# Advanced Soldier Sensors/Displays Technology for Dismounts

**R-2A activity** of project BD1 — Adv Soldier Sensors/Displays Tech for Dismounts  
**Program element:** 0602143A — Soldier Lethality Technology  
**Component:** U.S. Army · **Budget Activity:** 2  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602143A/BD1/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602143A/BD1

## Summary

This activity requests $11.0M in FY2027, 71% of project BD1, down 35% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2025–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** Will investigate advanced materials and sensor modalities for digital low-light imagers capable of operation in overcast starlight, with an emphasis on high performance, low power, and low cost for future Soldier-borne and attritable systems; design and develop a front-end application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for the next generation of small-pixel, large-format, continuous-bias thermal uncooled sensors to optimize size and power while increasing processing capabilities for Soldier-borne applications; investigate, design and develop government owned, advanced autonomy algorithms for Army Squad and Platoon level Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) to enable autonomous navigation in GPS denied and communication degraded environments

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Funding decrease reflects reductions to development of micro-display and modeling, simulation and virtual prototyping technologies.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Will validate degree of improvement gained through advanced processing and signal multiplication methods for overcast starlight imagers; investigate high-speed, high definition supporting electronics for next generation small pixel large format infrared imaging arrays to streamline size, weight, and power (SWaP) and processing; determine Read Out Integration Circuit (ROIC) hybridization to support early pixel fabrication designs, leading to low SWaP sensors; investigate state of the art organic and inorganic light emitting diodes (LED) micro display technology for military applications.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** Validate representation of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle cues and operation for minimized cognitive burden to the Soldier; investigates optimal data fusion for digital low light and long-wave infrared imagers to improve situational awareness and reduce time to acquire threats; investigate degree of tolerable latency for fusion of disparate sensors versus dismounted tasks; develop methods to improve alternative advanced materials and processing for imaging during overcast starlight performance; mature improved Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) low light level sensors in clear starlight light levels to validate readiness for integration into host systems; mature Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) design and develop reduced pixel pitch high-definition longwave infrared (LWIR) sensors for tailorable SWaP and/or target acquisition performance; investigate novel technologies/algorithms to enable next generation micro-displays. Investigate novel battery technologies with applicability to current and emerging dismounted sensor systems.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 15.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 17.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 11.0 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Other activities in project BD1

- Distributed Information for Enhanced Squad Lethality (DIESL) — FY2027 4.5

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0602143A project BD1 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*