New Technologies Hold Promise for Joint Operational Strikes

BY AMY SVITAK, DEFENSE NEWS MEDIA GROUP

Jill DiPasquale, Defense News Media Group Navy Capt. Stephen Hancock is program manager for Time Critical Strike Future Naval Capability.

ALEXANDRIA, VA. — Time-critical targeting of enemy forces is a key focus of the U.S. Office of Naval Research, which is developing new technologies to help locate, identify, track and target future adversaries on the battlefield.

Capt. Stephen Hancock, head of the Naval Expeditionary Warfare Science & Technology Department in the Office of Naval Research, said the office is working on several promising technologies that could aid in joint operational strikes against targets in any environment and under all conditions, he said.

Speaking to an audience of military and defense industry representatives at the Defense News Media Group conference, Strike Warfare Precision Attack: Compressing the ‘Flash-to-Bang’ Cycle, Hancock said the Navy is focused on five enabling capabilities to accomplish this:

** Defeat expeditionary warfare targets with naval fires;

** Defeat relocatable targets at long range;

** Defeat short dwell-time mobile targets at long ranges;

** Defeat moving targets at long range;

** Defeat hard and deeply-buried targets at long range.

Enemy identification, avoiding collateral damage, coordinating fire support with ground forces and keeping the cost of fires low are all challenges associated with urban combat. The Navy is working these issues in several ways, including the use of hyperspectral imaging, precision strike navigation, mission-responsive ordnance and real-time precision radar for urban target detection and classification.

To enable strikes deep into enemy territory, U.S. forces need the ability to locate small targets, such as ballistic missile launchers. But this is difficult to accomplish in enemy air-dominance environments. Currently, the Navy is working on several key technological advances for target acquisition and tracking at stand-off range. These include the Navy’s unmanned combat aerial vehicle and high-speed strike weapon technology for high-speed guided flight.

The service is also developing the capability to acquire camouflaged targets and deliver warheads to targets buried deep underground, including radio-frequency systems, advanced materials, new air platforms and advanced electronics.

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In order of appearance

Mr. Vago Muradian

Vice Adm. Arthur K. Cebrowski

Mr. Frank Tuck

Dr. Loren Thompson

Capt. Stephen Hancock

Lt. Gen. Richard Cody

Rear Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald

Rear Adm. Paul F. Sullivan

Col. (P) William Jacobs

Rep. Curt Weldon

Maj. Gen. John L "Jack" Hudson

Dr. Steven Butler

Col. Nathaniel Sledge

Capt. Ed Quinn

Brig. Gen. Richard J. Rowe Jr.

Maj. Gen. David A. Deptula