Ocean Battlespace Sensing

Mine and Expeditionary Warfare: Initiate: -Develop ultra-low size, weight, and power (SWaP) computing payloads and machine learning algorithms for unmanned mine hunting systems. New hardware designs interfaced with sensors vastly improves automated seabed interrogation and perception. -Development of high area coverage rate mine warfare capability for contested environments to support naval maneuver in Western Pacific; includes development of enabling machine learning algorithms, autonomous behavior, and hardware design. -Development of high area coverage rate mine warfare capability for contested environments to support naval maneuver in Western Pacific; this includes development of enabling machine learning algorithms, autonomous behavior, and hardware which enables autonomous systems to conduct long-duration, low-observable seabed surveys. - Development of a common encapsulation system supporting a variety of effectors; this includes technical development of effector capability, technical modification to support modular encapsulation, and technical investigation options associated with integrated delivery. - Development of advanced diagnostics, communications, endurance, and neutralization technologies to improve access, range, C2, sensing, localization and lethal effects of the Navy EOD Maritime Expeditionary Stand-off Response (MESR) System. Undersea Warfare: Initiate: - In-water comparative analysis/testing of glider towed arrays for detection of ASW threats in the ocean environment; leverage emerging glider technologies for increased endurance and consider novel array fabrication to characterize best fit for variety of ocean environments. - Development of signal processing and displays to improve performance and reduce vulnerability for submarine active sonar. - Development of computational methods to detect very quiet submarine targets by combining evidence from multiple arrays. - Development of algorithms and software for making probabilistic USW-related sensor performance forecasts that can be used in strike group and theater anti-submarine warfare mission plans. Initiate and Complete: - Development of acoustic sources for floating and mobile anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sensing systems. - Development of unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) navigation concepts that fuse multiple sensing modalities into a single solution to improve performance in long duration complex environments. Environmental Information Warfare: Initiate: - Development of algorithms to assess and predict the impact of the atmospheric aerosols and turbulence on the performance of electro-optic and infra-red naval sensors. - Algorithm development for improved cloud visibility assessment by leveraging new government-owed, open architecture paradigm in Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) data processing and delivery needed to improve timely, accurate decision making in the maritime battlespace environment. - To apply system learning to tactical environment assessment and prediction in support of aviation applications. - Development of improvements to polar ionosphere sensing and prediction for a regional full-physics model leveraging recently developed sensors and advances in polar space weather science. - New government-owed, open architecture paradigm in Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) data processing and delivery needed to improve timely, accurate decision making in the maritime battlespace environment. - Development of a prototype radio frequency (RF) communications and signature management tool for small unit maneuver in the coastal and terrestrial environments to assess the environmental variability spatially and temporally. - Research into improved vertical placement of features such as cloud and aerosol layers based on two-dimensional satellite remote sensing observational data. - Development of a fully coupled ionospheric-thermospheric model to permit greatly improved multi-day forecasts for propagation conditions of HF communications and radars. - Characterization of Earth science model error in decision support tools by examining forecast fidelity from short-term (hourly) to sub-climate (monthly) timescales using a hierarchy of data quality, from full coupled dynamical simulations to regional, statistical, and climatological guidance. - Development of the numerical representation of improved tropospheric-stratospheric interaction and mesospheric data assimilation for gravity wave processes leading to extended range prediction of extreme weather events. - Development of high area coverage rate mine warfare capability for contested environments to support naval maneuver in Western Pacific; includes development of enabling machine learning algorithms, autonomous behavior, and hardware design. - Development of a fully coupled ionospheric-thermospheric model to permit greatly improved multi-day forecasts for propagation conditions of HF communications and radars. - Development of the numerical representation of improved tropospheric-stratospheric interaction and mesospheric data assimilation for gravity wave processes leading to extended range prediction of extreme weather events. - Research into starlight Transmittance through Aerosol Restricted maRine skY (STARRY) - Research into High-latitude Impacts of Particle Precipitation on the Ionosphere (HIPPI) Initiate and Complete: - Development of improvements to polar ionosphere sensing and prediction for a regional full-physics model leveraging recently developed sensors and advances in polar space weather science.

The funding increase from FY2026 to FY2027 is due to the realignment of funding from the Mine and Expeditionary Warfare, Undersea Warfare, and Environmental Information Warfare planned programs to the Ocean Battlespace Sensing planned program within the same PE and Project. The purpose of this realignment is to better describe the research investments within this activity and to align to Navy priorities.