CRANE, Ind. – Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) uses Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) to quickly test and prototype critical autonomous detection technology for the Navy.
OTAs are legally binding instruments that may be used to engage industry and academia for a broad range of research and prototyping activities. The S2MARTS OTA is a rapid contracting vehicle for flexible acquisition in several critical technology areas including trusted microelectronics, strategic missions, and spectrum missions.
Dr. Julie Doerge, the Sensor Qualification Laboratory Lead at NSWC Crane, says there was a need for new surveillance technology designed to detect a variety of evolving threats at shorelines to ensure the security of U.S. naval ports.
“We needed to make improvements to existing opto-acoustic sensor technology,” says Dr. Doerge. “The Navy needed surveillance technology that was covert and autonomous that could detect threats quickly and keep Sailors and Marines safe.”
Brooke Pyne, the Director of S2MARTS, says the new sensor detection technology, called the Autonomous Fiber Optic Sensor Network (A-FOSN) Prototype Project, provides unique solutions to the Navy.
“The A-FOSN Prototype Project provides intrusion detection and security capabilities to warfighters on Navy installations,” says Pyne. “Potential threats could be people or unmanned systems on land or underwater. This solution can detect these various potential threats in real-time and across diverse terrain. The automated technology relays information to the operator about the potential intruding force rapidly.”
Pyne also says S2MARTS allows for quick technology solutions.
“We awarded Phase 1 of this project in six months, which is very fast,” says Pyne. “S2MARTS is set up to respond to the rapidly evolving threats that the Navy faces. We were able to move quickly and provide NSWC Crane easier access to work with non-traditional companies working on the latest tech.”
Shaun Davis, a Business Operations Lead at NSWC Crane, says leveraging S2MARTS allows for more opportunities to provide agile solutions.
“This project is an example of the quality of the responses we receive through using S2MARTS,” says Davis. “This company had taken steps to put agreements in place that prepared them to offer a robust prototype solution to test in rigorous environments.”
Dr. Doerge says that using NSWC Crane’s S2MARTS OTA is a great way for the Navy to stay connected to the latest technology in the private sector.
“We were able to find several companies to respond to this need through S2MARTS,” says Dr. Doerge. “We were able have a broader awareness of what’s happening in the field. It was good for us to see the new capabilities they are creating and the innovation that can be useful for future Navy solutions.”
About S2MARTS
The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems, S2MARTS (pronounced “smarts”) is a new OTA (Other Transaction Authority) from NSWC-Crane Division. S2MARTS is designed to refine strategies, management planning activities, and implement integrated, complementary solutions that enable broader DoD access to the commercial state-of-the-art electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) technologies, advanced microelectronics, radiation-hardening and strategic missions’ hardware. This OTA will issue RFPs from across the DoD seeking new solutions to promote U.S. military dominance in EMS, trusted electronics and strategic mission hardware. S2MARTS is an open consortium, meaning that any interested party can view the RFPs but only consortium members can submit proposals. For more information on S2MARTS, including a list of current open opportunities, go to www.s2marts.org.
About NSWC Crane
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.
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