Special Forces asks industries for new technologies to help combat divers fight in the water
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., 10 April 2015. U.S. military special operations experts are reaching out to industry for new technologies to help combat divers and swimmers maneuver, navigate, communicate, and fight in the water.
Officials of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) issued a request for information Wednesday (USSOCOM_RFI_TE_15-4_Technical_Experimentation_SOF_Combat_Swimmer_Diver) for new technologies for frogman maneuverability, employment of weapons, communications, navigational accuracy, and diver situational awareness in and out of the water column.
This request for information is in preparation for at-sea experiments scheduled for 3 to 7 Aug. 2015 at the Coronado Naval Amphibious Base in San Diego.
The August experiments are to give technology developers a chance to work with Special Forces combat divers to determine how their technologies and ideas may support or enhance Special Operations capabilities. SOCOM officials are interested in emerging and mature technologies.
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Candidate technologies for the August experiments should be between U.S. Department of Defense technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 and 6. TRL 3 involves proof-of-concept technologies, while TRL 6 involves prototypes that can be demonstrated in realistic conditions.
Companies interested should respond online no later than 15 May 2015 to www.socom.mil/sordac/Pages/ExpNominationForm.aspx. Those selected will receive invitations to the August experiments.
For questions or concerns contact SOCOM's Diane Davis by phone at 813-826-7061 or by email at [email protected], or 2nd Lt. Joseph Banaszek by phone at 813-826-2494, or by email at [email protected].
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/USSOCOM/SOAL-KB/USSOCOM_RFI_TE_15-4_Technical_Experimentation_SOF_Combat_Swimmer_Diver/listing.html.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
