Browse Topic: Surveillance

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Study on Resistance and Surface Pressure Characteristics of UUVs Navigating in the Pycnocline2026-99-18077/17/2026
As a critical component of unmanned naval warfare, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) have garnered significant attention from major military powers. When navigating through pycnoclines—a widespread vertical density stratification in marine environments—UUVs generate volume effect internal waves that influence hydrodynamic resistance. Therefore, investigating the hydrodynamic characteristics of UUVs in pycnoclines is essential. Despite substantial research progress, most studies focus on internal wave patterns and their impacts on submerged vehicles, with limited exploration of UUV resistance and surface pressure distribution. This work establishes a numerical method according to the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, employing the Realizable k-ε turbulence model and the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method to capture fluid density interfaces, thereby analyzing the hydrodynamic characteristics of UUVs in pycnoclines. Furthermore, a numerical method was constructed, and the convergence regarding the grid and time-steps were verified. Additionally, numerical experiments under varying navigation speeds and depths are conducted to investigate the total resistance, frictional resistance, wave-making resistance coefficients, and spatial variation of surface pressure. Based on the results, the total resistance of a UUV is positively correlated with its navigation speed. When navigating in the upper seawater layers, the total resistance also exhibits a positive correlation with navigation depth. However, when operating in the lower seawater layers, the total resistance initially increases and then decreases with increasing depth, reaching its peak level at a navigation depth of 13 m. Both increasing navigation speed and approaching the density interface can enhance the sensitivity of total resistance to navigation depth. The alteration in total resistance stems primarily from changes in wave-making resistance while showing a weaker correlation with frictional resistance. The UUV’s speed positively correlates with pressure at locations with abrupt curvature changes on its surface, but it has a negligible influence on pressure distribution in smooth surface regions. Besides, navigation depth positively correlates with surface pressure magnitude yet exerts a limited impact on pressure distribution patterns. The findings contribute to a more complete picture of the hydrodynamic properties of UUVs navigating through pycnoclines, offering valuable references for optimizing UUV design and operational strategies.
Zhang, Yin, Xue, Leilei, Guo, Liqiang, Fu, Xiao, Zhang, Xiaofang, Liu, Zhihao, Han, Guoxin
ADS-B in the Age of Cyber Threats: Preserving Safety without Compromising Accessibility2026-26-07686/1/2026
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) has become a cornerstone of modern aviation, revolutionizing Air Traffic Management (ATM) through its ability to continuously transmit real-time flight data—including GPS-derived position, altitude, and velocity. Since its widespread operational deployment over the past decade, ADS-B has significantly enhanced situational awareness, improved safety, extended surveillance coverage into previously unmonitored airspace, and enabled more efficient aircraft routing and separation. However, despite its many advantages, the fundamental design of ADS-B introduces notable security vulnerabilities. Because ADS-B signals are unencrypted and unauthenticated, malicious actors can inject fraudulent broadcasts, creating the illusion of non-existent aircraft. Such spoofing attacks can trigger false cockpit alerts and distract pilots during critical phases of flight. The current ADS-B data format prioritizes simplicity to accommodate a broad range of users, including Air Traffic Control (ATC), ground stations, flight crews, and aviation tracking services. Yet, as ADS-B IN becomes increasingly integral to tactical decision-making, the need for robust security mechanisms grows more urgent to safeguard flight operations. This paper highlights the imperative for a balanced approach to ADS-B security, one that strengthens protection for essential flight functions while preserving open access for non-sensitive applications. It argues that while enhanced security is vital for operational integrity, overly restrictive protocols should not hinder the broader utility of ADS-B data. Ensuring that all stakeholders can continue to benefit from this critical technology without compromising safety is key to its sustained effectiveness.
Chikkegowda, Kantha, Shetty, Ramesh, Khan, Kalimulla, Sahoo, Subhransu
Army Researchers Design 3D-Printed Soldier Portable Autonomous Reconnaissance Transitioning Aircraft26AERP05_075/1/2026
Army researchers recently developed a 3D-printable, easy-to-assemble drone designed to enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD Researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory (ARL) harnessed bottom-up Soldier innovation to develop an experimental 3D-printed small unmanned aerial system, or drone, that was demonstrated at the inaugural U.S. Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Huntsville, Alabama. Known as the Soldier Portable Autonomous Reconnaissance Transitioning Aircraft, or SPARTA, the drone was developed at DEVCOM ARL in collaboration with Soldiers. By incorporating Soldier feedback early in the design process and leveraging ARL's world-class research facilities, researchers developed a 3D-printable, easy-to-assemble drone designed to enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. ARL is actively working to partner the technology with industry to get into the hands of the warfighter.
Integrating Anti-Idle Power Systems into Military Tactical Vehicles: Use Case Development and Analysis2026-01-50203/11/2026
Military tactical vehicles are increasingly incorporating anti-idle kits as a method to reduce fuel consumption. The larger battery pack associated with the anti-idle kit has the potential to provide new capabilities to the warfighter, who can use the battery pack to power pieces of equipment. This study analyzes a set of these new capabilities derived from the U.S. Army Universal Task List, supplemented with user interviews and doctrinal analysis. These capabilities include powering dismounted soldier systems, counter-drone and surveillance equipment, mobile refrigeration for medical applications, field maintenance tools, and mobile food services. The study then uses geolocation data collected from the U.S. Army’s National Training Center to model daily fuel consumption for soldiers performing each of these activities. The model was subsequently adapted to incorporate an anti-idle kit, revealing significant reductions in fuel usage. The analysis uses the results to define common functional requirements and inform the conceptual design of a modular kit that integrates with anti-idle systems to enable new capabilities, thereby allowing vehicles to serve as mobile energy platforms in addition to their traditional role of providing mobility.
Lusian, Trevonte, Mummert, Taige, Kaiser, Caleb, Greer, Michael, Black, Nathaniel, Ong, Bennett, Tapahonso, Eugene, Mittal, Vikram
Multi-Storey AI Based Parking System2026-28-01292/12/2026
This paper presents a novel AI-based parking management system designed to enhance efficiency, reduce manual intervention, and optimize operational costs in modern parking facilities. By integrating computer vision with infrared (IR) sensors, the system continuously monitors parking areas in real time, accurately detecting vehicle occupancy and dynamically updating the space availability. The hybrid approach minimizes reliance on conventional sensors, improving accuracy and environmental robustness. Additional features include intelligent navigation assistance guiding drivers to available spots and integrated video surveillance for enhanced security through AI-driven suspicious activity detection. The user interface provides real-time updates ensuring a seamless and convenient parking experience. Overall, this system offers a comprehensive solution that advances parking technology through automation, real-time monitoring, and secure, user-friendly operation.
N, Kalaiarasi, Gupta, Shivansh, Hajarnis, Mihir, Anand, Vikas
Preparing Germany’s New Surveillance Aircraft for ServiceTBMG-546072/1/2026
Hensoldt Taufkirchen, Germany
Augmenting a Thermal and Infrared Signature Simulation Tool for Use on Hybrid Electric Ground Vehicles2025-01-04799/16/2025
Thermal or infrared signature management simulations of hybrid electric ground vehicles require modeling complex heat sources not present in traditional vehicles. Fast-running multi-physics simulations are necessary for efficiently and accurately capturing the contribution of these electrical drivetrain components to vehicle thermal signature. The infrared signature and heat transfer simulation tool, “Multi-Service Electro-optic Signature” (MuSES), is being updated to address these challenges by expanding its thermal-electrical simulation capabilities, provide a coupling interface to system zero- and one-dimensional modeling tools, and model three-dimensional air flow and its convection effects. These simulation capabilities are used to compare the infrared signatures of a tactical ground vehicle with a traditional powertrain to a hybrid electric version of the same vehicle and demonstrate a reduction in contrast while operating under electrically powered conditions of silent watch and silent mobility.
Patterson, Steven, Edel, Zachary, Pryor, Joshua, Rynes, Pete, Tison, Nathan, Korivi, Vamshi
Software Application Overview: AI Object Detection Inference for Video2025-01-04639/16/2025
Object detection has many different uses in Command and Control (C2) systems such as autonomous control, target tracking, threat detection, and general surveillance. Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are the de-facto standard hardware for these types of workloads in datacenter environments. Still, when deploying to an edge environment many considerations are required to ensure an optimized deployment. This paper provides a general overview of how to utilize GPUs for AI inference for object detection at the edge using NVIDIA® HoloScan as well as an overview of the many considerations to account for when selecting the most optimal GPU for any specific ground vehicle solution.
Whitlock, Nick
Fine-Tuning Yolov8 for Accurate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Detection with Digital Twin Simulation2025-01-04739/16/2025
Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) pose an increasing threat to military ground vehicles due to their precision strike capabilities, surveillance functions, and ability to engage in electronic warfare. Their agility, speed, and low visibility allow them to evade traditional defense systems, creating an urgent need for advanced AI-driven detection models that quickly and accurately identify UAV threats while minimizing false positives and negatives. Training effective deep-learning models typically requires extensive, diverse datasets, yet acquiring and annotating real-world UAV imagery is expensive, time-consuming, and often non-feasible, especially for imagery featuring relevant UAV models in appropriate military contexts. Synthetic data, generated via digital twin simulation, offers a viable approach to overcoming these limitations. This paper presents some of the work Duality AI is doing in conjunction with the Army’s Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS) Advanced Capabilities Team, focusing on using synthetic data from high-fidelity digital twin simulations for UAV detection. We introduce a novel metric to refine synthetic data iteratively, ensuring realistic replication of critical operational and environmental conditions. Lastly, we test models trained on real, synthetic, and hybrid datasets, showing that models trained solely on synthetic data outperform those trained solely on real data, while a hybrid approach yields the highest overall performance.
Mejia, Felipe, Shah, Sunil, Young, Preston C., Brunk, Andrew T.
VORA™: Vision for Off-Road Autonomy2025-01-04419/16/2025
The Vision for Off-road Autonomy (VORA) project used passive, vision-only sensors to generate a dense, robust world model for use in off-road navigation. The research resulted in vision-based algorithms applicable to defense and surveillance autonomy, intelligent agricultural applications, and planetary exploration. Passive perception for world modeling enables stealth operation (since lidars can alert observers) and does not require more expensive or specialized sensors (e.g., radar or lidar). Over the course of this three-phase program, SwRI built components of a vision-only navigation pipeline and tested the result on a vehicle platform in an off-road environment.
Towler, Meera Day, Garza, Harold A., Chambers, David R.
Uncrewed Aerial System Detection and Tracking with Event Cameras2025-01-04409/16/2025
The emergence of SUAS as a threat vector introduces significant challenges in surveillance and defense due to their potential for low cross section and high speeds, defeating or evading many existing detection and tracking capabilities. This paper presents two algorithms—one for detection and one for tracking—developed for event cameras, which offer substantial improvements in temporal resolution, dynamic range, and low-light performance compared to traditional imaging systems, all of which are critical for effective UAS defense. These advancements address current limitations in using event cameras and pave the way for a new generation of robust robotic vision based on event cameras.
Anthony, David, Chambers, David, Towler, Jerry
FibreCoat’s New Radar-Absorbing ‘Stealth’ Fiber Reinforced Composites for Spacecraft, Aircraft and TanksTBMG-537539/1/2025
FibreCoat, the German materials startup, has developed a groundbreaking fiber reinforced composite that is capable of making aircraft, tanks and spacecraft invisible to radar surveillance.
LightNetDehaze: Lightweight and Unsupervised Single-Image Dense Haze Removal12-09-01-00055/26/2025
Image dehazing techniques can play a vital role in object detection, surveillance, and accident prevention, especially in scenarios where visibility is compromised because of light scattering by atmospheric particles. To obtain a high-quality image or as an initial step in processing, it’s crucial to restore the scene’s information from a single image, given that this is an ill-posed inverse problem. The present approach utilized an unsupervised learning approach to predict the transmission map from a hazy image and used YOLOv8n to detect the car from a clear recovered image. The dehazing model utilized a lightweight parallel channel architecture to extract features from the input image and estimate the transmission map. The clear image is recovered using an atmospheric scattering model and given to the YOLOv8n for car detection. By incorporating dark channel prior loss during training, the model eliminates the need for a paired dataset. The proposed dehazing model with fewer parameters speeds up the dehazing process, which can detect the objects in less response time. The network follows unsupervised learning, which eliminates the need of ground truth image or transmission map of a clear image. The proposed method tried to solve the issue of high computational complexity and long latency when used as a preprocessing stage in computer vision applications. The proposed network ranks first in terms of parameters and FLOPs, which are lower by scale 102 and 103, respectively, compared to the method ranked second. The results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed method compared to other methods and ranked first in number of car detections using YOLOv8n. The inference time to dehaze the image is comparable to the method ranked first and 66% lower than the third rank.
Dave, Chintan, Patel, Hetal, Kumar, Ahlad
A Bio-Inspired Hybrid Mode for Enhancing Rotary MAV PerformanceF-0081-2025-01205/20/2025
Enhancing rotor efficiency has been a persistent challenge in the development of micro aerial vehicles (MAV) especially for surveillance and covert operations. This study introduces a new Hybrid Flapping Wing Rotor (Hybrid FWR) configuration inspired by insect's wing flapping mechanics to address the efficiency limitation of traditional rotor designs. Unlike traditional rotary systems that rely solely on rotational motion, the Hybrid FWR combines rotational and flapping motions to significantly enhance lift generation. A comprehensive mathematical model was developed to analyze and predict the optimal aerodynamic performance, demonstrating that the Hybrid FWR configuration achieves a substantial improvement, with a power efficiency increase of up to 2.148-fold compared to conventional micro rotorcraft. Experimental validation was conducted to confirm the theoretical predictions, identifying an optimal hybrid ratio of approximately 0.7, which effectively minimizes aerodynamic resistance during the upstroke phase while maximizing lift during the downstroke. This bio-inspired hybrid approach addresses critical limitations of existing MAV rotors, such as limited operational endurance and range. The findings of this research contribute significantly to the advancement of micro rotorcraft technology, presenting a promising direction for future MAV developments with enhanced flight performance and energy efficiency.
Huang, Xun, Lu, Linghai, Whidborne, James
Innovative Design and Comprehensive Aerodynamic Performance Investigations on Propeller Positions of the Advanced Multirotor Hexacopter2025-28-01822/7/2025
This work deals with computational investigations of the component performances of Advanced Hexacopters under various maneuverings of the focused mission profiles. The Advanced Hexacopter is a kind of multirotor vehicle that contains more propellers and flexible arms, which makes this multirotor very maneuverable and aerodynamically efficient. This Hexacopter was designed specifically to execute multi-perspective applications along with enhanced payload-carrying capability. This Advanced Hexacopter contains a frame composed of modified arms equipped with coaxial rotors, which servo motors control. By providing specific and simple inputs to the microcontroller, the Hexacopter can autonomously undergo forward and backward maneuverings. The primary objective of this study is to analyze and compare different propeller configurational clearance sets that improve the maneuvering capability of this unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), specifically emphasizing forward/backward and side maneuvering through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Especially, this research was to design and simulate a new model of the Hexacopter frame and to obtain an optimal configurational position of propellers that would provide the best aerodynamic performance for the Hexacopter. Through the deflection of the propeller cum flexible arm configuration at angles, the thrust value varies. The results indicate that the thrust variation in Hexacopter helps to attain the desired directional movements. CFD simulations are used to identify the best propeller position system, which could give better performance than conventionally existing UAV designs. This work deals with the analysis of how various propeller setups affect an UAV’s ability to hover at a fixed altitude and maneuver efficiently in forward as well as side directions. Thus, it’s concluded that this Advanced Hexacopter is preferred over the conventional Hexacopter models because of its ability to perform forward and backward maneuvering autonomously without altering the rotor RPM.
Raja, Vijayanandh, Narayanan, Sidharth, Elangovan, Logesh, Arumugam, Lokesh, Sourirajan, Laxana, Raji, Arul Prakash, Kulandaiyappan, Naveen Kumar, Gnanasekaran, Raj Kumar, Madasamy, Senthil Kumar
Australian Air Surveillance Radar UpgradeTBMG-5213112/1/2024
Hensoldt Taufkirchen, Germany lothar.belz@Hensoldt.net
Persistent German Airborne Surveillance SystemTBMG-512508/1/2024
Hensoldt Taufkirchen, Germany +49 731-392-3681
Multispectral Airborne Reconnaissance SystemTBMG-489689/1/2023
Collins Aerospace Cedar Rapids, IA 319-295-1000
Detecting Threats Beyond the Limits of Human, Sensor SightTBMG-489119/1/2023
Remember what it’s like to twirl a sparkler on a summer night? Hold it still and the fire crackles and sparks but twirl it around and the light blurs into a line tracing each whirl and jag you make.
EXTRACTING ACTIONABLE INFORMATION FROM HETEROGENEOUS SENSORS IN THE FIELD: A DISTRIBUTED HYBRID AI APPROACH IN CONSTRAINED DOMAINS2024-01-40558/10/2023
ABSTRACT We present a modular architecture that enables advanced surveillance functions exploiting data collected from heterogeneous sensors dispersed over multiple, often mobile platforms in the field. Examples of such functions are red forces tracking with surveillance gaps, detection of different types of anomalies, search and rescue operation monitoring, and threat alerting. This novel approach combines a distributed fusion engine, an intelligent process manager, and a system of ruggedized computers, enabling information processing in the tactical domain. The hybrid AI-based heterogeneous fusion engine consists of different algorithms, including various detectors and classifiers, represented as services in a light-weight information management and interoperability layer. This architecture layer enables context-dependent discovery of the right sensing and processing services at runtime that are combined using a robust Bayesian fusion layer exploiting complex correlations in the data. The discovered services are distributed over a network of computing nodes by an intelligent process manager, which optimizes network resource allocation according to communication and processing capacities. The fusion engine and the process manager are delivered to the tactical domain using the ruggedized SOTAS computing and communication infrastructure, achieving efficient, actionable, timely, and consistent situation awareness in constrained domains, such as military vehicles. Citation: G. Pavlin, R. Boudreault, A. Penders, M. de Graaf, D. Lafond, A. Swiebel, “Extracting Actionable Information From Heterogeneous Sensors in the Field: A Distributed Hybrid AI Approach in Constrained Domains,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 15-17, 2023.
Pavlin, Gregor, Boudreault, Raphaël, Penders, Ate, de Graaf, Maurits, Lafond, Daniel, Swiebel, Andy
Aerospace & Defense Technology: June 202323AERP066/1/2023
Overcoming Machining Productivity Challenges with Aerospace Components Why the Turbomachinery Industry is Increasingly Bullish on Additive Manufacturing 3D-printed metal-alloys are answering critical needs for high fluid flow, high-pressure parts. Airborne Inspection Sensor Evolves with LiDAR, Mid-IR and Artificial Intelligence Air Force eVTOL Research and Development Programs Make Remote Pilot Progress Creating a Digital Gateway for RF Domain Will Advance Designs That Meet DoD Initiatives Understanding the Unique RF Interconnect Requirements for Ultra-Demanding Hypersonic Missile and Satellite Applications ADS-B Classification Using Multivariate Long Short-Term Memory This analysis extends previous research that used long short-term memory-fully convolutional networks to identify aircraft engine types from publicly available automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data. Physics-Guided Neural Network for Regularization and Learning Unbalanced Data Sets Directed energy deposition is of interest to the aerospace and defense industries for the production of novel and complex geometries, as well as repair applications. However, variability during the build process can result in deviations in final component geometry, structure, and mechanical properties, which adds to the complexity of process planning and slows down adoption of this technology. Context-Aware Visual Search Using a Pan-Tilt-Zoom Camera While in some scenarios an Internet-of-Things (IoT) approach allows multiple distributed cameras to cooperatively survey a large region of interest (ROI), other scenarios, such as surveillance by a mobile robot, require the ROI to be surveyed by a small number of collocated cameras. Automated Atmospheric Correction of Nanosatellites Using Coincident Ocean Color Radiometer Data Researchers present a machine-learning-based method for utilizing traditional ocean-viewing satellites to perform automated atmospheric correction of nanosatellite data. Characterizing Motion Prediction in Small Autonomous Swarms Despite the expanded use of robotic swarms, little is known about how swarms are perceived by human operators. To characterize human-swarm interactions, we evaluate how operators perceive swarm characteristics, including movement patterns, control schemes, and occlusion.
Context-Aware Visual Search Using a Pan-Tilt-Zoom CameraTBMG-483316/1/2023
Surveillance cameras are becoming more commonplace in public environments, as well as finding use in private security and military operations. We are particularly interested in scenarios where a single pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera is used to perform surveillance in large outdoor environments, which may include 360-degree horizontal coverage and depths out to 1 km or more. These scenarios exist in many environments such as security for building exteriors, airports, highways, parking lots, and property perimeters; anomaly detection in dense urban environments; and surveillance in military overwatch missions. In environments with many vertical obscurations (e.g., trees and buildings), ground-based cameras will need to be carefully located to provide long-range views. As the elevation of the camera is increased above the ground level, by placement on tall poles or building rooftops, for example, obtaining views of distant regions becomes easier.
Aerospace & Defense Technology: May 202323AERP055/11/2023
How Electrification and Autonomy Can Unlock the Potential of Unmanned Ground Vehicles VITA 90: Small Form Factors for UAVs and Other Space Constrained Platforms 3D Scanning Provides Key Weapon for Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing New Approach to Viscosity Enables Complex Motions in Soft Robots Ghoul Tool: The Weapon-Mountable Counter UAS Transmitter Autonomous Surveillance Technologies Relating to Dismounted Soldiers The development of the autonomous applications for dismounted Soldier systems is paramount to defeating our adversaries, such as China and Russia, in future combat. A comprehensive literature re-view is necessary to assist in defining the best path forward. Robust MADER: Decentralized Multiagent Drone Trajectory Planner Communication delays can be catastrophic for multiagent systems. However, most existing state-of-the-art multiagent trajectory planners assume perfect communication and therefore lack a strategy to rectify this issue in real-world environments. Leveraging COTS Products for Maneuverable Aerial Identification Although ground troops are equipped with identification, friend or foe (IFF) devices, many fratricide cases still occur during air-to-ground operations. This research project explored how relatively inex-pensive commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies can be leveraged to construct a maneuverable aerial identification friend-or-foe (MAIFF) device. Analysis of Pathways to Reach Net Zero Naval Operations by 2050 With the backdrop of net-zero emissions as an essential element of na-tional security, this study undertook an analytical approach to evaluate current Department of the Navy (DON) emissions and understand energy needs to support mission readiness while reducing emissions over time.
VITA 90: Small Form Factors for UAVs and Other Space Constrained PlatformsTBMG-480085/1/2023
The VITA 90 family of standards, also known as VNX+, is being crafted to support the government and commercial requirements for ruggedized, small form factor (SFF), Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) compliant, electronic systems suitable for deployment on small aerial platforms, C5ISR pods, spacecraft, ground vehicles, as well as man-wearable applications. The VITA 90 VNX+ standards borrow heavily from VITA 65, also known as OpenVPX, the family of standards which are arguably the dominant MOSA standards used in today’s avionic, vetronic, and space systems. VNX+ has been selected by the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) consortium as a SFF standard to be used for C5ISR sensor payloads in space constrained applications, typical in manned and unmanned air vehicles and spacecraft.
Autonomous Surveillance Technologies Relating to Dismounted Soldiers23AERP05_065/1/2023
The development of the autonomous applications for dismounted Soldier systems is paramount to defeating our adversaries, such as China and Russia, in future combat. A comprehensive literature review is necessary to assist in defining the best path forward. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD The development of the artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) applications for dismounted Soldier systems is paramount to defeating our adversaries, such as China and Russia, in future combat. A comprehensive AI/ML literature review is a first step toward defining what exists and what can be applied and researched for our nation's defense in future warfare. There is a clear need to use the latest AI/ML technologies in threat identification and elimination without U.S. lives lost. A comprehensive literature review is necessary to assist in defining the best path forward. In theory, networked unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using onboard cameras may assist in successful navigation and threat identifications for ground troops. Furthermore, UAVs used as a surveillance and situational awareness (SA) tool may also be feasible to house weaponry to eliminate these threats. As next-generation AI/ML-enabled optical systems, visual enhancement systems, and accessories are developed for use by the Army, a comprehensive examination of the human systems integration implications for networked use of these systems for teams of Soldiers/Operators is needed to examine human performance relative to teams equipped with legacy weapons and enablers.
Speed Determination Using Audio Analysis of Dash Camera Video for Vehicle Accident Reconstruction2023-01-06324/11/2023
Video from dash or surveillance cameras is sometimes used in vehicle accident reconstruction to analyze the speeds of vehicles. However, video captured during nighttime, during poor visibility conditions, or of events out of frame may not always visually capture details needed to determine the speed of the vehicle in question. Prior research has determined speed from vehicle acoustic signals, but little research has analyzed the audio portion of dash camera video for use in accident reconstruction and other forensic settings. The purpose of this study was to outline and test the validity of a method for using the audio portion of dash camera video to determine vehicle speed. Extracting the audio portion from the video recording and further processing it with commercially available software can allow the calculation of vehicle speed and acceleration when traveling over roadway surfaces and detection of turn signal activations while driving. By extracting the audio portion from the recorded video and processing in the frequency domain to remove ambient noise, the speed of the test vehicle was calculated when the wheels of the test vehicle traveled over expansion joints, rumble strips, and grooved concrete roadway surfaces. The reliability of the audio data were then tested against the video and speed data collected for a baseline. The proposed method can be useful to accident reconstructionists in that it provides an additional method for their analysis of vehicle speeds.
Vega, Henry V., Ngo, Justin, Engleman, Krystina, Suway, Jeffrey
High-Speed Midwave Infrared Cameras Enable Military Test Range Tracking System23AERP04_044/1/2023
Operating beyond the visible light spectrum, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras use a thermographic imager (camera) that senses infrared radiation, or heat signatures. Advanced FLIR thermal imaging systems capture and display infrared wavelengths that are radiating energy. Infrared thermography consists of three specific wavelengths, including short-wave infrared (SWIR), midwave infrared (MWIR), and long wavelength infrared (LWIR). MWIR imaging cameras have long been the preferred solution for clear thermal imaging at distances greater than one kilometer (km) for defense, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), counter-UAS, security, and other long-range surveillance applications. To meet these imaging requirements, advanced MWIR camera systems are commonly integrated with infrared telescopes that feature a continuous zoom (CZ) lens assembly. Developing custom cameras and CZ lenses can be costly in terms of time and resources, and it can become complicated.
CMOSS/CMFF Trades Interoperability for Free-Thinking Innovation23AERP02_032/1/2023
Will the U.S. Army's attempt to define a universal framework for modular interoperability stifle industry innovation? Answering the challenge of increasingly complex military systems that are harder to upgrade, the U.S. Army has released a set of open system architecture standards. Ensuring an open and common approach to systems architecture, these are the standards that will define the prototypes being built for operational assessment: Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF) While these initiatives attempt to define this universal framework for module interoperability, there's a trade-off between mandating commonality and promoting innovation. As the momentum around CMOSS/CMFF builds, how much room will be left to develop innovative new capabilities and business practices?
Traffic Accident Reconstruction Method Integrating Surveillance Video and Scene Point Cloud2022-01-711812/16/2022
In order to overcome the problems such as ignoring the lack of depth information in the process of perspective projection, or sensitive to surveillance video quality that the existing vehicle motion state solution methods based on video image, this paper presents a methodology for reconstructing traffic accident based on surveillance video and scene point cloud. Firstly, the 2D-3D corresponding points from surveillance video image and scene point cloud are used to estimate the camera spatial pose, and then the Camshift algorithm is used to track the vehicle features and obtain the sequence of vehicle feature pixels. Secondly, the vehicle feature spatial position analysis model is constructed to analysis vehicle feature spatial position sequence, next the vehicle trajectory information is obtained by polynomial function fitting, and the vehicle speed information is obtained by feature spatial position Euclidean distance. Finally, simulation vehicle experiments are carried out under the two driving routes of left turn and straight travel respectively. The experimental results show that the maximum relative error of running speed under the condition of constant speed left turn running is 8.3% and the average relative error is less than 3%. The maximum relative error of running speed under the condition of constant speed straight running is 8.7%, and the average relative error is within 5%, which proves the feasibility and accuracy of this method, and completes the real scene reproduction of the experimental process in the scene point cloud.
Guan, Chuang, Feng, Hao, Chen, Tao, Pan, Shaoyou, Zou, Donghua, Shi, Ming
New Imaging Method Reveals Concealed ObjectsTBMG-4683210/18/2022
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Optimal UAS Assignments and Trajectories for Persistent Surveillance and Data Collection from a Wireless Sensor Network22AERP10_1110/1/2022
Developing a methodology for multiple unmanned aircraft assigned to fly optimal trajectories in order to survey and collect a pre-specified amount of data from a fixed, ground-based wireless sensor network. Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio The Department of Defense (DoD) estimates manpower cost is the largest component in the operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). From planning, controlling, supervising, analyzing, replanning, delivering data, and other functions, the human operator currently bares the majority of the burden for these tasks. The most critical phases of mission profiles are often either manually performed or pre-programmed by human operators. These functions “include critical flight operations, navigation, takeoff and landing of unmanned aircraft, and recognition of lost communications requiring implementation of return-to-base procedures.”. Furthermore, UAS that conduct Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions often collect and deliver raw data. For example, live streaming video from a UAS requires human interpretation and analysis before it can be used for decision making.
Optimal UAS Assignments and Trajectories for Persistent Surveillance and Data Collection from a Wireless Sensor NetworkTBMG-4677310/1/2022
The Department of Defense (DoD) estimates manpower cost is the largest component in the operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). From planning, controlling, supervising, analyzing, replanning, delivering data, and other functions, the human operator currently bares the majority of the burden for these tasks.
Multi-Drone SystemTBMG-4677710/1/2022
Red Cat Holdings, Inc. San Juan, Puerto Rico 516-222-2560
Nano-UAV SystemsTBMG-464469/1/2022
Teledyne FLIR Defense Elkridge, MD 781-801-6161
Unmanned Hover PlaneTBMG-464028/15/2022
Aeronautics Group Yavne, Israel 972-8-9433600
Vehicle-Mounted Tactical RadarsTBMG-463538/1/2022
Blighter Surveillance Systems Cambridge, UK +44 1223 491122
Aerospace & Defense Technology: June 202222AERP066/1/2022
Designing for Space and Other Extreme Environments The Next Generation of Mission-Critical Communications Infrastructure is Here Designing Transportable, High-Performance AI Systems for the Rugged Edge Digitalization in the Aerospace Sector From Product Design to Manufacturing & Operations 3D Printing Metal Parts on a Ship What Does the Navy Require to Make the Dream a Reality? Pushing the Boundaries of RF Passive Hardware with Additive Manufacturing What is Pulse Shaping? Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Support Environmental Applications within USACE Civil Works The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has identified a number of research and development (R&D) opportunities to help reduce disaster risks, including cost-efficient technology, such as un-manned aircraft system (UAS) technology for accurate, detailed, and timely two-dimensional and three-dimensional monitoring of coastal and riverine landscapes. Dynamically Managing Task Allocation Between Humans and Machines in Surveillance Operations Constructing an Autonomous Manager (AM) for use as an integral component of distributing multiple tasks between humans and autonomous agents, particularly in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications. Modeling Space-Based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in Combat Simulations An analysis of the development of methodologies for representing the performance of commercial, national, and military space and low-earth-orbit assets and their impact on joint operations with a test implementation within the Framework for Capability-based Tactical Analysis Libraries and Simulations (FRACTALS). Environmental Applications of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Reconnaissance and Surveillance Integrating chemical sensors into small, unmanned aircraft systems can expand their capabilities and make them suitable for a variety of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.
Dynamically Managing Task Allocation Between Humans and Machines in Surveillance Operations22AERP06_096/1/2022
Constructing an Autonomous Manager (AM) for use as an integral component of distributing multiple tasks between humans and autonomous agents, particularly in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio Increasingly sophisticated technology must be leveraged in surveillance environments to enable eventually achieving the goal of allowing analysts to increase throughput by managing multiple simultaneous feeds. Maintaining this increased tasking will likely introduce additional workload and fatigue. Fortunately, analysts can currently offload some of these tasks to automation and will, in the future, be able to offload additional tasking to streamline the intelligence analysis process. Currently, various speech-to-text and text-to-speech programs can be used to convert spoken information into chat and automation can be used to copy text to multiple needed locations simultaneously. Automation has aided in the transmission of information between analysts and organizations. Tools are also being developed to augment the detection of important visual features within surveillance scenes. However, the degree of assistance autonomous systems can provide is still somewhat limited for cognitively complex tasks, but progress is being made incrementally toward viable assistive tools. Balancing analyst workload while maintaining multiple tasks will require intelligent and dynamic distribution of tasks between humans and autonomy.
Environmental Applications of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Reconnaissance and Surveillance22AERP06_116/1/2022
Integrating chemical sensors into small, unmanned aircraft systems can expand their capabilities and make them suitable for a variety of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio Environmental engineering is the study of a dynamic relationship between humans and the environment - how humans impact the environment and how the environment affects humans. Like many other disciplines, environmental engineering has a lot to gain and share from exploring the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). UAS provide a very interesting, and often sophisticated, platform to help scientists, engineers, and operators understand or at least navigate this relationship between man and the environment. The Department of Defense (DOD) has several mission sets that align with the use of UAS. Most of these missions fall within intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) community falls within this ISR framework. However, there is limited research related to where these three focus areas - environmental engineering, UAS and CBRN reconnaissance and surveillance (R&S) - converge.
Modeling Space-Based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in Combat Simulations22AERP06_106/1/2022
An analysis of the development of methodologies for representing the performance of commercial, national, and military space and low-earth-orbit assets and their impact on joint operations with a test implementation within the Framework for Capability-based Tactical Analysis Libraries and Simulations (FRACTALS). DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland During the 2021 Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Gap Forum, space intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) modeling was identified as a current/near-future modeling gap. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Analysis Center (DAC) submitted an Army M&S Enterprise Capability Gap white paper (Harclerode, 2021) describing a course of action to help fill this gap. The Army Modeling and Simulation Office has funded DAC to develop methodologies for representing performance of commercial, national, and military space and low-earth-orbit assets and their impact on joint operations with a test implementation within the Framework for Capability-based Tactical Analysis Libraries and Simulations (FRACTALS). FRACTALS is a DAC-developed simulation framework that provides the generic architectural “building blocks” to model, simulate, and assess performance of ISR systems in tactical-level missions and tasks. FRACTALS serves as a testbed for the various ISR performance methodologies developed at DAC to be incorporated into Force on Force simulations via methodology documentation and/or data. FRACTALS also serves as an analytical tool within DAC to execute performance analysis comparisons of ISR systems in tactical settings.
Modeling Space-Based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in Combat SimulationsTBMG-459266/1/2022
During the 2021 Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Gap Forum, space intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) modeling was identified as a current/near-future modeling gap. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Analysis Center (DAC) submitted an Army M&S Enterprise Capability Gap white paper (Harclerode, 2021) describing a course of action to help fill this gap. The Army Modeling and Simulation Office has funded DAC to develop methodologies for representing performance of commercial, national, and military space and low-earth- orbit assets and their impact on joint operations with a test implementation within the Framework for Capability-based Tactical Analysis Libraries and Simulations (FRACTALS).
Dynamically Managing Task Allocation Between Humans and Machines in Surveillance OperationsTBMG-459256/1/2022
Increasingly sophisticated technology must be leveraged in surveillance environments to enable eventually achieving the goal of allowing analysts to increase throughput by managing multiple simultaneous feeds. Maintaining this increased tasking will likely introduce additional workload and fatigue. Fortunately, analysts can currently offload some of these tasks to automation and will, in the future, be able to offload additional tasking to streamline the intelligence analysis process.
Environmental Applications of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Reconnaissance and SurveillanceTBMG-459276/1/2022
Environmental engineering is the study of a dynamic relationship between humans and the environment – how humans impact the environment and how the environment affects humans. Like many other disciplines, environmental engineering has a lot to gain and share from exploring the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
Unmanned Aerial VehicleTBMG-459306/1/2022
Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation (NASC) Warminster, PA 215-675-4949
Missile Protection SystemTBMG-459286/1/2022
BIRD Aerosystems Herzliya, Israel +972 9-972-5700
SRGAN-TQT, an Improved Motion Tracking Technique for UAVs with Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network (SRGAN) and Temporal Quad-Tree (TQT)2022-26-00215/26/2022
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are gaining significant popularity due to wide-scale applications in civilian and military use. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are most commonly used for surveillance. Object tracking is one of the most important things that an autonomous UAV has to perform. However, the accuracy of the object tracking model degrades when the object fades away to some distance or if the input images have low resolution. High-resolution cameras are expensive and increase the overall cost of the UAV. The concept of SRGAN-TQT (Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network - Temporal Quad-Tree), an improved object tracking pipeline for UAVs in the presence of low-resolution cameras or distant objects, provides a cost-effective solution with enhanced accuracy to perform object tracking. Implementation of Super-Resolution - Generative Adversarial Networks (SRGANs) and Temporal Quad-Tree (TQT) along with state-of-the-art object detection algorithms serve as the backend of the pipeline. This approach uses Deep Neural Network-based GANs to upsample images precisely. Temporal Quad-Tree (TQT) is a motion tracking technique that is an extension of the popular Quad-Tree segmentation algorithm. The Temporal Quad-Tree algorithm is present to reduce the computational complexity and give a highly reliable tracking algorithm. This consequently omits the requirement of a high-resolution camera for UAVs while increasing the object tracking capability.
More, Deeptej, Acharya, Sagar, Aryan, Suryansh
Unmanned Aerial Solution for Ecological Mapping Surveillance2022-26-00275/26/2022
The proposed UAV can be used to triangulate the areas of unnatural deforestation, by processing the areas undergoing land cover transition. Thus, restraining illegal logging and deforestation and, ultimately, facilitating the ecological succession cycle. It identifies the green cover which helps in predicting the population of the feeding animal species and the biodiversity. The system will be influential for curbing the exploitation of landscapes with heterogeneous habitats and diverse topographical features. The model employs onboard automated controller - ARDUPILOT MissionPlanner, a flight controller, GPS and telemetry module. The setup collects data from the controller such as Altitude, GPS location, Pitch, Roll, etc. and transmits it to the Ground Control Station (GCS) during cruise. The mission planner is programmed by selecting the target survey area which is divided into a grid, Home which is the launch point and Waypoints which will be crossed autonomously. Through the cruise, the camera is programmed to be triggered autonomously. At the end of the flight, various additional protocols are undertaken that use specialized hardware. These protocols are employed to map the ecology and forestry accurately and plan the necessary steps to preserve the ever depleting flora and fauna. This autonomous mapping solution is destined to be a revolutionized step towards a collective goal of sustainability and preservation.
Devi, Monisha, Neigapula, Keerthana, Anand, Sumit, Tiwari, Anawil, Kumar, Siddharth
Extending Battery Life of Small DronesTBMG-457165/1/2022
A continuous flight of small drones over its perimeter could enhance security of the nation's border, but there is one small problem: The battery limitation of small drones (they last about 30 minutes) is a major obstacle to continuous flight time.
Test Strategies to Track Hypersonic ThreatsTBMG-457385/1/2022
Hypersonic weapons, unlike ballistic missiles, take unpredictable paths and can evade missile defense systems. To counter hypersonic technologies, radar engineers must build systems that have no holes in coverage and can track such high-speed vehicles. The obstacles radar developers face require collaboration across the board and strategic methods of adapting to evolving advancements.
Autonomous Collaborative PlatformTBMG-456084/6/2022
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., Poway, CA
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