DEFENSE

Systems Digest

15 FEBRUARY 2022

DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Simplified Human/Machine Interfaces Top List of Critical DoD Technologies

A modern-day cell phone packs quite a wallop when it comes to computing technology and capability. But most cell phones barely come with a “quick start guide,” let alone an instruction manual that spells out how to use all the features. Cell phone companies have mastered the interface between humans and technology, making their use…

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Notable Technical Inquiry

Combustion Efficiency Data for Liquid-Fueled Ramjets

The Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) was asked how combustion efficiency can be estimated for a liquid-fueled ramjet flying in the Mach 2-3 range with a given combustor length or bulk flow residence time.  In particular, DSIAC was asked for some sort of data or an empirical/analytical model that has been validated with data, rather than non-computational fluid dynamics solutions, that can be used…

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FEATURED WEBINAR

What unclassified datasets train artificial intelligence models to detect military objects from small unmanned aerial system imagery?

The Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) is seeking information on datasets containing military objects to train artificial intelligence models in their detection capabilities. In particular, the datasets would ideally contain multiple views of these objects that vary in range, angle, lighting, atmospheric conditions, and location. Standard electro-optical images (daytime RGB color images) with a…

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Rick Cross works on the Titan compressor system at the Jupiter Laser Facility. The gratings (rainbow reflection) allow the Titan laser to provide peak power while preserving the optical components of the system. (Photo: Garry McLeod/LLNL)

A Brighter Future for the Jupiter Laser Facility

Since the 1970s, the Janus laser, now part of the Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF), has served as an experimental proving ground to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) laser and fusion programs and the broader high-energy-density and laser science communities. Today, JLF is not only home to Janus — one of the world’s few hands-on laser…

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X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Concludes Seventh Successful Mission

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the U.S. Space Force’s dynamic unmanned spaceplane, successfully deorbited and landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base (SFB), California, on March 7, 2025, at 02:22 a.m. EST. The U.S. Space Force landed the X-37B at Vandenberg SFB, California, to exercise its rapid ability…

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A pilot trains in the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, Md. Tactical pilots from the Marine Corps and Air Force conducted the first-ever joint training exercise flying simulated combat missions together in F-35 and F-22 fifth-generation fighter jets in the JSE on March 24-27, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Terri Thomas)

Marines, Air Force Fight as a Joint Force for the First Time in the Navy’s Joint Simulation Environment

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISION, Patuxent River, Md. — For the first time, U.S. Marine Corps F-35 and Air Force F-22 pilots trained as a joint fighting force in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD’s) Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, on March 24-27. The training event brought…

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Robust Quantum Sensors (RoQS)

Taking Quantum Sensors Out of the Lab and Into Defense Platforms

Quantum sensors, which have demonstrated unmatched precision in measuring magnetic fields, gravity, and motion, hold immense promise for advancing defense capabilities. However, these sensors face significant challenges when deployed in real-world settings – especially when placed on moving platforms. Vibrations, electromagnetic interference, and other environmental disturbances degrade their performance, limiting their operational utility. Current solutions,…

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Gen. Randy A. George, Chief of Staff of the Army, receives a demonstration of next generation command and control (NGC2) experimental capabilities as part of Project Convergence - Capstone 4 at Fort Irwin, Calif., March 18, 2024. At this year’s Project Convergence – Capstone 5, also taking place at Fort Irwin, the Army conducted a Soldier-led NGC2 “proof of principle” for the Army to assess progress with the approach. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brahim Douglas)

Soldiers Experiment With Next-Generation C2 at Project Convergence

FORT IRWIN, Calif. (March 11, 2025) – The Army’s next-generation command and control effort is reaching a critical milestone at Project Convergence Capstone 5, where commanders and soldiers are employing new capabilities in realistic mission scenarios and conditions. Next-generation command and control, known as NGC2, aims to provide the integrated information framework that commanders need…

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U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, steps from the OA-1K Skyraider II as part of a delivery ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, April 3, 2025. The ceremony recognized the delivery of the first missionized OA-1K Skyraider II to AFSOC. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Fiorilli)

Air Force Special Operations Command Accepts the First Missionized OA-1K Skyraider II

HURLBURT FIELD, FL – The Skyraider II officially joins the Air Force Special Operations Command fleet with the delivery of the first missionized aircraft here on April 3, 2025. U.S. Special Operations Command representatives and AFSOC leadership joined elected officials and community leaders in a ceremony marking the acceptance. The delivery marks the start of…

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Shown is a graphical artist rendering of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform. The rendering highlights the Air Force’s sixth generation fighter, the F-47. The NGAD Platform will bring lethal, next-generation technologies to ensure air superiority for the Joint Force in any conflict. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

Air Force Awards Contract for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, F-47

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — The U.S. Department of the Air Force recently announced the contract award for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, marking a major milestone in the advancement of air superiority. The contract, awarded to Boeing, will lead to the development of the F-47, the world’s…

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A Neros Archer first-person view drone sits on a case during a demonstration range at Weapons Training Battalion on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, March 7, 2025. The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team used the Neros Archer FPV drone to engage targets on the range to showcase the drone’s capabilities on the battlefield. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Barker)

Marine Corps Launches Attack Drone Team

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – On January 3, 2025, the Commanding Generals of the Training Command, Maj. Gen. Anthony M. Henderson, and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Brig. Gen. Simon M. Doran, established the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team (MCADT) in response to the rapid proliferation of armed first-person-view (FPV) drone technology and tactics….

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Many tiny fibers twisted together into one larger strand

Computational Tools to Predict the Response of UHMWPE Composites to Impact

Ultra-high, molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites are advanced materials that lack experimentally driven, physics-based computational tools for predicting their response. This challenge exists for traditional fiber-based UHMWPE composites in a softer matrix material as well as the newer subclass based on films. Hybrid experimental-modeling-computational (HEMC) concepts for computational prediction of fiber- and film-based UHMWPE composites’…

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Aircraft Survivability Symposium

The Aircraft Survivability Symposium is a SECRET//NOFORN event, and all attendees must submit and keep a completed DD Form 3150 on their person at all times to attend. The presenters will discuss survivability technologies, survivability…

Special Air Warfare Symposium

Hosted by the Global Special Operations Forces (SOF) Foundation, the 2022 Special Air Warfare Symposium will be held in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, the home of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Though much of…

Automated ISR and Battle Management

DSI’s 10th Annual Automated Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Battle Management Summit will provide the DoD, military services, intelligence community, industry, and academia the opportunity to discuss ways to modernize ISR systems for the…

2022 Tactical Wheeled Conference

This conference is focused on the tactical wheeled vehicle industry and its support to the U.S. Department of Defense and our nation’s Warfighters. The information and dialogue presented at this conference will discuss the design,…

AFA Warfare Symposium

Attended by DoD officers, enlisted members, civilians, and veterans, this warfighting symposium will focus on the critical concerns and challenges of joint warfare in every corner of the globe. Drawing speakers from combatant commands, as…

Voice From the Community

ST Portrait
Michael J. Patterson

Chairman/Founder Desert Works Propulsion, LLC

Mr. Patterson has 40 years’ experience in spacecraft electric propulsion (EP), including 37 years with NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH, where he served as Senior Technologist for In-Space Propulsion until retirement in December 2021. During his NASA tenure, he worked to transition EP technologies to commercial and National Security Space missions. In 2022, he founded Desert Works Propulsion LLC to accelerate fielding of high-performance EP in support of U.S. commercial and military missions, providing consulting, design, and manufacturing.

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