Innovative Naval Prototypes (INP) Applied Res

The Full Spectrum Undersea Warfare (FSUSW) Project will develop new technology for offensive and defensive warfare conducted on the seabed, in the sea (i.e. subsea), and from the sea. FSUSW focuses on Theatre Undersea Warfare (TUSW), Joint Targeting and Strike, and Subsea and Seabed Warfare (SSW). There are five thrust areas of FSUSW that are key to enabling Chief of Naval Operations Guidance (CNOG), Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), and the Commandant's Stand in Force with manned and unmanned warfighting capability. These thrust areas were specifically chosen in direct collaboration with STRATCOM, INDO-PACOM, Fleet and Undersea Warfare Commanders and validated with regular Flag officer engagements. These applied research efforts will enable future undersea weapon systems (e.g., Maritime Strike Tomahawk and ADCAP variants), COCOM campaigns, and operational plans. FSUSW thrust areas include 1) Undersea effectors, 2) Integrated expeditionary subsea system of systems, 3) Multi-Vehicle Torpedo Tube Development System (MVTTDS), 4) Undersea UAV for Over-The-Horizon (OTH) effects and 5) Undersea Launched Devices to enable Commanding Officers and Regional Combatant Commander effects. The five thrust areas are technically and operationally interconnected. The efforts described in this Project address the Applied Research associated with the Innovative Naval Prototypes (INP) Program. These investments represent game changing technologies with the potential to revolutionize operational concepts. They are disruptive in nature, as they would dramatically change the way naval forces fight. Due to high technical risk, INPs typically have long duration but have no more than three years between decision points. They mature technologies from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 2 or 3 to a TRL of 6. As such, INPs require both Budget Activity (BA) 2 and BA3 funding. The BA3 INP funds are specified in a separate Program Element (PE), 0603801N Innovative Naval Prototypes (INP) Adv Tec Dev in the Undersea Warfare Efforts, Project 3458. Information security concerns preclude fully detailed descriptions of project efforts, research activities, and technology development plans. Specific information on each project and activity will be provided separately to the Congressional oversight committees.

Adversary Anti-Access and Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities continue to improve but remain focused on targeting specific US and joint force capabilities. The Deployment and Employment of Autonomous Long Range Systems (DEALRS) project will develop technologies that sidestep, operate below the threshold, or deplete adversary A2/AD capabilities. DEALRS will specifically develop technologies to enable low-cost unmanned systems that can maneuver across theater-level ranges to penetrate, operate within, and launch strikes from within adversary A2/AD system coverage. This project will develop technologies to increase the range and endurance of autonomous systems while maintaining tactically relevant speeds, loiter times, and signatures with low cost. It will also address technologies that enable the marsupial launch of terminal engagement autonomous unmanned systems across all domains from larger and/or longer-range host systems that bring them to the launch area and the associated technologies needed to ensure roboticized and autonomous startup and launch of the marsupial systems without human intervention. The Activity identified in Project Unit 3462 DEALRS specifically addresses Applied Research in support of the INP effort.

Traditionally, the utilization of autonomous systems is either operationally segregated from manned operations or requires a significant amount of human oversight when operating in conjunction with manned assets, which mitigates some of the advantage from using them. The goal of the Manned and Autonomous Teams (MATes) project is to develop autonomic robotic technology and collaborative autonomous behaviors that seamlessly operate across all domains in conjunction with manned units, allowing for real-time adaptation and optimization in a manner that streamlines the element of human interaction needed to share mission goals. This technology will monitor human or manned system teammate state, behavior, mission, and adversary threat status to anticipate and act in a tactically appropriate manner that is predictable, communicable, and trusted by the human/manned teammates and which enables autonomous system optimization in coordination with the human/manned teammate and mission objectives. Intuitive human/autonomous system interfaces will be developed to allow focus on higher-order decision-making tasks by the operators allowing for large numbers of autonomous systems (100's or 1000's) to be managed in support of manned operations. The activity identified in Project Unit 3463 MATes specifically addresses Applied Research in support of the MATes effort.

The US Navy lacks both in capability and capacity interceptors that have the ability to defeat complex raids of hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles and surface vessels. The Compact Agile Interceptor INP will use small diameter missiles to achieve a higher packing efficiency. Disruptive seeker technology, which weighs mere ounces will replace wasted pounds of payload weight and allow for higher speed missile interceptors. The seedling will evaluate multiple propulsion technologies including solid fuel ramjets, highly loaded grain propellants, and active throttling of solid rockets. The missiles airframe may be staged to enable the interceptor(s) the greatest agility to overmatch the threat. Multiple warhead technologies will be evaluated including reactive materials, kinetic warheads, and tailorable fragment warheads. The Activity identified in Project Unit 3506 specifically addresses Applied Research in support of the Compact Agile Interceptors INP effort.

Details at a higher classification

The USN lacks a breadth of tools to find fix and finish high end maritime threats across specific environments and conditions. Curious Orion will develop a unique capability to exploit specific phenomenology produced by submerged bodies in operationally relevant areas that are of specific interest to the U.S. Navy. The Activity identified in Project Unit 3508 specifically addresses Applied Research in support of the Curious Orion INP effort.

Operational Analysis, Support and Experimentation Activity was established to broaden the spectrum of promising applied research efforts investigated within this Project and to provide additional acquisition oversight, fiscal clarity, and adherence to financial management practices at the Project level. The efforts described in this Project address the Applied Research associated with Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) Operational Analysis, Support and Experimentation Activity efforts that are used to further explore the development of future INP topics and proposals. These efforts evaluate, study/analyze and/or perform any basic applied research-focused investigative experimentation activities which will support the identification of potential INP topics for future investment consideration. The use of Operational Analysis, Support and Experimentation Activity funds can help accelerate and/or create a flexible response to emerging requirements or threats by identifying a potential INP topic for consideration in a more time-efficient and/or effective manner.

The Direct-X effort will develop space based ISRT with direct downlink into kill chains supporting all domain effects in a Distributed Maritime Operations construct. The focus is on advances in the following lines of effort: P1 - Orchestration, tasking and resilient C3 P2 - Threat prioritized low cost on orbit payloads P3 - On orbit processing and analyitic AI/ML P4 - Direct-to-shooter kill chains P5 - On orbit effects The efforts described in this Project address the Applied Research associated with concept of a "Seedling". These "Seedling" efforts are short duration applied research efforts to explore technology concepts which have the potential to provide revolutionary and/or disruptive warfighting capability. As a "Seedling" concept matures, a determination is made whether or not a continuing INP effort is warranted or appropriate. "Seedlings" are typically one to two year efforts and use applied research to analyze the feasibility of technology and subsystems to assess if the technologies can be proposed as an INP. They will research lower TRL technologies to explore technology concepts and lay preliminary groundwork for an INP proposal to continue technology development and full-scale technology/operational demonstrations. The Activity identified in this Project Unit specifically addresses Applied Research in support of the Direct-X INP effort.