injuries 

U.S. Navy special operations personnel and their watercraft can 

take quite a pounding, especially in severe sea states, often 

causing discomfort or even acute and chronic injuries. But 

systems with new technology can cushion the rough treatment. 

By Peter Buxbaum 

Unseen Underwater 

Submersibles, two-man undersea craft, provide a critical 

difference between special operations personnel arriving at a 

beachhead objective cold and exhausted with time running out, 

or arriving unseen at their destination, well-rested. 


Being Let Down Gently 

For the first time in more than 50 years, the U.S. Army is 

fielding a new parachute—the T-11. The chute is catching 

up with reality: Warfighters today carry enormously heavier 

equipment loads than they once did, and the old chute couldn’t 

cushion the hard landing of all that weight. 

Little Vehicles, Big Capabilities 

A new type of war—with a fast-moving and elusive foe in the 

shadows—means U.S. military forces must fight in new ways 

with new tools, such as small, light all terrain vehicles. 


Act Globally, Talk Locally 

The challenge of communicating globally has expanded 

traditional language instruction and led to rapid innovation. 

The Holy Grail of technology is a field device that can do 

two-way translation. That may be coming soon. 

By Henry Canaday 

w w w .SOtech-k m i .c O m 

21 

Colonel John W. Thompson 

Commander 

160th Special Operations Aviation 

Regiment (Airborne) 

De pa r t m e n t S 

2 

3 

5 

18 

35 

Editor’s Perspective 

Whispers 

People 

Black Watch 

Calendar, Directory 

in D u S t r y in t e r V i e w 

36 

David Wilberding 

Vice President 

STIDD Systems Inc.

Sp e c i a l Op e r at i O n S 

te c h n O l O g y 

VO l u m e 8, iS S u e 9 De c e m b e r 2010 

World’s Largest Distributed 

Special Ops Magazine 

eDitOrial 

Editor 

Dave Ahearn davea@kmimediagroup.com 

Managing Editor 

Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com 

Senior Copy Editor 

Laura Davis laurad@kmimediagroup.com 

Correspondents 

Dennis McCafferty • Henry Canaday • Peter Buxbaum 

ar t & De S i g n 

Art Director 

Anna Druzcz anna@kmimediagroup.com 

Senior Graphic Designer 

Jittima Saiwongnuan jittimas@kmimediagroup.com 

Graphic Designers 

Scott Morris scottm@kmimediagroup.com 

Jennifer Owers jennifero@kmimediagroup.com 

Eden Papineau edenp@kmimediagroup.com 

Kailey Waring kaileyw@kmimediagroup.com 

aDVertiSing 

Account Executives 

James Eget jamese@kmimediagroup.com 

Laura Pawlowski laurap@kmimediagroup.com 

kmi me D i a gr O u p 

Publisher 

Kirk Brown kirkb@kmimediagroup.com 

Chief Executive Officer 

Jack Kerrigan jack@kmimediagroup.com 

Chief Financial Officer 

Constance Kerrigan connik@kmimediagroup.com 

Executive Vice President 

David Leaf davidl@kmimediagroup.com 

Editor-In-Chief 

Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com 

Controller 

Gigi Castro gcastro@kmimediagroup.com 

CEO’s Assistant 

Carol Ann Barnes carolannb@kmimediagroup.com 

Op e r at i O n S , circulatiOn & pr O D u c t i O n 

Database Administrator 

Toye McLean toyem@kmimediagroup.com 

Call Center Coordinator 

Duane Ebanks duanee@kmimediagroup.com 

Data Specialists 

Wayne Brooks wayneb@kmimediagroup.com 

Stephine Green stephineg@kmimediagroup.com 

Sasha Scott sashas@kmimediagroup.com 

ma r k e t i n g & On l i n e 

Marketing & Online Director 

Amy Stark astark@kmimediagroup.com 

Trade Show Coordinator 

Holly Foster hollyf@kmimediagroup.com 

a pr O u D 

me m b e r O F : 

Special Operations Technology ISSN 1552-7891 

is published nine times a year by KMI Media Group. 

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission is 

strictly forbidden. © Copyright 2010. 

Special Operations Technology is free to members of the 

U.S. military, employees of the U.S. government and 

non-U.S. foreign service based in the U.S. 

All others: $65 per year. 

Foreign: $149 per year. 

Corporate Offices 

KMI Media Group 

15800 Crabbs Branch Way, Suite 300 

Rockville, MD 20855-2604 USA 

Telephone: (301) 670-5700 

Fax: (301) 670-5701 

Web: www.SOTECH-kmi.com 

The Department of Defense is in the rare position where fiscal 2012 agency 

budgets likely will be cut amidst a hot war and many rising threats. While 

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wishes to see the cuts he is proposing in the 

defense budget go to create savings that can be funneled into other military 

programs he deems essential, some deficit-cutting advisers are urging that the 

savings from defense program cuts be used instead to lessen budget deficits and 

government borrowing. We are betting on the latter, rather than the former, 

outcome. 

Congress next year will decide just how large those cuts in existing programs 

will be, but it is clear that the proposed administration budget released in 

February will call for substantial reductions in many areas, perhaps offset by 

some increases elsewhere or spending on new initiatives such as personnel or veterans’ needs. Though the department 

has seen, and survived, major spending cuts before, they typically came in peacetime. For example, the “peace 

dividend” defense spending cuts came as the Cold War ended decades ago, and the threat of a nuclear exchange 

receded. Too, at the end of World War II, defense spending plunged as victorious troops returned home to be hailed 

as heroes. 

This time, however, there is no treaty signing on the deck of a huge ship, no hated wall being demolished. Rather, 

hostilities continue. Though sometimes in disarray, terrorists still plot ways to bring devastation to American shores, 

and to the streets of magnificent cities such as London and Paris. Terrorist leaders are being picked off steadily in 

U.S. strike missions, but their organizations still persist in launching further attacks with rifles, belt bombs, truck 

bombs and more. And the enemy is diabolically inventive, eventually countering each U.S. move to defeat improvised 

explosive devices, bombings and the like. Let us also not forget the rise of near-peer competitors. 

What all this means is that U.S. commanders cannot say they will do less because their agencies are funded 

less, especially because allies won’t pick up any slack (their defense budgets are being 

cut as well). Rather, American forces will have to do more with less, whether it is 

devising better IED detection devices, improved handheld translators, or other vital 

improvements. My bet is that both the U.S. military and contractors will rise to the 

challenge, increasing protections for the nation, its allies, civilians and others. We’ve 

done it before, and we’ll do it again. 

Ot h e r kmi me D i a gr O u p ma g a z i n e S a n D we b S i t e S 

Military Medical/ 

CBRN Technology 

www.MMT-kmi.com 

U.S. Coast Guard 

Forum 

www.CGF-kmi.com 

Geospatial 

Intelligence Forum 

Official Publication of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation 

Brig. Gen. 

Jeffrey 

C. Horne 

Deputy Director 

for Mission Support 

National 

Reconnaissance 

Office 

Tactical GEOINT ��International Satellites ��Geospatial Standards ��UAV Imagery 

National Air & Space Intelligence Center 

www.GIF-kmi.com 

www.GIF-kmi.com 

ww .GIF -kmi.co 

May/June M /J 2009 


Military Information 

Technology 

Military Logistics 

Forum 

www.MLF-kmi.com 

Military Training 

Technology 

Dave Ahearn 

301-670-5700 Ext. 140 

Ground Combat 

Technology 

www.GCT-kmi.com 

Military Advanced 

Education 

www.MIT-kmi.com www.MT2-kmi.com 

www.MAE-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff 

Boeing delivered the 40,000th Combat 

Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) 

combat search and rescue communications 

system to U.S. joint services, 

expanding their ability to reach and 

rescue isolated pilots or combat personnel. 

“CSEL provides U.S. forces with 

a tactical advantage by serving as a 

Boeing Delivers 40,000th CSAR Comms 

SureFire Wins Two 

USSOCOM Contracts 

SureFire LLC won two contracts from USSO- 

COM for weapon lights. One pact will provide 

forces with the VBL-H (Visible Bright Light- 

Heavy) fire control device for the crew-served 

weapon systems used by U.S. special operations 

forces. The $16.6 million contract procures an 

indefinite quantity of SureFire HellFighter heavygun 

WeaponLights. In the second deal, USSOCOM 

will obtain the Visible Bright Light III (VBL-III) 

in support of the USSOCOM weapons accessories 

program, under a $14.9 million indefinite quantity 

agreement. 

HellFighter has been used in combat operations 

in both Iraq and Afghanistan and has proved 

to be an effective target illuminator and searchlight, 

as well as a non-lethal escalation-of-force 

preventer, the company stated. In addition to 

mounting to the .50 caliber M2HB, M134 Mini- 

Gun, and M240-variant machine guns, Hell- 

Fighter can also be hand carried as a searchlight 

or mounted to a vehicle or watercraft. 

In the other contract, the company will supply 

new “V-Series” LED WeaponLights—the M620V 

Scout Light and M720V RAID light—both of which 

feature high-output white-light and infrared illumination 

from the same sealed unit. Unlike incandescent 

weapon-mounted lights, which require an 

infrared filter to produce enough infrared illumination 

for use with night vision devices, V-Series 

LED lights require no IR filter. To convert from 

white to IR light (or vice versa), the user need 

only twist the light’s self-locking selector ring. 

Work on the contracts will be performed by Sure- 

Fire at their Southern California facilities and is 

expected to be completed by September of 2015. 

The contracts were awarded by the Naval Surface 

Warfare Center, Crane Division, in Crane, Ind. 

global emergency-call system for downed 

personnel,” said Michael Bates, Boeing 

CSEL program manager. “Rescue forces 

can quickly locate, authenticate and 

communicate with isolated personnel for 

urgent recovery operations.” 

The CSEL system uses a flexible, 

modular communications architecture 

over multiple satellite links for dependable, 

secure communications. “This 

network-centric system combines everything 

downed pilots and combat forces 

need in one easy-to-use, multifunction 

radio,” Bates added. “Boeing is currently 

working with the U.S. Air Force on nextgeneration 

system improvements.” 

Remington Upgrades 

M24 Sniper Weapon 

The Army awarded Remington Arms Co. Inc. a five-year 

contract worth up to $28.2 million to upgrade as many 

as 3,600 M24 sniper weapon systems. That system, now 

called the M24E1, will be improved by Remington under 

the firm fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity 

contract. The improvement will center on converting from 

the 7.62 mm NATO caliber, which is the .308 Winchester, 

to the .300 Winchester Magnum, enhancing both precision 

and range. Further, the upgrade will involve a new chassis 

(or stock) assembly, and a folding buttstock for easier 

transport and greater concealment. 

Further, the improved weapon will boast a 6.5-20x50 

variable power Leupold riflescope with a reticle within the 

first focal plane, and a .300 Winchester Magnum bulletdrop 

compensator. Other advancements include a quick 

attach/detach Advanced Armament Corp. suppressor with 

muzzle brake, a five-round detachable box magazine and 

advanced corrosion-resistant coatings. 

Jason Schauble, Remington Defense Division vice 

president, explained the goal in the program. “Remington 

has made significant investments in manufacturing modernization, 

end-user driven research and development, and 

complementary technologies to provide a wide range of 

reliable, durable and maintainable small arms solutions,” 

he said. 

Winning in a competition this year that lasted nine 

months, Winchester received the award from the Army 

Joint Munitions and Lethality Contracting Center. Executing 

the program will be the Project Manager Soldier Weapons 

at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., and its Product Manager 

Individual Weapons unit. Remington thus far has produced 

almost 15,000 M24 sniper weapon systems over 22 years. 

The payoff for combat troops is that the upgraded weapon 

will be able to chamber a longer and more powerful round, 

giving soldiers an edge in operations in Southwest Asia. 

jason.schauble@remington.com 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com SOTECH 8.9 | 3


EOD Small 

Unmanned Vehicles 

The Air Force gave Boeing and iRobot Corp. an initial 

contract to provide small unmanned ground vehicles (SUGV) 

to its Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. The contract calls 

for up to 70 model 310 SUGV robots, with an initial value 

of $3.84 million. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity 

contract will run through September 2012. Boeing, the prime 

contractor, and iRobot developed the SUGV family of vehicles 

under a strategic alliance that began in 2007. 

The unmanned vehicle is designed to give warfighters 

real-time awareness of critical situations and allow them 

to complete missions from safe standoff distances. Boeing 

provides program management, contracts and qualitycontrol 

support from offices in Huntsville, Ala. IRobot is 

responsible for engineering, manufacturing, training and 

logistics services, with the majority of work conducted in 

Bedford, Mass. 

Saving Lives: THULS System Lets 

Medics Record Battlefield Care 

The THULS medical 

care card permits medics 

to record information 

on pre-hospital care 

given to troops on the 

battlefield. That card 

currently is used at 

the Special Operations 

Combat Medic Course 

at Fort Bragg, N.C., and 

with several operational 

units, according to MIR 

Inc., which partnered 

with Combat Medical 

Systems on the card. The 

Tactical Combat Casualty 

Care Card is being offered to SOF. 

A THULS DA Form 7656, the 

card can be written on with an 

Ultra-fine Sharpie or Staedler 

Permanent Map Pen and erased 

with >90 percent rubbing alcohol. 

Using a pencil, it can be written on 

and erased in all weather conditions, 

including underwater and 

through both human blood and 

moulage. Warfighters are able to 

4 | SOTECH 8.9 

pre-fill their personal information 

with a permanent pen and keep 

their cards in their IFAK or breast/ 

sleeve pockets. Because the cards 

are re-writable, operators/medics 

can train with the cards to build 

the muscle memory necessary for 

use during the chaos of combat— 

enabling units to have a much 

higher success rate in documenting 

pre-hospital care. 

Recon Scout Provides 

Remote Eyes for Intel 

The Recon Scout can be fitted 

with a new SearchStick pole that permits 

a camera to see over a 12-foot wall 

or into a second-story window, maker 

ReconRobotics Inc. said. Jaws on the 

pole grasp the two-wheeled, 1.2-pound 

Recon Scout robotic vehicle, and the 

pole can extend from a retracted 20.5inch 

length to six feet. As cameras on 

the SearchStick pole gather visual intel, 

the robot transmits live video to a handheld 

operator control unit, providing 

operators with vital situational awareness 

that protects the lives of soldiers 

during high-risk operations, according 

to the company. 

The SearchStick also can be used 

to quietly place a robot into an elevated or confined space, where it can 

search the environment for adversaries, IEDs or other threats. Once the 

inspection is complete, the operator can use the jaws on the SearchStick 

to retrieve the robot. Zistos Corp., a world leader in pole camera technology, 

will manufacture the SearchStick for ReconRobotics. 

“We have nearly 1,200 Recon Scout micro-robots deployed around 

the world, and this new product dramatically expands their utility and 

versatility,” said Alan Bignall, president and CEO of ReconRobotics. “No 

other robot in the world can be used as a pole camera, and no other 

pole camera can instantly deploy its optical system as a mobile microrobot. 

When used together, our Recon Scout robot and SearchStick pole 

give soldiers and tactical operators a uniquely powerful reconnaissance 

system that can safely reveal hidden threats, limit collateral damage and 

resolve dangerous situations.” 

The Recon Scout SearchStick and robot system is particularly useful 

for gaining visual access into walled compounds, rooftops, attics, ventilation 

systems, tunnels and crawl spaces. And because most Recon Scout 

robots are equipped with infrared optical systems, this visual reconnaissance 

can be conducted in complete darkness. Recon Scout robots may 

be specified in any of three transmitting frequencies, allowing police 

and military personnel to operate up to three robots in the same environment 

at the same time. The robot allows tactical teams to quickly 

and safely clear large multi-level structures before personnel enter 

these environments. 

Several branches of the U.S. military and international friendly forces 

have deployed Recon Scout robots around the world to assist warfighters 

in route clearing operations, remote reconnaissance and IED inspection. 

In addition, nearly 200 police and security agencies use Recon Scout 

robots for tactical reconnaissance, including the many police tactical 

teams as well as the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Border Patrol, DEA and the 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com


people 

Marine Corps Lieutenant 

General Thomas D. 

Waldhauser has been 

named commanding general 

of I Marine Expeditionary 

Force, and commander of 

the Marine Corps Forces 

Central Command in Camp 

Pendleton, Calif. He also has 

been tapped for re-appointment 

to the rank of lieutenant 

general. Waldhauser— 

currently the deputy 

commandant for plans, 

policies, and operations in 

Washington, D.C.—replaces 

Marine Corps Lieutenant 

General Joseph F. Dunford 

Jr. Dunford is advancing to 

assistant commandant of the 

Marine Corps, and will be 

promoted to the rank 

of general. 

Brendan O’Connell has 

been named president of 

the Department of Defense 

business unit at Harris RF 

Communications. Harris RF 

Communications, maker 

of comms for vehicles and 

dismounted troops that 

can be used in theater, was 

formerly headed by Stephen 

Marschilok, who was named 

president of the Harris public 

Oshkosh Gains $797 Million Army Truck Order 

The Army provided Oshkosh Defense with 

a $797 million truck and trailer order. The 

company will supply more than 4,700 family 

of medium tactical vehicle (FMTV) trucks and 

trailers under the order from the Army TACOM 

Life Cycle Management Command. 

The FMTV supports Army and National 

Guard units at home and abroad in combat 

operations, relief efforts, unit resupply missions 

and other functions. “We are eager to fill this 

new order and continue to drive Oshkosh FMTVs 

off the production lines and into the field,” said 

Mike Ivy, vice president and general manager of 

Army programs for Oshkosh Defense. 

This order is part of a five-year FMTV 

contract awarded to Oshkosh Defense for the 

safety and professional 

communications unit. 

O’Connell spent the last 

five years as vice president 

of DoD sales. Prior to that, 

he held management positions 

of increasing responsibility, 

including director of 

European and Central Asia 

sales and director of Asia 

Pacific sales, Middle East sales 

and government programs. 

Jason Kovatch 

Jason Kovatch joined the 

engineering team at AR 

Modular RF. Kovatch will 

become a development engineer, 

creating and supporting 

all automated test systems 

and amplifier product development 

and testing. He previously 

has been employed 

at the Agilent Technologies 

signal analysis division and 

Hewlett Packard. He also has 

worked in NASA programs, 

serving as an associate at the 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 

Pasadena, Calif., to advance 

a microgravity containerless 

program and the Deep 

Space Network. 

Paul Osenar was named 

president and CEO of 

Protonex Technology Corp. 

A co-founder of the firm, 

Osenar was chief technology 

officer since 2004 and a 

member of the board of directors 

since the company’s 

founding. Osenar succeeds 

Scott Pearson in the CEO 

post, which Pearson held for 

the last six years. Pearson 

will become board chairman 

and remain with the company 

in a non-executive capacity. 

Harry Fitzgibbons, Protonex 

chairman since May 2006, 

remains on the board as a 

non-executive director. 

Michael Strianese, L-3 

chairman, president and 

chief executive officer, was 

presented with the John 

W. Dixon Award at the 

Association of the United 

States Army (AUSA) 2010 

annual meeting and 

production of the Army’s medium vehicle fleet, 

as well as support services and training, through 

fiscal 2013. The order brings total FMTV orders 

to date to more than 14,000 trucks and trailers. 

The Army’s delivery order includes more than 

4,150 trucks and 590 trailers. Deliveries are 

scheduled to begin in September 2011 and 

finish in August 2012. 

exposition in Washington, 

D.C. Strianese received the 

award for the company’s 

ongoing contributions to 

the armed forces and the 

defense industry. 

Warren Sitzinski 

Army Veteran Warren 

Sizinski joins 50d Tactical 

to deliver next-generation 

thermal control products to 

the armed forces. “I’m very 

excited about joining this 

team,” Sizinski said. “The 

efficient cooling provided by 

50d Tactical products is doing 

everything from improving 

soldier alertness in the field to 

extending talk time of mobile 

communications gear.” 50d 

Tactical is part of HTFx , 

which among other things 

makes thermal gear that can 

help to keep soldiers cool even 

in very hot climates. 



Defeating 

Threats 


www.SOTECH-kmi.com

www.SOTECH-kmi.com 

Co u n t e r m e a s u r e s s a v e a i r C r a f t, C r e w s. 

By De n n i s mCCaf f e r t y 

soteCH Co r r e s p o n D e n t 

m C C a f f e r t y D@km i m e D i a g r o u p.Co m 

As in sports, much of the attention in military-combat assets 

is focused on the offense, meaning systems that attack. But it’s 

often the defense that wins the game. 

For aircraft carrying special operations teams, the defensive 

option remains increasingly sophisticated countermeasure sys- 

tems—flares, decoys and other tactics—that ensure the aircraft 

will be protected against a missile attack. 

SOTECH 8.9 | 7


That protection is critical, literally 

a matter of life and death 

for crew members on SOF 

and other U.S. military aircraft. 

Consider, for example, 

an incident involving 

an MV-22 Osprey flown by a 

Marine Corps pilot in Iraq, 

where enemies mounted 

an intense missile attack 

directed at the aircraft. 

Bill Kasting, ATK vice 

president and general manager 

for defense electronic 

systems, explained how, a 

few months ago, that Marine Corps pilot 

spoke to ATK employees who work on the 

AAR-47 sensor system that is mounted on 

aircraft such as the Marine pilot’s Osprey 

to detect incoming missiles. The Marine 

pilot described how his Osprey was fired 

upon by multiple missiles. 

Fortunately, the pilot’s MV-22 was 

equipped with the ATK AAR-47 sensor 

system, which immediately detected the 

incoming missiles. “The AAR-47 actually 

alerted them to the situation, and they 

were allowed to perform their evasive 

maneuvers and deploy the countermeasures, 

and they really felt that the [AAR- 

]47 was the primary reason they were able 

to survive that engagement,” Kasting said 

in an interview with SOTECH. 

ATK makes the sensor that swiftly 

detects incoming threats, while others 

make the system that deploys countermeasures 

to confuse an incoming missile, 

neutralizing the enemy weapon. The 

AAR-47 sensor is designed to work with 

the ALE-47 chaff dispenser provided by 

Symetrics Industries. 

AAR-47 sensor units, which are small 

and light so they don’t hog aircraft space 

and payload capacity, utilize dual sensor 

capabilities. “One is the UV sensor,” 

Kasting explained. “It’s non-imaging UV, 

which is the primary sensor to detect 

a missile firing. And then there’s also a 

laser warning sensor integrated into that 

[system unit] as well, that detects laser 

threats. [The AAR-47] is actually the only 

system out there today that integrates 

laser warning and missile warning into a 

single sensor.” 

The AAR-47 system currently is 

mounted on Navy and Marine Corps rotary 

wing aircraft including “the UH-60s, the 


Bill Kasting 

CH-53s, the UH-1 and the MV-22,” Kasting 

said. “It’s also deployed 

on several fixed wing aircraft: 

the C-17, the C-130s 

and also some of the 

smaller aircraft.” The Navy 

recently awarded ATK a $67 

million indefinite delivery/ 

indefinite quantity contract 

to produce AAR-47s. 

Improvements in the 

AAR-47 include enhanced 

capabilities to pick out and 

identify incoming enemy 

missiles, even when they 

are flying in airspace cluttered with a 

confusion of other traffic, Kasting said. 

ATK also is working on improvements 

to the AAR-47 so it will tell the ALE-47 

countermeasures dispenser the direction 

from which the enemy missile is arriving, 

allowing countermeasures to be dispensed 

just in that direction. 

ATK is now working on the nextgeneration 

sensor system, which would 

so precisely track the exact location of an 

incoming enemy missile that the sensor 

could guide a different type of countermeasures 

system, such as a directional 

infrared countermeasures system that 

can defeat the heat-seeking infrared homing 

guidance systems on man-portable 

air defense missiles, Kasting said. 

Another advancement will be sensors 

identifying smaller, but still potentially 

lethal, threats short of enemy missiles, 

such as small-arms fire up to unguided 

rocket propelled grenades, Kasting said. 

These are major advancements from 

the primitive countermeasures systems 

of years ago. 

In the not-so-distant past, these systems 

were analog-based designs. Today, 

everything is a micro-processor based 

digital solution. Hardware is still important, 

but more off-the-shelf hardware is 

being used to take advantage of the high 

level of processing available in today’s 

commercial marketplace, such as multicore 

processors and graphical processing 

units, said Michael Maas, technology 

director of survivability and protection 

solutions for BAE Systems, a global 

defense, security and aerospace company. 

“Just like your home personal computer, 

the capabilities and function of future 

solutions will be determined as much 

by the software as by the hardware,” he 

says. “Our military customers are looking 

for product solutions that reduce the 

overall weight of the self protection suite 

and have higher reliability, resulting in 

lower life cycle cost and higher mission 

availability.” 

BAE has recently unveiled the Boldstroke, 

an integrated aircraft survivability 

system for the U.S. Army’s Common 

Infrared Countermeasures program. The 

Boldstroke is a modular, lightweight and 

directable infrared countermeasure suite 

designed to protect the Army’s helicopter 

fleet from current and evolving threats, 

as well as multiple, simultaneous ones. 

It features a pointer-tracker system to 

support direct or fiber-coupled lasers, 

and a single rigid optical bench for easy 

assembly, alignment and stability in a 

flight environment. BAE Systems has 

more than 15,000 infrared and electronic 

countermeasures systems fielded 

worldwide on both fixed and rotary wing 

aircraft. The company’s AN/AAR-57 Common 

Missile Warning System (CMWS) 

has logged more than 1.4 million combat 

flight hours in protecting aircrews, for 

example, providing missile warning for 

rotary and fixed wing aircraft with a low 

false-alarm rate and the ability to detect 

and declare prior to missile burnout. It 

also features stabilized imagery during 

high-speed maneuvers to permit rapid 

threat detection and notification, ensuring 

the highest probability of successful 

threat countermeasures. The CMWS is 

compatible with existing chaff/flare/RF 

decoy dispensers and directional IR countermeasure 

systems. 

The current challenge for the vendor, 

Maas said, is to develop and field 

systems faster so that they’re not one or 

two generations behind the commercial 

market, which doubles capability every 18 

months, as the popular Moore’s Law has 

proven out. They need to work in extreme 

temperatures, with state-of-the-art processors 

that have high-power densities 

so they can “run hot.” Getting that kind 

of heat performance when “operating 

in the high ambient temperatures seen 

in the desert during the summertime is 

very challenging,” Maas said. “It’s hard 

to believe, but available packaging volume 

and its associated thermal cooling 

limitation is one of most difficult factors 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

and in many ways can 

limit overall performance 

and reliability.” 

There’s also a need 

to develop system-level 

architectures that can 

accept updated processing 

elements without 

having to do a total 

redesign of the hardware 

and software. As 

in the commercial market, 

military customers 

want a system in which 

they can unplug a video 

card from a personal 

computer and replace it 

with a newer and more 

powerful card by simply 

loading new “software 

drivers” with no need to change the 

operational software. “Also, I believe that, 

just like your home computer’s ability 

to run multiple simultaneous programs, 

these future systems will support multifunctional 

capabilities through multicore 

parallel processing,” Maas added. 

The market for these products is not 

huge—just $10 million to $15 million 

annually per contract—but it’s a healthy, 

steady demand, said Mike Shoemaker, 

vice president of sales and marketing for 

Alloy Surfaces Company Inc., a Chester 

Township, Pa.-based subsidiary of 

the Chemring Group that manufactures 

infrared air countermeasures and is said 

to be the only manufacturer of special 

material decoys (SMDs). Its MJU-49/B, a 

special material decoy pyrophoric infrared 

(IR) countermeasure has been developed 

and manufactured for the U.S. Navy, 

designed to defend helicopters and jet 

aircraft from missile threats worldwide. 

It emits IR energy in the same band as 

an aircraft, and can be employed using 

the ALE-39 series or any countermeasure 

dispensing system capable of employing 

a round 36 mm flare. It contains 

no pyrotechnics other than a CCU-136 

squib, required to expel the SMD from 

the flare casing. Once expelled, the SMD 

reacts with oxygen to rapidly oxidize 

and generate an IR signature. However, 

the temperature is less than half the 

temperature of conventional materials, 

and SMD is considered extremely safe 

to handle. 

An AC-130U gunship jettisons flares over an area near Hurlburt Field, Fla. The flares are a countermeasure for heat-seeking missiles that may be fired at the aircraft 

during real world missions. The aircraft is from the 4th Special Operations Squadron. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force] 

A formation of C-130 Hercules aircraft fire off chaff and flare countermeasures over the Nevada Test and Training Range during a 

mobility exercise. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force] 

Another product, the company’s MJU- 

52/B, was developed with the United 

States Naval Surfaces Warfare Center 

to offer preemptive protection to fast 

jet fighters and fighter bombers. The 

MJU-52/B utilizes special material, Alloy 

Surfaces’ proprietary patented technology 

to emit IR energy to decoy missiles. 

It is manufactured in plastic trays and is 

deployed upon command with an electrical 

impulse to initiate a mechanical dispenser. 

The MJU-52/B can be ejected from 

any Bol Dispenser Series. It requires no 

pyrotechnics to expel this special material 

and is virtually unobservable to the 

naked eye. 

The technologies for these systems 

have evolved as the missiles that the aircraft 

are seeking to avoid have evolved, 

Shoemaker said. The relatively simple 

Vietnam-era of magnesium Teflon countermeasure 

systems has given way to a 

material mix that emits energy in two 

regions of the infrared spectrum as an 

evasive tactic. There are many different 

combinations now used in materials 

and composition, although most of this 

information is proprietary. “We’ll call this 

a cocktail,” he said. “You’ll have two or 

three different flares in the airplane and 

put them out in a different sequence— 

just like you do with a cocktail, mixing 



a little bit of this and a little bit of that. 

Some systems are more covert, but that 

really doesn’t matter if you’re flying in 

the daytime and can be seen anyway. The 

main thing is giving the military customer 

a product that works in the heat 

of battle.” 

White Plains, N.Y.-based ITT Electronic 

Systems provides its ALQ-211 family 

of systems to military customers, 

equipping aircrews with multi-spectral 

(RF, IR and laser) situational awareness to 

allow for effective threat warning, sensor 

fusion and countermeasure capabilities. 

The systems are used by crews serving 

on the AH-64D Apache Longbow, CV-22 

Osprey, F-16 and other top defense aircraft. 

Before flights, crews can download 

local order-of-battle threat information 

and match this with other on-board, 

real-time links to intelligence systems 

on board. When a threat emission is 

encountered, the systems allow for analysis 

of the threat ID, lethality, mode of 

PSC�M 

NSN 6530�01�581�9724 

PSC�E 

NSN 6530�01�588�8059 

10 | SOTECH 8.9 

operation and changing angle of arrival 

to the aircraft. It provides protection by 

breaking missile lock through RF countermeasures 

and cues the use of chaff 

and flares. 

In designing these systems, it’s essential 

to stay on top of constant advancements 

on the part of the enemy’s 

technology capability, especially with 

respect to powerful processing tools. Yet, 

at the same time, the military customer 

is asking for greater streamlining in the 

ease-of-operation of these systems. 

“The evolutions in the threat systems 

drive the evolutions in the countermeasures 

systems,” said Chris Carlson, 

director of business development for ITT 

Electronic Systems’ Integrated Electronic 

Warfare Systems. “There aren’t a bunch of 

dumb guys on the other side coming up 

with these missiles. So we need to keep 

improving the countermeasure products 

to keep coming up with ways to get away 

from what they send out there.” 

As a result, systems are getting 

smaller and smaller, but with increased 

processing power and digital circuitry. 

And all needed data is centralized to help 

the user/operator on the aircraft. 

“The military customer doesn’t want 

the air crew looking at multiple displays 

and a barrage of information,” Carlson 

said. “We seek to give them a consolidated 

picture, to integrate all sensors on 

the system so they don’t need to go to a 

lot of different displays on different pages. 

You want to give them one clear story in 

an efficient way. The military customer is 

sending a consistent message these days: 

Don’t give us new boxes. Take the boxes 

you have and give them new functions. 

Give us more functionality in less space 

and weight.” O 

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Dave Ahearn at 

davea@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for 

related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com. 

WHEN�DISASTER�STRIKES 

Patient�Transport�selected�by�militaries�across�the�globe.� 

Take�battleground�tested,�tough,�durable�RRP�Litter�Carriers� 

on�your�next�rescue�mission. 

5717�Sellger Drive,�Norfolk�VA�23502��USA 

Toll Free:�866.493.8726��Info 757.461.1122��Fax: 757.461.0383 

www.RapidRescueProducts.com 

EVERY�SECOND�COUNTS 

TAMPA,�FL�•�Dec�13�15,�2010 

Visit�us�at�T41�for�a�demo. 

VRC�14 

GS�07F�9263S 

VRC�20 

BP 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Mulholland Wish List 

Co m m a n D e r eyes t r a n s l a t i o n g e a r, Better isr, H a n D H e l D ieD DeteCtors. 

By Da v e aH e a r n, soteCH eD i t o r 

D a v e a@k m i m e D i a g r o u p.C o m 

Special operations forces could use 

advanced language translation gear, 

smaller and lighter intelligence, surveillance 

and reconnaissance systems, and 

handheld IED detectors, according to 

Lieutenant General John F. Mulholland 

Jr., commander of the Special Operations 

Command. 

Mulholland made his comments in 

responding to a question from Special 

Operations Technology as he led a panel 

discussion focused on SOF during the 

recent Association of the United States 

Army annual meeting in Washington, 

D.C. 

He added that he wishes to make any 

systems acquired be non-specific to special 

operations troops, saying he wishes 

as much as possible to acquire items that 

can be shared across the Army. Further, he 

would like technology that can be shared 

with international partners. 

Language translators that can permit 

American troops to communicate with 

those speaking another language are a critical 

asset, Mulholland said, noting that when 

U.S. forces first arrived in Afghanistan after 

the September 11 bombings, there were 

no linguists with them speaking Arabic 

or Farsi. 

Mulholland said he wants to see longlasting, 

high powered battery systems, 

wishing for “the most powerful, longlasting 

Energizer Bunny” to power soldiers’ 

gear. 

Another important need is a means 

of reducing the weight of all the batteries 

that soldiers now must carry to power 

their gear, added Command Sergeant 

Major Jeffrey J. Mellinger, of the Army 

Materiel Command. While an individual 

battery may not seem to weigh all that 

much, when there are a dozen different 

kinds of batteries carried simultaneously, 

it can impose a heavy strain on troops, 

he said. 

“When you talk about putting it on 

your back, traipsing up and down mountains,” 

the burden can be difficult, he said. 

He urged contractors to consider how to 

improve commonality in battery-powered 

systems, how to reduce power consumption 

by soldier-portable hardware, and 

how batteries can be recharged “when 

you’re on the side of a mountain.” Solar 

arrays, which aren’t mobile, may not be 

the answer here, he said. And anything 

using fuel, which can weigh six pounds per 

gallon, may not be the answer either. 

Mulholland said he doesn’t want 

the typical troop to be forced to carry 

15 batteries. 

Similarly, Mellinger too is concerned 

that every time a new capability is added, 

the capability may be contained in a new, 

additional device that each soldier must 

carry. He cited the addition of devices 

being mounted on the M4 carbine, noting 

that sooner or later the Army will run out 

of rail on the weapon that can be used to 

mount extra systems. 

What may be another special operations 

need is at a higher level: in the air. 

“There isn’t enough aviation” capacity 

for special operations personnel, said 

Brigadier General Kevin W. Mangum, 

commanding general of the Army Special 

Operations Aviation Division. That 

often leaves SOF missions dependent on 

non-SOF air, he added. O 





By peter Bu x B a u m 

soteCH Co r r e s p o n D e n t 

B u x B a u m p@k m i m e D i a g r o u p.C o m 

seats—a n D tHen B o a t H u l l s—to C u s H i o n, 

C u r B i n j u r y-C a u s i n g s H o C k s. 

United States Navy special operations 

personnel perform many of their missions 

on smaller water craft. These vessels—and 

the personnel inside them—can take quite a 

pounding, especially in severe sea states. 

Repeated exposure to wave shocks and 

to the forces of the ocean can impair performance, 

produce discomfort, and cause acute 

and chronic injuries. That is why the Naval 

Special Warfare Command tests smaller boats 

for their ability to absorb shocks and protect 

the crew. 

In the past, naval personnel often preferred 

standing to sitting while operating their 

vessels, believing that they could use their 

legs from a standing position to absorb 

impacts. While there is some truth to that 

belief, special operations personnel are often 

exposed to forces that cannot be handled 

12 | SOTECH 8.9 

merely by standing or bending the legs. 

Much of the activity surrounding shock mitigation 

involves equipping combatant craft 

with seats that cushion the blows to which 

crews are subjected. 

In one case, the seats in an entire fleet 

of small boats were replaced with seats 

equipped with shock mitigation technologies. 

These special seats contain their own suspension 

systems, in the form of shock absorbers 

that smooth the ride for naval special warfighters. 

The command keeps on eye on such 

technologies that can improve the safety of 

crew members. 

“Combatant craft crewmen work in an 

environment dictated by the mission, not 

at the convenience of sea-state conditions,” 

said Bruce Holmes, a science and technology 

adviser at Naval Special Warfare Command. 

“Boat-related musculoskeletal injuries occur 

as a result of the environment in which 

the crew and passengers are required to 

operate. The purpose of the seat is to shield 

the operator from the high shock environment 

generated by the sea-state and 

craft speed.” 

Techno-Sciences Inc. (TSI), in collaboration 

with Lord Corp., has developed what 

the companies term a reliable, revolutionary 

shock absorber system using magnetorheological 

(MR) fluid technology for seated 

occupants aboard high-speed watercraft, in 

a cost-effective package providing optimal 

shock and vibration protection. 

Traditional seats using passive shock 

absorbers in these vessels provide limited 

benefit to the warfighter because they 

can only be optimized for one occupant 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Averting Personnel 

Injuries 

weight (typically the 50th percentile male) 

and a single shock condition. Outside 

these ideal conditions, they provide subpar 

protection. 

But in maritime operations, especially 

onboard special operations craft, ideal conditions 

do not exist. Conditions such as high 

sea states, boat speed, course relative to 

wind direction, and boat payload/weights are 

highly variable—leading to erratic shock and 

vibration conditions. 

In addition, MR devices provide advantages 

over competing active damping technologies 

due to their simplicity, company 

officials explained. MR fluid shock absorber 

systems are enabled by versatile MR fluid technology, 

which allows the system to respond 

instantly and controllably to varying levels 

of vibration, shock or motion with simple, 

robust designs. 

This novel seat suspension by TSI and 

Lord automatically varies the damping and 

energy attenuating capabilities, providing 

protection for all warfighters, regardless of 

their size and weight 

and the operational conditions. 

This system leverages decades 

of Lord production experience of various 

MR devices. 

In particular, the Lord Motion Master 

Ride Management System has provided vibration 

and shock isolation in over 75,000 commercial 

truck seats since initial production in 

1998. While this system has been developed 

and tested with the U.S. Navy’s RHIBs and 

Mark V SOC in mind, the system can easily be 

adapted into seats for all armed services and 

any high speed watercraft. 

“The biggest problem with smaller craft is 

wave shock,” said Doug Taylor, CEO of Taylor 

Devices in North Tonawanda, N.Y. “It can 

cause damage to equipment and to people. A 

severe wave shock can knock someone out. 

The most important thing about any armed 

vessel is to optimize the blending of man 

and machine.” 

Naval Special Warfare has pursued existing 

and future technologies in pursuit of 

mitigating musculoskeletal, boat-related 

injuries. After it came to light that operators 

on the Mark V Special Operations Craft were 

subjected to a litany of debilitating injuries, 

NSW performed a market survey in 2004 of 

available systems and directed minor design 

changes of existing shock mitigating seat 

technologies. As a result, the standard rigid 

STIDD V-4 seats in the Mark V were replaced 

with STIDD-Taylor V-5.3 seats equipped with 

passive shock absorbers. All 21 operator seats 

were replaced on all 20 Mark Vs. 

“The STIDD-Taylor Shock Mitigating Seat 

has received wide acclaim for reducing injuries 

during severe sea-state conditions,” said 

Doug Taylor. “The seat was ergonomically 

designed by STIDD to restrain the operator 

so that he is not working his muscles to hold 

himself into the seat.” 

The shock absorbing device used in this 

seat developed by Taylor Devices involves a 

spring and damper combination that has the 

ability to sense the incoming force so that it 

can change its output accordingly. 

STIDD comes to the design and production 

of shock mitigating seats with a 

background in orthopedic and sports medicine 

research. “Our seats are compliant with 

medical guidelines as well as military specifications,” 

said Walter Gezari, CEO of STIDD 

Systems Inc., in Greenport, N.Y. “Before we 

get to the designing stage of a seat, we study 

where the force is going and how to dissipate 

it. We also figure out how to position and 

stabilize the user and place him in the proper 

orientation to accept the highest amount 

of load with the least amount of damage. 

The STIDD-Taylor seat solved the problem on 

the Mark V.” 

But Holmes views passive shock absorbing 

as a less-than-optimal solution. “The 

problem with a passive system is that the 


craft must operate in both heavy and light sea-state and craft speed 

environments,” he explained. “What might work well to protect the 

operator during a high shock environment may not be ideal for a low 

shock environment and vice versa.” 

Seaspension Technologies in Largo, Fla., produces shock mitigating 

seating equipped with a patented damper and coil system that 

automatically reacts to the force being exerted on it. “We basically had 

a global damper manufacturer tweak an existing shock absorber with 

our input,” said company President Peter Burer. 

Seaspension, which started in the recreational boating market, 

first supplied shock mitigating seats to the Canadian Coast Guard 

around eight years ago. “We’ve had no failures with these shocks,” 

said Burer. 

More recently, Seaspension delivered custom shock mitigating 

seating for use in 35 U.S. Coast Guard specialized emergency rescue 

airboats, known as Iceboats. The tripod-mounted seat is designed to 

protect the crew from jolts experienced when the boat transitions 

from land to ice and water, and during operation in rugged conditions. 

Seaspension also has supplied seating to Edgewater Power 

Boats of Edgewater, Fla., for vessels that were delivered to the Trinidad 

Coast Guard. 

Active Shock LLC of Manchester, N.H., which concentrates on 

shock absorbers in the automotive space, developed a device for the 

U.S. Special Operations Command designed to be incorporated in a 

rigid inflatable boat (RIB). That project, developed under a SBIR grant 

in 2008, has not been acquired by the U.S. military. 

“What makes our shock absorbers unique is that they are controlled 

by computer,” said Scott Martineau, the company’s director 

of business development. “We use sophisticated algorithms that take 

information from a suite of sensors contained in the shock absorbers 

themselves to determine the optimum damping rate. In high sea 

states, the sensor can detect when the boat goes airborne and prevents 

the seat from bottoming out and transmitting the shock to the crew.” 

Seaspension, meanwhile, will soon be introducing a shock mitigating 

seat for use as either a bulkhead seat or as a replacement for 

the Marine Corps’s 11-meter RIB. “The damper system will allow anywhere 

from the fifth percentile female by weight to the 95th percentile 

male in the Marine Corps to be seated and protected from shocks 

without the use of tools or any kind of adjustment,” said Burer. 

That would cover women as light as 100 pounds to men as heavy as 

250 pounds. 

“The mechanism in the damper responds directly to forces,” said 

Burer. “The Navy is looking for a seat that can accommodate different 

sizes of personnel on a variety of missions subjected to different sea 

states without having to adjust the damping mechanism.” 

Seaspension’s new device uses a dual-damper system in order to 

accomplish that task. “We found it better to incorporate two independent 

shock absorbers to regulate those weights,” said Burer. “The seat 

is designed to be able to slip right into existing craft in the inventory 

of U.S. special operations and foreign militaries as well.” 

The principles central to shock mitigation are applicable not 

only to seating and the protection of crewmembers, but also to the 

protection of equipment mounted on vessels. “We are working on 

several new applications for our pedestals to be used as weapons and 

equipment platforms,” said Burer. “We recently bid our heavy duty 

pedestal as a mount for a .50 caliber gun on a 100-boat contract. We 

expect shock mitigation to be used much more in this application in 

the future and are actively testing and designing products to meet 

this demand.” 

14 | SOTECH 8.9 

Taylor Devices makes shock mitigation products that have been 

used on Navy warships for shock isolation on missiles and missile 

systems, radars, electronics consoles, boat davits, and for recoil isolation 

on heavy machine gun mounts. These “soft mounts,” which are a 

combination coil spring and hydraulic shock absorber, reduce the firing 

recoil from the .50 caliber heavy machine gun from 4,400 pounds 

to 500 pounds, according to Taylor. This allows the .50 caliber guns to 

be used on smaller combatant craft. 

The application of shock mitigation technologies can have the 

unintended side effect of allowing crews to push a vessel to the limits 

of its performance, a phenomenon which has both positive and 

negative implications. As crews become more comfortable, they push 

the boats harder, and as they push the boats harder, the more they 

are likely to be subject to additional wear and tear. That is especially 

the case when shock mitigation has been retrofitted onto a 

legacy platform. 

“As operators feel secure in the seat and comfortable at higher and 

higher speeds they have been driving the boats faster,” said Gezari, 

referring to the Mark V. “This allows them to run their missions faster 

and more successfully. But the boats have also experienced structural 

issues as a result.” 

For Holmes, special operations crews will best benefit when vessels 

are properly designed and evaluated for their shock absorbing 

properties from the beginning. The Special Operations Craft Riverine, 

he pointed out, does not have the same history of musculoskeletal, 

boat-related injuries as the Mark V or the Naval Special Warfare Rigid 

Inflatable Boat (NSW-RIB). 

“Health monitoring of the shock environment in manned areas 

of combatant craft needs to be implemented on all combatant craft,” 

said Holmes. “Monitoring of the shock environment will provide data 

that will be used to assist future research and measure how effective 

proposed systems are against mitigating shock.” 

Research is yielding a set of emerging standards that will likely 

find eventual widespread adoption and which will help in the measurement 

of the shock conveyed to the human body through vessels. The 

International Organization for Standardization, a Switzerland-based 

group, has released ISO 2631-5, a standard to measure vibration on the 

human body over time. Another emerging industry standard relating 

specifically to shock mitigating seats is known as SED-8 and is based 

on another ISO standard. 

“SED-8 measures the amplitude and frequency of incoming 

impacts and then measures the outgoing response” of the seat, 

explained Burer. “Different seat manufactures employ different kinds 

of tests to measure the shock absorbing capacity of their systems. 

With this standard, we can measure the effectiveness of the 

damper system.” 

At some point in the not too distant future, Burer predicted, a 

certification program for shock mitigating seats under SED-8 will be 

established. 

Meanwhile, NSW will be assessing all future combatant craft 

for operator exposure to shock levels that could cause musculoskeletal, 

boat-related injuries, said Holmes. The current combatant 

craft, medium requirements document contains a maximum 

spine stress dose shock exposure level, as defined by SED-8 and 

ISO standards. O 

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Dave Ahearn at davea@kmimediagroup.com 

or search our online archives for related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com. 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

LORD MR Suspension Systems are active damping systems, comprised of LORD MR technology devices and 

controllers, that respond controllably to varying levels of vibration, shock or motion. This enables improved levels of 

performance and mobility. 

With 70+ years of experience in vibration control for military applications and the world’s largest MR Fluid patent 

portfolio, we are the leader in Magneto-Rheological Systems. More than 500,000 MR Fluid technology devices have 

been sold for use on commercial vehicles. At LORD, we have the knowledge, resources and commitment to work 

with you for a successful launch of your application … Ask Us How. 

©2010 LORD Corporation. SA6032

16 | SOTECH 8.9 www.SOTECH-kmi.com

sp e C i a l o p s p e r s o n n e l a r r i v e resteD, s H a r p a t oBjeCtive u s i n g s u B m e r s i B l e s. 



Here are two scenarios: 

In Scenario one, Navy SEALs arrive at 

their objective silently, slipping in at night, 

but the SEALs are cold and exhausted from 

a long swim in frigid waters, having used 

vast amounts of oxygen in tanks, not what 

you want in starting a mission. They have 

little time to perform their duties ashore 

before they must begin the long swim back 

to their ship. 

In Scenario two, the SEALs arrive at 

their objective rested, sharp and at the top 

of their game. They have ample time to 

complete their mission, rather than being 

rushed and tired. 

The difference between those two scenarios 

lies in submersible craft that can 

carry personnel to shore underwater and 

unseen, swiftly and without major exertion. 

STIDD Systems Inc. offers submersibles 

that can whisk SEALs smoothly and silently 

beneath the waves to enemy beaches. That 

means the SEALs are sharp, in shape and 

enjoying the best possible chance of success 

in operations at their objective. 

By using submersibles, insertion of 

SOF personnel into a hostile area can be 

accomplished with their ship well offshore 

to escape enemy notice. The STIDD submersible, 

which can be of varying sizes, 

swiftly transports the personnel to shore. 

According to STIDD, its Diver Propulsion 

Device (DPD) “is the most widely used 

two man underwater mobility platform in 

the world.” Further, “the Multi-Role Combat 

Craft (MRCC) is the only craft of its 

kind that operates on the surface and while 

submerged,” according to STIDD. 

“The DPD and MRCC, used either 

separately or together as a modular submersible 

platform, offer the unique combination 

of both surface and underwater 

capabilities, providing maritime forces 

unprecedented options for mission planning 

and execution.” 

STIDD submersibles provide greatly 

enhanced capabilities to SOF and marine 

units, the company stated. With far greater 

speed than the personnel could attain by 

swimming on their own, using a submersible 

confers several benefits: 

• 

• 

• 

The faster the movement to shore 

before the operation, and the faster 

the extraction from the hostile 

area after the mission is accomplished, 

the less chance there is for 

special operations to be detected by 

the enemy. 

While SEALs are highly powerful 

swimmers, a long swim from ship 

to objective can be exhausting. A 

STIDD submersible obviates the 

need for that exertion. 

Cold water can be numbing. But 

with a submersible, the time spent 

• 

in possibly frigid water is slashed, 

so that personnel are in peak shape 

when they begin operations. 

The faster personnel arrive at the 

littoral area, the longer they can 

spend there. 

Submersibles also aid personnel in carrying 

possibly weighty ordnance, such as in 

a mission to sink enemy ships in harbor. Or 

they might be headed into an enemy harbor 

to disable defensive systems such as mines 

or sonar systems. Another point is that submersibles 

permit personnel on intelligence 

and reconnaissance missions to cover more 

territory as they scout underwater in nearshore 

areas. 

The one area where there could be 

a further advance beyond submersibles 

would be a mini-submarine that could 

transport special ops personnel from ship 

most of the way to shore, in a warm and 

dry environment. However, a Northrop 

Grumman attempt to create an Advanced 

Seal Delivery System—a tiny submarine 

carried atop a nuclear submarine—ended, 

with cost overruns and a ruinous fire on 

an ASDS. O 






Clean Water, 

Sanitation 

Systems 

Avert Sickness, 

Death Among 

Troops 

When you consider that 18.5 percent 

of U.S. military personnel deaths in 

Vietnam were caused by disease, not by 

enemy fire, it becomes clear that clean, 

safe drinking water is a vital necessity, not 

a luxury. While enemy fire killed 47,424 

personnel, disease killed another 10,785. 

Often, the cause of death was in drinking 

polluted water. But that doesn’t have to 

happen again. Several contractors are 

offering systems to provide potable water 

to troops, helping to keep them healthy 

even in combat zones filled with impurities 

and polluted streams. Now, troops 

heading out to clear an area can carry 

ample drinking water with them. 

For example, CamelBak makes a 

backpack that can carry 70 ounces, and 

another backpack carrying 100 ounces 

of pre-treated sterile water, complete 

with a hose that the soldier may drink 

from in the field. Blackhawk also offers 

a 100-ounce water storage backpack 

with hose to ensure proper hydration 

for troops. 

Those systems take on water that 

already has been purified. But Worldwater 

& Solar Technologies Inc. makes a much 

larger system that stores potable water, 

and also purifies polluted or saline water. 

It cranks out up to 30,000 gallons a 

day, enough to fill an enormous number 

of backpacks. Mounted on a trailer, 

the system uses solar energy charging 

batteries to power a mini-water treatment 

plant that uses various systems to treat 

water, including ultraviolet rays. Thanks 

to the solar power and batteries, the 

system works 24 hours a day, is silent and 

doesn’t pollute the environment. 

18 | SOTECH 8.9 

L-3 VideoScout-MXR Gives Troops 

Situational Awareness 

L-3 has created the VideoScout-MXR that 

can provide command center-level intelligence 

from multiple sources, including full-screen 

video, to dismounted personnel in theater. The 

unit, much like a laptop, can pull in intel data 

from multiple sources including manned and 

unmanned aircraft. That could mean gaining 

full motion video from a tiny unmanned aerial 

vehicle, providing a panoramic view of terrorist 

insurgents as they move. VideoScout runs 

Microsoft Windows, and comes with analog/ 

digital radios. 

“Our new VideoScout-MXR provides 

warfighters with a compact, easy-to-use 

tool, allowing them to exploit their 

video anytime, anywhere,” said Larry 

Vernec, senior director of marketing 

and strategic business development 

at L-3 IEC. “Users can better 

leverage captured imagery, as well 

as their own applications, to create 

actionable video for on-the-move 

mission execution, planning and 

post-mission analysis.” 

A new type of Kevlar helmet 

gives forces 20 percent better 

protection against enemy 

ballistics while also weighing 

20 percent, or half a pound, 

less, DuPont announced. The 

material, called Kevlar XP 

for hard armor, uses DuPont 

Jeep Hot Formed Armor Cuts Weight, Aids Safety 

Jeep is offering a vehicle armoring process that 

reduces weight while increasing protection and 

cutting procurement and life cycle costs, according 

to the company. The armor process will be used on 

Jeep J8 4x4 utility vehicles, where molten ballistic 

steel is pressed to the contours of the vehicle. Then 

the armor steel is cut with lasers to create new body 

panels. They then take the place of the original 

body shell, which is removed to save 660 pounds. 

Kevlar KM2 Plus fiber technology 

and an advanced 

thermoplastic resin. DuPont 

says the material provides 

20 percent better protection 

for forces and lighter weight 

without sacrificing durability 

and backface deformation 

Personnel can capture, display and record 

live video with full DVR features, extract actionable 

subset video, create JPEG and NITF image 

files with metadata for reference and dissemination, 

and annotate and archive video and 

images search, retrieval and dissemination. To 

allow INTEL operations to share a common 

view of the battlespace, VideoScout-MXR can 

be connected to a network, large monitors, 

keyboards or peripherals to create a full, shared 

workstation environment. 

DuPont Kevlar Helmet Is Lighter, Tougher 

standards. The hard armor 

product will be used initially 

for military and police helmets, 

and for tactical plates used in 

ballistic protective vests. DuPont 

also makes Kevlar fiber (similar 

to heavy thread) that other 

firms use to make those vests. 

When completed, the armored body has fewer 

welds that might fail in the blast of an IED or 

other enemy weapon, and the body affords greater 

rigidity thanks to armored steel pillars and box 

construction. The armored body, being hot formed, 

doesn’t have many tell-tale signs of armoring such 

as thick door frames, and the new body also affords 

more interior room than conventionally armored 

vehicles of that size. 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

NFS Fights Fires Multiple Ways 

NFS LLC is providing multiple ways to fight fire. For 

example, Hartindo AF21 is a treatment for fabric that 

means the material won’t burn, even when exposed 

to fire. Flames from fully involved nontreated material 

aren’t able to ignite the Hartindo-treated material, 

according to the company. AF21 can be applied to all 

porous materials including uniforms, furniture and 

building materials 

Another way of combating flames is with fire 

suppression. The Hartindo AF11E can be a drop-in 

replacement for Halon 1301 (LPC UK LPR6. 2000), so 

that the Hartindo substance uses the existing Halon 

system to fight fires. AF11E can be used as both a total 

flooding gas as well as a streaming agent for use in 

portable fire extinguishers, according to the company. 

AF11E leaves no residue and is suitable for use in 

command centers, generator rooms, hospitals and labs. 

Protonex Technology Corp. will develop a 

soldier-worn portable power manager under a 

$3 million contract from the Air Force Research 

Laboratory. The company will improve its power 

manager systems to cut size and weight while 

bolstering reliability, usefulness and efficiency. 

Further work will strengthen ruggedization and 

lower overall costs. 

The company also offers AF31, a water-based solution 

that extinguishes fire while preventing re-ignition. 

AF 31s unique characteristics provide the effectiveness of 

a wetting agent and foam in a single product, according 

to the firm. AF31 is suitable for Class A, B, C, D and F/K 

applications. 

ATK Modular Turret Loads Under Armor 

ATK is offering a Modular Remote Turret that it would 

like to see on the future Army Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), 

the company announced. The turret can be bolted on many 

types of vehicles, where it can be equipped with a variety of 

weapons and can be loaded under armor. ATK noted that the 

turret and its weaponry can be operated from inside the safe 

confines of the vehicle. 

“There are very few turrets out there on the market that 

will give you a remote weapons station with the capability 

to load under armor,” said Clay Bringhurst, senior business 

development manager for Ground Combat Systems at ATK. 

He spoke at the recent Association of the United States Army 

(AUSA) conference in Washington, D.C. 

ATK developed the turret with ADVS UK Ltd., to go on a 

combat vehicle for the Kuwaiti military, and unveiled the turret 

at AUSA. The new turret protects against 7.62 mm armor- 

piercing ammunition but can be upgraded, Bringhurst said. 

It features a main gun section that can house a number of 

weapon systems, such as the M2 .50 caliber machine gun or 

ATK’s Lightweight 30 mm, the cannon on the AH-64 Apache 

helicopter. 

The turret also features a coaxial weapon station 

alongside the main gun. It can be outfitted with a 7.62 mm 

machine gun. And the turret can be outfitted with the ATK 

Commander’s Independent Weapon Station, an asset that 

can handle weapons systems from 5.56 mm to .50 caliber. 

All weapons are controlled from ATK’s Advanced Fire Control 

System from inside the safety of the vehicle. Aside from 

offering the system as an option for the Army’s future GCV 

program, the turret also fits onto Stryker wheeled vehicles, 

M113 armored personnel carriers and versions of the mine 

resistant ambush protected vehicle. 

Protonex Devising Soldier Power Manager for AFRL 

Power managers slash weight that a soldier 

must carry by reducing the number and type 

of batteries powering gear. Managers ensure 

adequate power for equipment while facilitating 

battery recharging from different types of power 

sources. Power managers also provide solar 

power support and energy harvesting technology 

to charge batteries and simultaneously power 

FLIR Systems 

Offers 

3-D Thermal 

Binocular- 

Camera 

FLIR Systems Inc. is offering 

a thermal binocular system 

that gives users the ability to see 

with depth perception. While 

this involves incorporating two 

cameras in one binocular system, 

an expensive step, FLIR says this 

will permit users to judge the 

distance to an object under surveillance, 

or the distance between 

two objects. 

In the Recon BN6 and Recon 

BN10 versions, there is one thermal 

camera for each eye, a step forward 

from existing bi-ocular systems 

that have only one camera serving 

both eyes so that depth perception 

is limited. “Largely due to cost 

reasons, a true thermal binocular 

has not been available until now,” 

explained Bill Sundermeier, president 

of FLIR Government Systems. 

But now, “we are able to offer 

a true binocular for less than 

the price of a typical bi-ocular 

system.” The binocular systems 

offer long battery life, light weight 

and full immersion capability, 

according to FLIR. 

radios, computers and other portable military 

gear. “Our power managers are universal, 

plug-and-play power solutions for our military 

customers, addressing both on- and off-mission 

requirements,” Greg Cipriano, Protonex 

vice president for marketing and business 

development, said. 

greg.cipriano@protonex.com 


STACK WITH 

AUTHORITY 

The new Pelican-Hardigg ISP Case. 

Base 

Lid 

Shifting, loose cargo can slow 

down your ops and threaten 

the mission with damaged 

freight. Now, the new ISP 

Case from Pelican-Hardigg 

virtually eliminates load 

movement with its patent 

pending Inter Stacking Pattern 

(ISP). 

On the lid, unique wave-design 

stacking ribs add rigidity. On the base, 

molded-in discs interlock to the case below, 

even if it’s a different size. The ISP system is 

designed to cube out perfectly across 

standard logistics platforms for speed and load 

effi ciency. And cross-stacking builds incredibly 

tight loads that can save time while strapping 

and netting. 

The next generation container is the 

Pelican-Hardigg ISP Case. Anywhere a load 

is bound, on any transport and any platform. 

Go to: 

www.Pelican.com/ISP 

or call 1.866.291.8029 

for your free ISP Case 

Information Kit. 

Fits like a glove: All ISP Case sizes 

are designed to the new Joint 

Inter-Modal Container system (JMIC) 

■ 6 sizes from 4 to 25 cf 

■ Watertight with pressure purge valves 

■ Lightweight with load bearing rib design 

■ Optimized for: 

JMIC container 

463L pallet 

40 x 48 pallet 

1000 x 1200 euro pallet 

PELICAN 

Pelican Products, Inc. 23215 Early Avenue, Torrance, CA 90505 

866.583.0426 (TOLL FREE) � Tel 310.326.4700 � Fax 310.326.3311 � www.pelican.com/sot 

All trademarks are registered and/or unregistered trademarks of Pelican Products, Inc., its subsidiaries and/or affi liates. 

TM

Q&A 

Needed: More Air Assets, Better Vision Gear, Transparent Armor 

Air Warrior 

Colonel John W. Thompson 

Commander 

160th Special Operations 

Aviation Regiment (Airborne) 

Colonel John W. Thompson, a native of Augusta, Ga., was commissioned 

a second lieutenant in the United States Army upon 

graduation from North Georgia College in 1987. 

Upon completion of the Aviation Officer Basic and OH-58 Aircraft 

Qualifications courses at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 1988, he was assigned 

to 4th Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment, Feucht, Germany. 

His assignments included Aeroweapons Platoon Leader, Aeroscout 

Platoon Leader and Squadron Assistant Operations Officer. 

Thompson has since served in a variety of aviation and special 

operations positions to include troop commander and division 

aviation plans officer, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort 

Campbell, Ky.; Platoon Leader, Special Mission Unit liaison officer 

and company commander, 1st Bn., 160th Special Operations Aviation 

Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.; executive officer, 82nd 

Aviation Brigade and operations officer, 2nd Bn. 82nd Aviation Bde., 

Fort Bragg, N.C.; joint planner, Joint Special Operations Command, 

Fort Bragg, N.C.; and squadron commander, 4th Squadron, 3rd 

Armored Cavalry Regiment and 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 

Fort Carson, Colo. He most recently graduated from the U.S. 

Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. 

He is a combat veteran of operations Desert Shield and Desert 

Storm, and has multiple deployments in support of Enduring Freedom 

and Iraqi Freedom. 

Thompson’s military awards and decorations include the Bronze 

Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with numeral 

two, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service 

Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Combat Action Badge, the 

Master Army Aviator Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Air 

Assault Badge. 

Q: Let’s jump in and talk about the physical growth of the 160th. 

Changes in 2008 created identical organization structure in the 

battalions. How are things going in bringing everything up to 

operational strength? 

A: This is a great place to start. The 160th Special Operations Aviation 

Regiment (Airborne) has made steady progress on both strategic realignment 

of current assets and growth of personnel and equipment 

during the past two years. 

We now have nearly 3,000 soldiers serving in our ranks, keeping 

us on track to meet our current approved growth of 3,600 by 2015. We 

anticipate our MH-47G model Chinook fielding to be complete next 

spring, and our MH-60M model Black Hawk fielding to be complete 

in 2015. 

Reorganization of our current assets for three of our four line 

companies to have identical organizational structure is also making 

great progress. Our 4th Battalion on the West Coast now has a 

fully operational Black Hawk helicopter company supporting both 

combat and training missions around the globe. Our 2nd Battalion 

in Kentucky will begin incorporating Black Hawk helicopters in 

late 2011. 

Q: Last year, there was a spotlight on the call for more special 

operations rotary wing assets in Afghanistan. At an operator level, 

was there a real need for additional platforms? If so, has the 

requirement gap been filled or are there still things in the works to 

bridge the gap? 

A: There is definitely a demand beyond our means for additional 

helicopter support to ongoing and increasing special operations 

missions around the world. As special operations ground 

forces grow, the demand for aerial support to complete their 

missions naturally increases. This gap is not unique to special 

operations units. We are working with leaders at all levels and 

across different organizations to address this challenge. Specifically 

for Afghanistan, there is a plan for us to increase support 

incrementally as the regiment grows combat power by fielding additional 

aircraft while simultaneously training and progressing fully 

mission qualified crews. 


Q: Do you have any interest or a need 

for a new airframe like the UH-72A 

or others? 

A: We are always interested in any 

aircraft innovation that allows us to 

add value to the special operations 

ground forces we support. There have 

been several recent developments that 

allow rotary aircraft to increase speed, 

capacity and safety. 

Right now, our current fleet of 

aircraft still affords us the right mix 

of light, medium and heavy airframes. 

We are in a continuous planning and 

execution cycle of modification and 

modernization; this is very much a 

process and not an event. Special 

operations aviation relies on the creative, 

innovative nature of the aerospace 

industry and we monitor their 

efforts closely. Each advance is another 

input into our decision cycle for 

future capabilities. 

Q: Recently the 160th gained a new 

component in the quick reaction 

capability, operating unmanned aerial vehicles. Do you see this 

as the first step in an expansion of UAS capabilities within the 

regiment and USASOC? 

A: The newly formed E Company, 160th SOAR (A), or quick reaction 

capability, provides USASOC with a much-needed, organic, extendedrange 

unmanned aerial systems capability. The QRC will have a habitual 

relationship with a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force 

embedded processing/exploitation/dissemination element. This will 

provide the ground force commander with intelligence, surveillance, 

reconnaissance and fires assets during critical moments in combat. 

Our experience in forming the QRC will aid in future acquisition of 

additional, permanent UAS units assigned to the Army Special Operations 

Aviation Command. 

Q: Aging aircraft are certainly an issue in the Air Force. Is 

it an issue for you? What are some of the more important 

programs you run your helicopters through to keep them airworthy 

and modernized? Do you see any problems with aircraft reaching 

their end of serviceable life before a replacement program is ready? 

A: Age certainly is a challenge for any aviation outfit. Nine years of 

combat operations have accelerated our fleet’s aging process. Aircraft 

age is not only a factor of time, but a combination of flight regimes, 

environments, mission tasks and attention to maintenance. Because 

we have been continuously deployed, our maintenance experts recognized 

this aging process and implemented several programs such 

as reset and deep-cycle maintenance procedures during scheduled 

maintenance events. These initiatives have slowed the aging process. 

The 160th continues to modernize our fleet through a rotating 

block modification program. We recognize the importance of maintaining 

the technological edge and seek ways to continually enhance 

22 | SOTECH 8.9 

In rotary wing operations, a helo hovers above a Navy ship deck. [Photo courtesy of DoD] 

the crew members’ abilities to keep the aircraft serviceable. Using the 

Special Operations Forces Support Activity located in Lexington, Ky., 

our aircraft rotate through an upgrade program approximately every 

three years. One example of a technology insertion is the health and 

usage monitoring system. This system gives aircrews and maintainers 

continual awareness of the health and state of the aircraft allowing for 

preventative rather than reactive maintenance. 

The fleet’s serviceable life is not simply reflected by an end date. 

As the aircraft are strained, their maintenance will inevitably become 

more intensive. Like all complex systems, this will become evident by 

increased repair cost and reduced availability. Each service faces this 

challenge and develops strategies for fleet modification and modernization 

based on overall priorities. 

Q: Last I knew, you had five combat mission simulators. Is this 

enough to meet your current demands? Do you have a simulator 

roadmap that plots out a long term acquisition strategy for 

your simulators? 

A: Regiment still has five configurable simulators located 

at Fort Campbell. Simulator time remains in high demand 

and is intensively managed, ensuring maximum utility to meet 

our unique training needs. We are currently researching options to 

provide on-site simulation training systems for our units located at 

Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. 

Requirements for training systems are included in continuous 

force modernization analysis within the regiment. Our 

simulator acquisition roadmap parallels our aircraft acquisition 

roadmap. Each reflects a balance of modernization and modification, 

based on mission needs and the resource environment. 

We strive to sustain 100 percent cockpit concurrency with our flight 

line aircraft. 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

mission ready 

Honeywell Defense Logistics keeps soldiers 

supplied and equipment operating 

At Corpus Christi, Anniston, and Ogden, Honeywell partnerships 

improve weapon system performance and reduce costs. 

In Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, our facilities, personnel, 

and materiel management support the Army with pre-positioned and fully 

operational critical assets. 

From the home front to the frontline – around the globe, around the clock. 

Visit us online at www.missionready.com

Q: Night Stalkers—the name 

really says it all. Is the current 

state-of-the-art in night 

vision getting the job done for 

you? What enhancements are 

you most interested in being 

brought forward for your 

operators? 

A: Night vision goggles [NVGs] 

are still our primary tool for 

night vision and will be in 

the foreseeable future. We are 

currently using third generation 

devices and have looked at 

generation 3+ types of NVGs. 

The next step is potentially 

going to be synthetic vision, 

which will combine our optics 

and optic systems. Whether 

it is forward-looking infrared, 

thermal, day/night TV or radar 

has yet to be seen. A likely 

solution will be a combination 

of at least two of those 

system types to provide our 

warfighters the ability to see 

inside bad weather, dust and 

other battlefield obscurations. Industry is always trying to improve 

our night fighting capability. With that said, the ability to conduct 

brownout takeoffs and landings and get to and from the objective 

in deteriorated weather conditions continues to be among our 

main concerns. 

Currently all of the regiment’s aircraft have the ability to mount 

a sensor device for enhanced night fighting capability. Our MH-47 

Chinooks and MH-60 Black Hawks can fly in visibility that would 

ground most other conventional aircraft. They are equipped with 

both radar and infrared sensors. The regiment continuously prods 

industry with our needs and desires to keep Night Stalkers on the 

leading edge of the night fight. 

Q: Let’s go back to your growth for a minute. How is the 160th 

doing in retaining its pilots and mechanics and not losing them to 

other services or the commercial industry? 

A: The regiment is retaining a vast number of our experienced 

aviators and crew members. We are always conscious of the fact that 

many of our aviators are at or near 20 years of military service. Even 

at those mature lengths of military service, more than 60 percent of 

our warrant officer pilots are currently committed by a service obligation. 

Fortunately we are able to offer our warrant officer aviators 

and enlisted crewmembers on flight status special retention bonus 

options that are reflective of their invaluable Night Stalking experience 

and commitment to the SOAR mission. 

Like any organization, we do experience normal attrition from 

things like changes of duty station, end of service and retirement. 

Q: Are there areas of research and development that are of particular 

interest to the 160th? 

24 | SOTECH 8.9 

U.S. Army MH-47 Chinook helicopter, assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), stirs up yellow smoke as it prepares to land on 

a landing zone in Kovachevo, Croatia. [Photo courtesy of DoD] 

A: Yes. At the system level, we are interested in advances in transparent 

armor solutions that are light enough for rotorcraft application. 

We have a keen interest in emerging technology using multi-spectral 

sensors for night vision devices, obstacle avoidance and aircraft 

survivability against guided and unguided threats. For instance, 

solutions to aid flight in a degraded visual environment will likely 

require the seamless integration of more than one sensor technology, 

such as some combination of electro-optical, radar, laser or infrared. 

We are also interested in self-forming networks for airborne data 

transfer between manned and unmanned systems [that can work with 

or without satellite connectivity] to share imagery, full motion video, 

ASE-derived tactical situation and other aircraft data. Finally, we are 

always interested in technologies that increase aircraft performance 

and those that reduce our visual, acoustic and infrared signatures. 

Q: Since the 160th has been actively engaged in combat operations 

for a third of its existence, what is the enduring factor that allows 

the regiment to maintain its high operational tempo? 

A: There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the greatest asset 

in this regiment is the overwhelming number of talented and 

dedicated soldiers of the 160th. From our fearless pilots and crews 

to our innovative and tireless maintainers and support staff, to our 

dedicated and experienced civilian employees, this regiment runs 

day and night on the strength of their character and commitment. 

They continuously plan, adapt and successfully execute complex 

and dangerous missions worldwide. While it is entirely true that 

we are provided with the best aircraft, equipment and technology 

available, at the end of the day they are merely tools to be utilized by 

the irreplaceable soldiers who we call Night Stalkers. Night Stalkers 

don’t quit! O 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Being Let Down Gently 

olD C H u t e s C a n’t H a n D l e g r o w i n g w e i g H t. 

For the first time in more than 50 years, the U.S. Army is 

fielding a new parachute—the T-11. For the past six months, 

soldiers at the Army’s Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, 

Ga., made their first jumps using the T-11, then made their 

next four jumps with the T-10. As predicted, jumps made with 

the T-11 resulted in many fewer injuries than those made with 

the T-10. The Army is planning to replace all T-10 parachutes. 

Airplanes have changed radically in the 68 years since 

founding of the Airborne Test Platoon at Fort Benning, but 

by contrast, the parachutes in the military inventory have 

remained almost frozen in time. Until the T-11. 

wHy t H e t-11? 

The T-10 has been in the Army inventory for more than 50 

years. It is reliable and effective. So why change something 

that works? 

The answer lies in the fact that requirements placed on 

today’s paratrooper exceed those for which the T-10 was 

designed. In the 1950s, the total jumper weight (TJW)—weight 

of soldier, parachute system and combat load—averaged 300 

pounds. Combat loads have grown increasingly heavier over 

the years with the advent of new equipment and doctrine. Paratroopers 

are required to jump in more equipment to maintain 

lethality and sustain themselves for longer periods. 

The T-10 system was not designed for these heavier combat 

loads. The T-11 was specifically designed to safely carry a 

paratrooper with a TJW of 400 pounds to the ground at a lower 

rate of descent. 

low e r r a t e o f D e s C e n t, l e s s o s C i l l a t i o n 

A key safety benefit of the T-11 is its significantly lower rate 

of descent (RoD). A study by the Belgian army showed a significant 

reduction in parachute landing injuries when lowering a 

parachute’s RoD from 22 feet per second to 18 feet per second. 

Recent tests with live jumpers and mannequins with a TJW of 

360 pounds gauged the RoD of the T-10 at 22 feet per second, 

while the T-11 came in at 19 feet per second. In fact, the T-11 

main canopy was tested with a payload in excess of 700 pounds 

and its RoD was still less than 28 feet per second. In addition, 

the design of the main canopy results in minimal oscillation 

after canopy inflation and similarly after lowering the 

combat load. 


The key to the T-11’s lower RoD lies in the surface 

area of its canopy, which is 28 percent larger than that of 

the T-10. However, it weighs only seven pounds more than 

the T-10. 

low e r o p e n i n g s H o C k 

The T-11’s opening shock is significantly lower than that of 

the T-10. Rather than the canopy opening immediately after it 

comes out of the deployment bag like the T-10, the T-11 canopy 

is covered by a canopy sleeve. 

The static line pulls the deployment bag out of the pack 

tray, elongates the suspension lines and exposes the pilot 

parachute. The pilot parachute pulls the canopy sleeve off the 

canopy, and the canopy inflates. The inflation of the canopy 

is further controlled by a slider controlling the amount of air 

entering the bottom of the canopy. 

The combined use of the canopy sleeve and slider controls 

inflation of the canopy, thus decreasing the opening shock. 

As a result, the parachutist counts to six seconds, as opposed 

to four seconds with the T-10, before performing the canopy 

check to ensure the canopy is fully inflated. 

new re s e r v e pa r a C H u t e 

In addition to a new main canopy, the Modified Improved 

Reserve Parachute System (MIRPS) is being replaced by the 

T-11R Reserve Parachute. 

The T-11R is an aero-conical design based on the current 

British Low Level Parachute (LLP) reserve canopy. The T-11R 

was tested extensively under various types of main canopy 

malfunctions and proved to be more reliable and more effective 

than the MIRPS. It has a lower opening shock than the 

MIRPS and can be deployed using either hand, requiring 15-22 

pounds of pull force. The RoD is approximately 26 feet per 

second, a significant improvement over the MIRPS, with less 

oscillation. More importantly, the T-11R supports a TJW of 

greater than 400 pounds, whereas the MIRPS is limited to 

a maximum of 360 pounds for jump altitudes of 3,000 feet 

mean sea level (MSL) and below. Every additional increase of 

1,000 feet in jump altitude requires a reduction of 12.5 pounds 

in TJW. 

inj u r y re s u l t s 

Since March 16, 2010, Program Executive Office Soldier’s 

program manager-Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment 

(PM-SCIE), working with a team lead by Dr. Joseph 

Knapik, U.S. Army Public Health Command, has conducted 

an extensive study of parachute injuries at Fort Bragg, N.C. 

Additionally, PM SCIE is tracking all injuries sustained during 

the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning. As of August 

6, students made 7,405 jumps with the T-11 and suffered only 

eight injuries. The same students made 27,366 jumps with the 

T-10 and suffered 78 injuries. 

This equated to an injury rate of 1.080 injuries per thousand 

jumps for the T-11, and 2.850 injuries per thousand 

jumps with the T-10. A parachutist is 2.6 times more likely to 

be injured jumping with the T-10 than the T-11. 

26 | SOTECH 8.9 

fielDing 

PM-SCIE is currently fielding the T-11 parachute and conducting 

new equipment training (NET) for jumpmasters and 

riggers. The Ranger Special Troops Battalion was the first unit 

equipped with the T-11 in March 2009. Since then, PM-SCIE 

has fielded 8,491 T-11 parachutes to units including all Ranger 

Battalions, 4th Battalion of the 160th Special Operations Aviation 

Regiment, 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 

the Quartermaster School and the 11th Quartermaster 

Company supporting the 82d Airborne Division. The 82d Airborne 

Division was scheduled to have one full Brigade Combat 

Team of T-11s by October. 

man e u v e r a B l e Ca n o p y pa r a C H u t e (mC-6) 

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) 

requested a replacement for the MC1-1 parachute due to high 

opening shock experienced on high elevation drop zones, 

resulting in jumper injury and unacceptable canopy damage. 

The U. S. Forest Service was already jumping a parachute, the 

FS-14, designed for heavy-laden smoke jumpers going into very 

small drop zones at high altitudes. The Army adopted the FS-14 

large canopy as the SF-10A. This nonstandard canopy was 

matched with the T-10 harness and standard reserve parachute 

for use by USASOC as an interim replacement for the MC1-1 

series parachute. 

Later, the requirements for the Advanced Tactical Parachute 

System (ATPS) were developed and PM-SCIE decided the 

ATPS should include both a mass tactical, non-maneuverable 

parachute, the T-11, and a maneuverable variant to replace the 

MC1-1 series parachute. The maneuverable variant became the 

MC-6. Both the MC-6 and T-11 have exactly the same harness 

and reserve parachute. 

The T-11R reserve parachute is the most robust reserve 

parachute the Army has ever developed. Its canopy is a multiconical 

design with a hem diameter of 20 feet. It has air scoops 

and skirt assist lines to ensure the canopy opens as quickly as 

possible. Upon activation of the reserve parachute, the ejector 

spring throws the extractor chute away from the jumper’s body, 

pulling the first third of the canopy and the air scoops into the 

airstream. The canopy rapidly inflates and if this is a high-speed 

deployment, the skirt assist lines break away from the canopy. 

If it is a low-speed deployment resulting from a partial malfunction, 

the skirt assist line remains attached and the canopy 

inflates quickly due the reduction in the hem diameter. 

The T-11 reserve is critically needed. The Soft Loop Center 

Pull Parachute, which it replaces, has a severe weight restriction—it 

cannot be jumped with more than 360 pounds jumper 

and equipment weight. This restriction severely hampers combat 

operations with full loads of ammunition and carrying of 

crew served weapons. The T-11R supports well over 400 pounds. 

If activated during a total malfunction, the T-11 Reserve will 

deploy in 0.7 seconds. 

t-11 Ha r n e s s 

At first glance, the T-11 harness looks much like the T-10 D 

harness, but on closer inspection it is much different. Both have 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

the standard cable loop canopy release assembly. And both have 

the same five points of adjustment on the diagonal back straps. 

But that is where the similarities end. The D-ring attachments 

for the reserve are much higher, so the opening shock of the 

T-11 Reserve is spread along the long axis of the jumper’s body, 

eliminating lower back injuries associated with deployment of 

the legacy reserve parachutes. Nothing but the reserve fits on 

the D-rings—all other gear is attached to the equipment rings. 

There are separate triangle links on the lower portion of the 

harness for attaching lowering lines. With no other equipment 

attached to the D-rings but the reserve, there is no requirement 

for a safety wire on connector snaps on the reserve. 

The T-11 harness was specifically designed to fit 5th–95th 

percentile soldiers (160-332 pounds suspended weight). In 

addition, the T-11 harness was designed to accommodate 

jumping body armor. The T-11 harness on both the T-11 and 

MC-6 parachutes is approved for jumping with Improved Outer 

Tactical Vest, the Modular Body Armor Vest, and the KDH Plate 

Carrier. This allows the soldier to jump in the equipment worn 

into combat without having to get the body armor out of a 

parachutist drop bag or the MOLLE rucksack. 

rat e o f De s C e n t 

Another major advantage of the MC-6 is the vastly improved 

rate of descent over the MC-1. 

International Training Inc. 

The rate of descent for a 200-pound person at 9,000 

feet MSL is 17+ feet per second. The same person at 9,000 

feet MSL with the MC-6 has a rate of descent of 12 feet per 

second. 

for w a r D tH r u s t a n D tu r n ra t e 

The canopy of the MC-6 outperforms the MC1-1 in many 

other areas as well. The MC-1 takes 14 seconds to make a 360 

degree turn. The MC-6 turns 360 degrees in five-seven seconds. 

The MC-1 parachute has a forward thrust of 8 knots (9.5 miles 

per hour) while the MC-6 has a forward thrust slightly greater 

than 10 knots (11.5 miles per hour). 

fielDing 

As of September 1, 2010, PM-SCIE has fielded 12,316 

MC-6 parachutes (approximately 55 percent complete), with 

11,073 going to Army units and 1,129 to Air Force and Navy 

units. O 

For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Dave Ahearn at davea@kmimediagroup.com 

or search our online archives for related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com. 

Off-Road 

Unimproved Road Course 


As the nature of war changes, so 

too will the assets that soldiers employ 

to defeat enemies, and that truism is 

reflected clearly in a move to small, 

light, fast and maneuverable all terrain 

vehicles (ATVs). 

In the 20th century, a frightening 

new machine of war became the ultimate 

weapon in World War I: the solidly 

armored tank could be used to mow 

down enemy forces and demolish military 

installations. Decades later, the M1A1 

Abrams main battle tank was designed to 

28 | SOTECH 8.9 

The Prowler features a chromealloy rollover protection system and cargo racks. [Photo courtesy of ATV Corp.] 

confront Moscow’s immense, uniformed 

divisions on the plains of Europe, a possibility 

that receded with the end of the 

Cold War. 

Now, American special operations 

forces in the 21st century are engaging 

a vastly different sort of enemy in terrain 

that contrasts starkly with areas that 

might have been wracked by any Cold 

War conflict. Craggy wilderness, steep 

mountains, a lack of first-rate roads and 

more are the reality in Afghanistan, and 

the vehicles that U.S. forces use there 



also must change to fit the reality of a war 

against a highly mobile, often unseen and 

treacherous foe. And ATV makers are supplying 

this needed new capability. 

For example, Polaris Defense offers 

several ATVs ideal for military use, especially 

by the SOF community to which 

they are targeted, Justin Burke, regional 

marketing specialist, explained. 

The Ranger MDXP is a military diesel 

platform with a 24 horsepower Yanmar 

three-cylinder engine. It can run on 

heavy fuels in its nine-gallon tank, and is 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

compatible with JP8 fuel such as might 

be used on jet aircraft. The MDXP has 

a steel bed with fold-down sides, ondemand 

four wheel drive, power steering 

options that can be useful in rough terrain, 

a tilt steering wheel to ease entry for 

larger soldiers driving it, full underbody 

skid plates and more. And aside from moving 

rapidly, the vehicle has hydraulic disc 

brakes for stopping power. 

The Ranger MDXP can hold three 

passengers with seat belts for each, and 

features car-like controls. The vehicle 

boasts a one-ton (short U.S. ton) towing 

capacity, plus another 1,000 pounds (halfton) 

payload that can be carried in the 

dump box. Overall, it has a 1,500 pound 

payload capacity. With a full one-foot 

ground clearance, the Ranger is unlikely 

to become hung up, even in rough terrain. 

And when the going gets rough, the 

suspension has better than nine inches of 

travel at each wheel. There also is a keyless 

ignition option. 

The Ranger MDXP can be used for an 

array of missions: surveillance and reconnaissance, 

perimeter security, fire base 

support, carrying chow or water, forward 

observer duties and more. Casualty evacuation 

and an ability to be air dropped add 

to the value of the vehicle, Burke said. 

And dual fuel tanks can extend its range 

to 200 miles. 

A variant of the diesel vehicle is the 

Ranger MDC, or Military Diesel Crew, which 

offers seating for six passengers with seat 

belts for each, and a 1,750-pound payload 

capacity, including half a ton in the 

dump box. 

Polaris also offers another way to go 

without gasoline propulsion: an electric 

vehicle. The EV LSV ultra light vehicle 

offers a 30 horsepower rated AC electric 

engine with a 25 mph speed and 

a 50-mile range for the all-wheel-drive 

asset. Recharging takes eight hours, 

using a 110 volt power supply, or a 220 

volt supply using an available accessory 

plug kit. It has high, low and maximum 

range modes. 

The all-weather four wheel drive vehicle 

can be used on bases, for logistics 

duties and more, Burke noted, and has 

off-road capabilities. It can carry 500 

pounds in the cargo box, with a total 

1,000 pound payload capacity. And it can 

tow 1,250 pounds. 

Complying with National Highway 

Transportation Safety Administration 

guidelines for LSVs, the vehicle comes 

with rollover protection. It weighs 

just 1,799 pounds dry weight, offering 

MacPherson Strut suspension in front 

with an eight-inch travel, and dual 

A-arm suspension for rear wheels with a 

nine-inch travel. 

The vehicle reinforces one of its strong 

points—the quiet electric engine— 

with low noise gears, a benefit when 

operating near an enemy position. If the 

vehicle becomes stuck in difficult conditions, 

it has a winch to pull itself out 

of trouble. 

Some may want more power and speed. 

The MV700 comes with a 40 horsepower 

gasoline engine, automatic transmission, 

all wheel drive and a 55 mph speed. It 

is compatible for NATO litters to carry 

wounded, and it has run flat tires. There 

are winches front and rear, a 600-pound 

rack capacity and a 1,500-pound towing 

capacity. It also offers blackout drive and 

an infrared light option. Equipped with 

dual fuel tanks, it can be dropped by 

air or transported by sling from an aircraft. 

In cold weather, it can be equipped 

with snow tracks. The gasoline powered 

vehicle has an array of uses, such as forward 

observation, casualty evacuation, 

carrying ammunition or water, or aiding 

air assault. 

Finally, if your need for speed is even 

greater, there is the Polaris RZR-SW, with 

a top speed north of 60 mph. It has on 

demand four-wheel drive, and a 760 cc 

gasoline electronic fuel injected engine 

placed in the rear of the vehicle for a 

low center of gravity. The power plant is 

linked to an automatic transmission. With 

a full-body skid plate, the vehicle has a 

run-flat tire option. 

It can ford a stream with water of 30 

or more inches deep, 1,000-pound payload 

(half crew, half cargo), a 1,500-pound towing 

capacity, a 12.25-inch ground clearance 

and a one-foot travel in the front and 

rear suspension systems. It is compatible 

with the M249/M240 gun mount, and 

there is a winch on the front end. 

As far as support, Polaris offers rider 

training, and maintenance and repair 

training for drivers and motor pool personnel. 

Service manuals are available 

electronically. The demand for ATVs is 

solid. Polaris Defense just received a $67 

million, five-year contract from the Army 

National Guard to provide Ranger Crew 

800 and Ranger 6x6 800 vehicles with 

side-by-side seating. “The award underscores 

what our company can do in supplying 

great products, accessories and 

support,” said Mark McCormick, managing 

director of Polaris Defense. 

ATV Corp. also has a lineup of ATVs 

that it says the military should consider. 

ATV President Amos Deacon Jr., said its 

ATVs are superior. “The first ATV ‘quad’ 

recreational vehicle with rack and pinion 

steering (no handlebars) and automotive 

controls was implemented here,” Deacon 

said, adding that it was many years before 

the industry adopted the concept. 

That vehicle was introduced as an 

RTV (rugged terrain vehicle), he said. 

“It was purpose-designed for operation 

in the most demanding of terrain and 

environmental extremes,” and was named 

the Prowler. Today, he said, the company 

continues to produce competitive offerings, 

such as the commercial off-the-shelf 

Prowler line of LTATVs (light tactical all 

terrain vehicles). 

“It is a multimission configurable 

platform for military applications including 

intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, 

communications, assault or 

search and rescue,” he said. “We offer 

both gasoline and heavy fuel (diesel/ 

JP-8) powered platforms, depending upon 

user requirements.” 

And Deacon said the vehicles offer 

safety features. “Our rollover protection 

system [ROPS] is unequaled in its class, 

either in design or materials,” he said. 

To take an example, he said ATV Corp. 

uses chrome alloy steel rather than more 

common types of steel used by competitors, 

adding that the ATV Corp. system 

“exceeds all current ROPS certification 

standards such as SAEJ2194, J1524 and 

ISO Std 3471.” 

The company also specifically designs 

vehicles to meet the purpose the customer 

intends, he said. “We do not 

‘enhance’ someone else’s design—we purpose 

build,” Deacon said. “This practice 

is further exemplified by the fact the no 

surface finishes of the vehicle are painted; 

all are industrial powder coated to ensure 

durability and long life.” 

While ATVs often have been relatively 

slow vehicles, the company is ready to 

accommodate those with a need for speed, 

Deacon explained. While “primarily, we 

concentrate on mobility and stability in 

operation,” which he said is unmatched, 

“with regard to speed, the basic platform 


goes 50 mph ‘out of the box.’” You want 

something even faster? “We are delivering 

a version which exceeds 75 mph and has a 

300 mile range,” Deacon said. 

As far as armament, the ATVs can 

carry many types of weapons, he said. 

“Weapons that we know have been 

mounted on the Prowler platform include 

the M60, M240 and MG58 series crew 

served machine guns,” Deacon said. “The 

Prowler also has carried the 60 and 81 

mm mortars.” With the 81 mm, the 

Prowler is used for mobility only, not 

as a launching platform. Further, the 

Prowler also has been equipped with the 

Javelin, Kornet, Carl Gustav and Spike 

anti-armor missile systems. 

Deacon cited the ease of transporting 

the ATVs. “Not only can multiple Prowlers 

be transported in MH47 and similar series 

helos, only the Prowler has been actually 

tested and accepted for the CV-22.” 

The military already has focused on 

the Prowler, Deacon noted, including the 

Special Operations Command, the Air 

Force, the Marine Corps and Navy SEALs, 

along with international customers. 

Prowlers also offer other benefits 

“that are not available elsewhere in the 

LTATV class of vehicle,” Deacon added, 

such as a 24 volt DC auxiliary power to 

meet heavy communications and laser 

requirements. Of all the ATV Corp. technology 

innovations, Deacon concluded, 

“perhaps the most significant is the current 

development of a light weight modular 

armor system under way with the 

Ceradyne Corp.” 

John Deere also offers a full line of 

ATVs, with off-road capabilities design 

bolstered by the company’s long history 

of producing farm machines. One 

of them is the M-Gator A1, a veteran 

workhorse with six wheels and diesel 

power providing moderate speeds, Mike 

Ready, John Deere manager of U.S. 

government sales, said in an interview 

with SOTECH. 

It has a rollover protection frame 

that can be tied down for easier loading 

onto aircraft, and it also can be 

carried beneath helos in a sling. The 

A1 can carry two litters in back and 

another litter in front for casualty evacuation. 

While John Deere is associated with 

the color green on its farm machinery 

and a different green on its military 

vehicles, the A1 soon will be available in 

desert tan. 

30 | SOTECH 8.9 

Gators have been purchased by the 

Army and National Guard, and the FBI. 

The Gator A2 is a newer offering with four 

wheels and a 32 mph top speed. It has a 

cage type tubular steel rollover protection 

meeting safety standards including those 

set by the Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration, he said. 

But the company also will be offering 

the A-25 I that will provide speeds 

up to 44 mph, responding to the special 

operations community’s need for faster 

vehicles. Another John Deere ATV offering 

is one that tells the military to leave the 

driving to us: The R-Gator is a robotic ATV 

built on the M-Gator platform. 

Mark E. Bodwell, group manager for 

business development with John Deere 

military affairs, explained in an interview 

how the R-Gator can be whatever you 

want it to be, from a regular soldierdriven 

vehicle to a totally autonomous 

vehicle able to drive itself, figuring out 

how to maneuver around obstacles. It can 

mean human beings don’t have to lose 

arms, legs or lives in EOD operations. 

While such cutting-edge technology, 

one might assume, is created in the military 

area and then migrates eventually to 

civilian use, the situation here is just the 

opposite: John Deere originally devised 

the guidance technology for its huge 

green machines that operate on farms, 

using GPS to determine just where and 

how much fertilizer to apply in which 

areas, for example, Bodwell explained. 

To create the robotic ATV, he said, “We 

adopted all of those [agricultural machine 

guidance] technologies and placed them 

on the M-Gator chassis” to create the 

R-Gator. The R-Gator has many modes 

with varying degrees of automation, 

Bodwell said: 

The first mode involves a soldier driving 

the ATV as he would any vehicle. 

The second mode can involve a soldier 

driving the ATV to a destination, where he 

debarks and then places the R-Gator on 

autopilot so that it drives itself back to the 

origination point, using certain waypoints 

on the route to plot its return course. 

The third mode has the R-Gator operated 

remotely as an unmanned ground 

vehicle, where the operator uses a unit to 

control the R-Gator and it sends back live 

video to the operator. This is especially 

useful for special operations missions, 

such as forward observation or route 

clearance, or checking for unexploded 

ordnance, Bodwell said. With EZY-lift, 

an EOD box can be eased down to the 

ground, and a robot can then move to 

clear a building. 

The fourth mode is fully autonomous, 

where the R-Gator has way points programmed 

into it along with a destination 

point, and it figures out how to get there, 

such as deciding whether it can run over 

an obstacle or must maneuver around 

it. If the obstacle totally blocks the way 

ahead, the R-Gator then devises an alternative 

route to reach the destination. An 

operator may grab back control of the 

vehicle at any time. 

The R-Gator can be had with an engine 

that runs on diesel fuel or JP-8 jet aircraft 

engine fuel. As to who uses the R-Gator, 

although this type of vehicle still is in 

the early stages of its life, the Army has 

several, and the company also is working 

with the Navy and Marine Corps, he said. 

Turning to transportability, the Gator 

family fits on a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor 

aircraft, though it’s a tight fit, and slips 

easily onto a CH-47 Chinook heavy lift 

transport helo, Bodwell said. 

HDt-Ha y e s Di v e r s i f i e D 

te C H n o l o g i e s 

HDT offers several ATVs aimed at the 

military market, such as the LTATV-U1 

light tactical all terrain vehicle. It can 

roll at 50 mph, with a range of 120 miles. 

It can tow 1,300 pounds, and has a total 

payload capacity of 1,378 pounds. It has 

a 45 hp liquid cooled engine, and a winch 

on the front to pull itself out of trouble. It 

has a four-passenger roll cage for rollover 

protection and full-length skid plates. 

Faster yet: The LTATV-U1 Support 

vehicle can drive 55. It has a 170-mile 

range. The 1.34 liter horizontally opposed 

two cylinder engine operates on a 

variety of jet fuels including JP8, along 

with diesel and biodiesel, producing 70 

hp. It has a two-passenger roll cage, and 

a cargo bed. 

Want to go even faster? The LTATV-U1 

Tactical goes 70 mph, and has a 170-mile 

range. The 65 hp engine also runs on 

an array of jet fuels, diesel or biodiesel. 

It has a four passenger roll cage and 

a winch. O 




www.SOTECH-kmi.com

www.atvcorp.com 

Purpose Built COTS, Unmatched Performance 

Power... Speed... Agility... 

Stability... Protection...Endurance... 

Prowler is built by the ATV Corp. division of Phoenix International Systems, Inc., a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business 

that is an ISO AS9100 / ISO 9001:2008 Certified Manufacturer. Prowler is available under GSA Contract No. GS-03F-0056T. 

TM

Act Globally, Talk Locally 

wa r a n D w o r D s: Co u r s e s, H a r D w a r e let s o l D i e r s C o m m u n i C a t e w i tH l o C a l s. 

The United States has fought much bigger 

wars than the war on terror, but it has 

never fought in so many places, and in so 

many ways, where speaking so many local 

languages is so essential. The challenge of 

communicating globally has expanded traditional 

language instruction and led to rapid 

innovation in technology to bridge communication 

gaps. The Holy Grail of technology is 

a field device that can do two-way translation 

of natural speech. That may be coming soon. 

The U.S. Army’s John F. Kennedy Special 

Warfare Center and School now runs the 

second-largest language school in the country, 

after the Defense Language Institute 

in Monterey, Calif., according to Lieutenant 

Colonel Rusty Nance, chief of Language and 

Human Dynamics. His school trained 2,000 

students in 13 foreign languages this year and 

expects to ramp up to 17 languages for 2,100 

students next year. 

“Unlike Monterey, we seek oral proficiency 

only, listening and speaking,” Nance 

explained. The goal is proficiency of 1+ as 

measured by International Language Roundtable 

(ILR) standards, though a simple 1 is 

sufficient for graduation. 

“The most important languages are for 

where the bullets are flying, like Arabic, 

32 | SOTECH 8.9 

Pashto and Urdu,” Nance said. “But Russian 

and Mandarin Chinese will also be important.” 

The Center has a major French program 

and is tentatively planning to add Czech, 

Hungarian and Polish. 

The students are all Army and special 

operations forces with military occupational 

specialties of 18 or 18A for SOF officers, 37 for 

Army military information support or 38 for 

civil affairs. Other services have similar and 

quite good language programs, but these are 

orders of magnitude smaller than that at the 

Special Warfare Center. 

Language class takes five hours per day 

for four months in French, Spanish or Indonesian, 

six months for other languages. SOF 

soldiers must pass these courses before they 

go on to further training. 

The center has just started intermediate 

training, to ILR level 2+, for a select number 

of students and is considering going to 

ILR level 3+. 

Instructors are private contractors provided 

by MiLanguages, but this contract is up 

for bid. There is a push to bring instructors 

on board as government employees. This 

may be difficult, as the center must employ 

U.S. citizens, which many current instructors 

are not. 

By He n r y Ca n a D a y, soteCH Co r r e s p o n D e n t 

C a n a D a y H@k m i m e D i a g r o u p.C o m 

Personal instruction in classes is by far the 

best way to teach languages, Nance emphasized, 

and technology is only used for reinforcement. 

The center uses Rosetta Stone, 

CL-150’s Rapid Rote and authentic materials 

like broadcast feeds for reinforcement. 

In addition to language, all center students 

are trained in the cultures of intended 

deployment locations. And long after they 

leave the center, soldiers can still tap its 

resources. Nance has a sustainment program 

for deployed troops to help them 

retain their new language, and even a contingency 

program for soldiers trained in one 

language but assigned to another location. 

Transparent Language developed CL-150, 

an extremely broad suite of products and 

services to help train and assess soldiers in 

about 80 critical languages. President Michael 

Quinlan said special operations as well as 

Marine, Navy and Air Force units have enterprise-wide 

licenses to use CL-150 both in 

the United States and in theater, online or 

off, for both initial training and refresher 

courses 

“Where we differ from other language 

products is that we support learning for special 

government purposes,” Quinlan said. “We 

go far beyond the standard conversations.” 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

And Transparent also does assessments, 

according to ILR standards. 

Transparent has plenty of enhancements 

coming out, including new operational culture 

kits developed in close coordination with 

special operations and the Marines, and it has 

just released an iPhone version of CL-150’s 

Rapid Rote. 

Progressive Expert Consulting provides 

a virtual classroom environment for training 

in a wide variety of languages to special 

operations units in the Army, Navy, Marines 

and Air Force. This is live training by instructors 

conducted over the Internet at scheduled 

times, emphasized Michael Feng, vice president 

system integration at PEC. 

The PEC classes teach proficiency at several 

ILR levels, 1, 2 and 3, according to needs. 

Students need only a webcam, headset and 

Internet connection, preferably with plenty 

of bandwidth. Classes can be as large or as 

small as necessary and the students can 

take the classes wherever they are, at home 

or stationed around the world. “We try to 

make the technology disappear, and let them 

concentrate on learning the 

language,” Feng said. 

MiLanguages provides 

initial, sustainment and 

enhancement language training, 

plus cultural training, in 

more than 100 languages. It 

prides itself on fulfilling even 

rare language requirements 

on the shortest notice. “It’s 

not unusual for us to receive a 

specification late on a Thursday 

for a class that begins the 

following week,” said Marketing 

Manager Holly Bouma. “MiLanguages 

instructors are in place and ready to instruct 

at 8:00 a.m. on Monday.” 

The firm is able to respond quickly by 

maintaining a wide and deep pool of instructors 

through continual recruitment and partnerships 

with organizations in 40 countries. 

Bouma said the firm will remain fully abreast 

of the new training techniques. 

reCruiting te C H n o l o g y 

BBN has worked with Defense Advanced 

Research Projects Agency (DARPA) language 

programs for the last 30 years, according to 

Prem Natarajan, head of speech, language and 

multimedia at BBN. “We started with speech 

recognition, then GALE [Global Autonomous 

Language Exploitation] added translation 

from text and speech to English so English- 

Holly Bouma 

language analysts could work with foreign 

text and multimedia like TV, radio and cable,” 

Natarajan explained. The sheer volume of 

important information available in so many 

foreign languages meant it was impossible to 

train enough analysts to interpret them. 

BBN now has 30 large enterprise-wide 

monitoring systems installed inside and outside 

the United States. “Each monitors several 

channels, plus Web monitoring, and 

can crawl through the Web without leaving 

footprints,” said Natarajan. BBN monitors 

media in eight languages now, including 

Arab, Pashto and Mandarin Chinese, with 

more on the way. 

GALE monitors transcribe speech to text 

in the same foreign language with 12 to 15 

percent error rates in some languages and 

25 to 35 percent errors in others. Generally, 

straight news can be transcribed with greater 

accuracy than conversation. Even though 

this is not translation, it is a huge time-saver 

for analysts. “They do not have to spend time 

listening to or selecting materials to analyze; 

they can pick the text or tag the video they 

need and take it to a linguist,” 

Natarajan said. 

BBN also works with 

DARPA on spoken languages 

in the Communication and 

Translation System for Tactical 

Use, or TRANSTAC, program. 

Here, the objective is to help 

people who speak different 

languages but have the same 

mission collaborate effectively 

through an advanced speechto-speech 

translation device 

called TransTalk. 

TransTalk devices, just now starting 

deployment on smartphones in the field, 

do two-way translation of spoken speech 

in specific areas for English and six foreign 

languages. “This has been seven years in the 

making; now we are there,” Natarajan added. 

TransTalk does not translate canned 

phrases, but handles natural speech, using 

a vocabulary of tens of thousands of words in 

both English and the other languages, and 

uses stochastic techniques for translating 

meaning by context. 

For two years, BBN has worked with 

DARPA’s Multilingual Automatic Document 

Classification Analysis and Translation program 

to scan pages of Arabic handwriting. 

“Now this is moving to applied research,” 

Natarajan said. BBN is also working on tracking 

opinion in foreign language media and 

generating charts to summarize it. 

SRI International also worked on DAR- 

PA’s GALE program to develop large-scale 

systems for translating standard Arabic and 

Chinese speech and text from newswires, 

Web text, broadcast news and conversations 

into English. SRI led a consortium 

of 11 academic and industry organizations 

for this effort. “We pioneered a novel 

hybrid translation approach using human 

knowledge and statistical modeling,” noted 

Horacio Franco, chief scientist in the 

Speech Technology and Research Laboratory 

at SRI. 

For TRANSTAC, SRI is developing 

small portable speech-to-speech translators 

on smartphones. “Our system runs on 

the Android Nexus One smartphone,” said 

Franco. The system works for force protection, 

medical interviews and dialogues for 

building relationships with civilians. It does 

two-way translation between English and 

Iraqi Arabic, Malay, Farsi, Dari and Pashto 

with a large vocabulary of free-form continuous 

speech. “We have the capability to create 

translation systems in other languages in a 

short time frame,” Franco stressed. 

Any Language 

Anywhere 

Any Time 

Language Training 

(Live or Online) 

Immersions 

(Domestic or Abroad) 

Cultural Training 

Translation 

Testing 

MiLanguages, Corp. 

info@milanguages.com 

866.319.1244 

www.MiLANGUAGES.com 


SRI is now conducting a seedling study 

using semantic information to improve 

statistical machine translation for future 

translation programs. “We look forward to 

developing the next generation of translation 

systems,” Franco said. “We are continuously 

improving our existing technologies to create 

systems for low-density languages, wider 

domains and informal genres that are able to 

operate in real-world environments.” 

Integrated Wave Technologies already has 

over 8,200 Voice Response Translators (VRTs) 

in the field. VRTs translate about 350 English 

commands into 54 foreign languages. 

They can also work with different input 

languages, such as Polish or Dari. “Talk to 

any commander and this is what they will 

buy with their own money,” stressed IWT 

President Tim McCune. “It is hands-free and 

works under very high noise levels. It is 

extremely rugged and we warranty it for 

five years.” 

The basic VRT model costs $1,500, 

weighs about 11 ounces and fits in an ammunition 

pouch. The VRT has a high-end headset, 

similar to those worn by bicycle police. 

34 | SOTECH 8.9 

Vcom3D makes V Communicator Mobile 

(VCM) software and headsets for use with 

common consumer devices like Apple’s iPod 

Touch and the Android. Ernie Bright, Vcom3D 

business development and 

product manager, emphasized 

that these one-way VCMs for 

translating about 2,500 English 

phrases to six foreign languages 

are platform-agnostic 

and can also be used for training. 

“For training, you can add 

pictures of how to gesture. 

Soldiers can also add more 

phrases or pictures of missing 

soldiers when they go doorto-door.” 

About 1,200 VCMs 

have been deployed in Iraq, 

Afghanistan and Sudan. 

Use of commercial hardware 

enables Vcom3D to 

exploit common accessories, 

like speakers, megaphones 

and solar re-chargers. Because 

soldiers can use these devices 

for many non-military purposes, 

they are not an extra 

burden and tend to be well 

cared for. Speakers can use 

their natural voices, including 

slang, and artificial intelligence algorithms 

will interpret. The next version will enable 

two-way translation. The VCM software and 

headset alone costs about $1,000. 

Ectaco’s G-5 Speechguard looks like a 

large cell phone with a speaker, explained 

Account Executive Jerry Cimadomo. The 

GI-5 translates about 19,000 English commands 

into four languages, including Arabic 

and Pahsto. Non-military models work in 

over 100 languages, with up to 20 languages 

each, and more languages can be added to 

the G-5 with orders of 150 or more. The G-5 

costs $950. “It also does text translation both 

ways,” Cimadomo noted. Ectaco is increasingly 

working on health, police and homeland 

security versions of the Speechguard. 

Voxtec produces the handheld Phraselator 

P2 and the holster-mounted SQU.ID SQ.200, 

which enables eyes-free, hands-free communication. 

Both models do one-way translation 

of broad domain “language modules,” 

each consisting of approximately 700 words, 

phrases or commands, translated into multiple 

foreign languages. The P2 user can access 

desired commands via push-to-talk mode 

or manually by scrolling down to desired 

commands, while the SQ.200, designed for 

tactical situations, can operate manually or 

Ernie Bright 

Clayton Millis 

entirely through automatic voice recognition 

of spoken commands. Sales Director Clayton 

Millis said the P2 can also record 

responses of foreign language speakers. 

The GSA cost of the current 

P2 is $2,800 and the SQ.200 

is $1,900. 

“The future will be twoway 

translation, and we are 

working on an Android-based 

system,” Millis said. The next 

versions, Phraselator P3 and 

SQU.ID SQ.410, are due in 

late 2011 and will offer freespeech 

one-way, limiteddomain 

two-way translation 

capability in language pairs of 

military interest. “This is a big 

technical challenge. Be careful 

when people tell you they can 

do two-way,” he added. 

Kwikpoint provides nonelectronic 

visual language 

translation (VLT) for soldiers 

in the field. With pictures 

and phonetic spellings, these 

graphical pocket guides help 

soldiers communicate with 

and understand the responses 

of foreign language speakers. 

“It is not electronic, there are no batteries, 

and if you drop it, it still works,” emphasized 

CEO Alan Stillman. “You can point to a picture 

of a marketplace and ask a local where 

the bomb is and they can show you.” 

Kwikpoint’s new maritime VLT is a pointto-pictures 

communication device with 

easy-to-say phonetics of key phrases in eight 

languages for investigations of multilingual 

crews. Another innovation, the Kandahar 

Smart Card, helps French-speaking Canadian 

forces in southern Afghanistan, with visuallanguage 

graphics and phonetic pronunciation 

of key Pashto phrases. 

Talk Technologies provides wireless radio 

equipment for interpreters and listeners, as 

well as voice-silencing and isolating microphones. 

“That replaces the need for an isolating 

booth so the system can be portable,” 

explained Chief of Operations Nigel Kostiuck. 

These accessories are now deployed with both 

U.S. and UN forces. Talk is working on a diplomat 

version of its radios that can be set for 

either one- or two-way communications, as 

the immediate situation requires. O 




www.SOTECH-kmi.com

The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations. 

aD V e r t i S e r S in D e x 

ATV Corp ...................................31 

www.atvcorp.com 

Cases2Go ...................................35 

www.cases2go.com 

Esri .......................................C4 

www.esri.com/c4isr 

Honeywell ..................................23 

www.missionready.com 

International Training Inc. .....................27 

www.itiwsi.com 

Lord .......................................15 

www.lord.com 

L-3 GCS ....................................C2 

www.l-3com.com/gcs 

MiLanguages ................................33 

www.milanguages.com 

Pelican .....................................20 

www.pelican.com/sot 

Rapid Rescue Products ........................10 

www.rapidrescueproducts.com 

STIDD Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 

www.stiddmil.com 

Worldwide Language Resources ......................34 

www.wwlr.com 

ca l e n D a r 

January 12–14, 2011 

AUSA Army 

Aviation Symposium 

National Harbor, Md. 

www.ausa.org 

January 11–13, 2011 

Shot Show 

Las Vegas, Nev. 

www.shotshow.org 

January 24–26, 2010 

Counter IED Summit 

Arlington, Va. 

www.counteriedsummit.com 

January 24–27, 2010 

Tactical Power Source Summit 


www.tacticalpowersourcessummit.com 

January 26–27, 2011 

Marine West Military Expo 

Camp Pendleton, Calif. 

www.marinemilitaryexpos.com/ 

article-details?id=4 

January 31–February 3, 2011 

Soldier Technology US 


www.wbresearch.com/ 

soldiertechnologyusa/home.aspx 

February 6–8, 2011 

Tactical Wheeled 

Vehicles Conference 

Monterey, Calif. 

http://ndia.org 

NATIONAL PELICAN AND 

PELICAN-HARDIGG DEALER 

With a unique concentration on senior military officers and DoD leadership, 

KMI Media Group focuses on distinct and essential communities within 

the defense market. This provides the most powerful and precise way 

to reach the exact audience that procures and deploys your systems, 

services and equipment. 

KMI Media Group offers by far the largest and most targeted distribution 

within critical market segments. Sharp editorial focus, pinpoint accuracy 

and depth of circulation make KMI Media Group publications the most 

cost-effective way to ensure your advertising message has true impact. 


in D u S t r y in t e r V i e w Sp e c i a l Op e r at i O n S te c h n O l O g y 

Q: What is STIDD’s relationship or 

background with the special operations 

forces community? 

A: In 2000, USSOCOM issued a request 

for proposal [RFP] for a new diver propulsion 

vehicle [DPV]. STIDD responded 

to the RFP with the Diver Propulsion 

Device [DPD], which included an innovative 

collapsible hull design reducing 

stowed volume to a fraction of any other 

DPV. The DPD met all Naval special warfare 

requirements and technical specifications, 

and STIDD was subsequently 

awarded a production contract. Since 

then, in addition to the Navy SEALs, the 

Marine Corps special operations units 

and Army special forces have adopted the 

DPD in large quantities as their exclusive 

combat diving vehicle. 

Q: What is today’s SOF customer asking 

for? 

A: All of the SOF end-users who use the 

DPD, currently nearly two dozen international 

SOF units in addition to U.S. SOF, 

want a proven, reliable and safe product 

which gives them all of the critical 

performance specifications, to include 

speed, range, operating depth, payload 

and navigation essential to the conduct 

of maritime infil/exfil missions. We 

understand that, and have developed the 

DPD and modified it when required to 

ensure it would perform when needed. As 

a result, the DPD has exceeded customer 

expectations during use in successful 

military operations around the world. 

Q: Aren’t there a number of other products 

on the market comparable to the 

DPD? 

A: No. The DPV market is full of recreational, 

luxury toy type scooter products 

36 | SOTECH 8.9 

David Wilberding 

Vice President 

STIDD Systems Inc. 

that aren’t optimized, nor certified for 

military applications. When STIDD 

developed the DPD for SOF, in addition 

to ruggedizing the unit with hard coat 

anodized marine grade aluminum, we 

included an interior payload capability, 

an operating depth of over 80 meters, 

and a high accuracy onboard mission 

planning and submerged navigation system. 

Additionally, during the USSOCOM 

directed test and evaluation process, the 

DPD received an approved for Navy use 

listing and had its Lithium-cobalt 300ah 

battery certified sub-safe by the Navy. 

No other DPVs in the market have both 

the DPD’s SOF-based specifications and 

the Lithium battery certifications that 

ensure safety during both operation and 

transport aboard Navy ships. 

Q: How about overall DPD performance 

characteristics? 

A: The DPD is propelled by an infinitely 

variable speed 26V DC electric 

thruster which enables the DPD, when 

fully loaded with two combat divers, 

their equipment and an additional 50 kg 

of available payload, to travel farther and 

faster than any other DPV available. With 

proper hydrographic mission planning 

enabled by the onboard RNAV system, the 

DPD can operate fully loaded anywhere 

in the world. 

Q: What type of maintenance support 

and training do you offer? 

A: Due to design considerations and 

material selection, the DPD is virtually 

maintenance free. After an operation, all 

that is required is a fresh water rinse and 

battery recharging. Our field technicians 

and trainers are all former SOF personnel 

who have decades of experience with 

DPVs. They provide not only routine 

maintenance and training visits to endusers 

around the world, but also conduct 

in-water DPD demonstrations and new 

user training at the STIDD submersible 

test and evaluation facility located near 

Key West, Fla. Over the years STIDD has 

developed a hard-earned reputation as an 

extremely responsive, customer support 

focused company. In large part this is due 

to our team of highly experienced submersible 

engineers and program managers, 

located at STIDD headquarters in 

Greenport, N.Y. This team manages all 

DPD-related issues to include engineering 

change proposals, product delivery 

and export compliance, with the ultimate 

goal of ensuring every customer is satisfied. 

Q: Are there any new technologies you 

are working on? 

A: Yes. We recently fielded the recon-navigation 

[RNAV] for the DPD. We designed 

and developed the RNAV to address SOF 

users’ requirements for submerged navigation. 

The RNAV transforms a standard 

DPD into the functional equivalent of a 

two-man one-quarter swimmer delivery 

vehicle at a small fraction of the price 

and maintenance cost. 

The RNAV can upload mission planning 

data from a laptop or download 

completed mission tracks to a laptop via 

its remote memory card reader. Mission 

planning data is displayed on a highvisibility 

moving map display and can be 

easily modified en route through a glovedhand 

pushbutton interface. The RNAV’s 

real-time position information, bottom 

contour tracking, leg and mission timers 

all assist in ensuring extremely accurate 

submerged navigation. The addition of a 

doppler velocity log has made the STIDD 

RNAV the most capable DPV navigation 

system available. O 

www.SOTECH-kmi.com

Next Issue 

Cover and In-Depth 

Interview with: 

Admiral 

Eric T. Olson 

Commander 

USSOCOM 

His interview in English also will be 

translated into Arabic for distribution 

in the Middle East. 

Special Feature: 

Weapon Optics 

An examination of close-range weapon 

optics, including red-dot and green-dot, 

holographic technology. 

Features 

UGVs for the EOD Mission 

Intrusion Detection 

Satellite Communications 

Weapons Systems 

February 2011 


Insertion Order Deadline: January 25, 2011 • Closing Date: February 1, 2011

Esri Delivers Geospatial 

Capability for C4ISR 

Whether you need to collect geospatial data on 

handheld devices or track enemy positions while 

working in a tactical operations center, technology 

from Esri supports you every step of the way. 

As the world’s most trusted source for geospatial 

technology, Esri works behind the scenes to provide 

the geospatial capabilities required to complete 

your mission. Our technology—on mobile devices, 

desktops, servers, and in custom applications—works 

24/7, just like your operations. 

Embedded into your C4ISR applications, Esri ® software 

gives you the geospatial technology to manage the 

battlespace, integrate sensors, visualize the terrain, 

track targets, identify friendly forces, and more— 

all in a mapcentric common operational picture. 

Copyright © 2010 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, and www.esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, 

or service marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. 

Esri also provides the main software components for 

both the U.S. Department of Defense Commercial 

Joint Mapping Toolkit (CJMTK) and the NATO Core 

Geographic Services (NCGS) contract, and we 

support United States and NATO military symbology 

(MIL-STD-2525C and APP6A). 

Read how geospatial technology from Esri, like the 

software in the Commercial Joint Mapping Toolkit 

(CJMTK), was used to build battlespace visualization and 

decision support tools. Visit www.esri.com/c4isr.

Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?