Quick-turnaround night vision sensor development is aim of upcoming Army RAMP solicitation
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 4 May 2014. U.S. Army night-vision experts plan to invest as much as $192 million in an effort to speed the design, development, and deployment of electro-optical sensors and weapon sights that help U.S. and allied warfighters operate effectively at night and in bad weather.
Officials of the Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) at Fort Belvoir, Va., plan to issue a solicitation later this month for the Rapid Acquisition of Materials for Prototyping (RAMP) program (W909MY-15-R-E001).
RAMP seeks the rapid development, design, and testing of night vision sensor technologies. NVESD is called the Army's sensor developer, and conducts research to enable warfighters to see, acquire, and target opposing forces, day or night, under adverse battlefield environments.
The NVESD is a directorate of the Army's Communication Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), which is part of the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM).
Related: Army researchers set sights on multispectral night-vision sensors for situational awareness
The NVESD also develops electro-optical camouflage, concealment and deception; night driving and pilotage technologies; helps detect, neutralize, clear, and mark explosive hazards including mine fields and unexploded ordnance; and protects forward troops from enemy intrusion.
The three-year AMP program should see a solicitation issued by mid-May. The program will choose as many as five contractors to complete rapid response requests for night-vision sensor technologies, programs, and field tests.
The solicitation, expected later this month, should appear online at https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/default.cfm. Email questions or concerns to the Army's Charlene Buduo at [email protected] or Ofelia Rivera at [email protected] Also phone Michelle Hodges at 703-704-0846.
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/2f8b6336c200be0694f91b37225882c7.
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.
