TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Sensors, Weapons

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS 408/EOD small UUV SCM P3I program

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate a chemical/explosive sensor system to provide enhanced detection and classification in missions for which acoustic or optical imaging alone are not effective.

DESCRIPTION: Current hull searches use divers to visually search and identify threat devices often in very turbid water. This is an exceedingly slow and dangerous operation. The Diver Held Imaging and Navigation System (DHINS) and Hull Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Localization System (HULS) programs are in development and will provide an acoustic detection capability to aid divers in performing this mission. However, a chemical/explosive sensor system will provide improved classification and identification of suspect underwater targets in missions for which acoustic and/or visual imaging alone are not effective. High clutter, shallow object burial, and heavy marine growth characteristic of very shallow water environments render image-only results inadequate for proper target localization and classification.

The chemical sensor package desired from this SBIR effort will be lightweight, low power, and modular for efficient integration into a DHINS or HULS. The package will be designed to correctly confirm acoustic or optical mine classifications and supplement acoustic or optical imagery in situations where the acoustic and optical sensors are not effective. Co-registration of characteristic chemical/explosive signatures (or lack of a characteristic chemical/explosive signature) with imagery collected at the same precise location will enable improved object classification. Current approaches being discussed in the literature for chemical detection of underwater explosives include but are not necessarily limited to amplifying fluorescence polymers, ion mobility spectrometry, and neutron interrogation. None of these approaches is mature.

PHASE I: Assess the merits of the four current approaches being discussed in the literature to detect underwater explosives chemically using techniques to include but not limited to amplifying fluorescence polymers, ion mobility spectrometry, neutron interrogation, or structural acoustics. Develop a conceptual design of an innovative compact, low power chemical/explosive sensor system that can be used in conjunction with acoustic sensors to improve probability of detection and of classification (Pd/Pc) and probability of identification (Pid) in hull searches in harsh environments. Compare and contrast the benefits and limitations of the proposed approach with other approaches. Conduct preliminary tradeoff studies need to size the system and necessary interfaces to fit in DHINS or HULS while confirming that reliable, characteristic chemical/explosive signatures can be obtained.

PHASE II: Develop and test a prototype chemical/explosive sensor system including proposed interfaces. For best transition, the system should fit in a flooded space with power being provided by HULS, DHINS, and potentially REMUS 100-based UUVs.

PHASE III: Integrate and test of the system into the DHINS/HULS systems as part of the existing P3I requirement.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: This technology would reduce the complexity of the system being deployed, decrease cost, and increase operational effectiveness and flexibility. This technology would have many applications to homeland defense and should be useful in detecting leachate for water quality monitoring.

REFERENCES:
1. US Department of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice: "Guide for the Selection of Commercial Explosives Detection Systems for Law Enforcement Applications NIJ Guide 100-99"; NCJ 178913; September 1999.

2. "Trace Chemical Sensing of Explosives"; Edited by Ronald L. Woodfin; John Wiley and Sons Inc, Hoboken New Jersey, Copyright 2007.

3. "Counterterrorist Detection Techniques of Explosives"; Edited by Jehuda Yinon, Weizmann Institute of Science, Dept. of Environmental Science, Rehovot, Israel.

KEYWORDS: Chemical sensor, explosives, Diver-held, DHINS, HULS, underwater explosive sensor.

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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