Army set to open competition to develop Autonomous Mine Detection System (AMDS)
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J., 20 Oct. 2013. U.S. Army counter-mine experts say they plan to issue a formal solicitation before the end of October for full-scale development of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV)-mounted mine-detection system called the Autonomous Mine Detection System (AMDS).
The AMDS program is developing a prototype UGV-based mine-detection sensor suite that can find buried anti-personnel mines. The AMDS consists of a suite of three payload modules to be deployed on a remotely operated man transportable robotic system (MTRS).
The three mine-detection sensors involved in the AMDS project are the mine detection and marking payload module, the explosive hazards detection and marking payload module, and the neutralization payload module.
The mine detection and marking payload module remotely detects and marks surface-laid and buried metallic and low-metallic antitank and antipersonnel land mines and scatterable munitions. The explosive hazards detection and marking payload module remotely detects and marks surface laid, partially buried. and camouflaged explosive hazards. The neutralization payload module, meanwhile, remotely neutralizes surface laid, buried and camouflaged explosive hazards.
In recent years, L-3 CyTerra in Orlando, Fla., and NIITEK in Dulles, Va., have developed complementary senor suites using ground-penetrating radar and electromagnetic induction sensors. Applied Research Associates Inc. (ARA) in Albuquerque, N.M., also has been involved in AMDS sensor development. The AMDS program also is working with industry and academia to develop automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithms.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command, on behalf of the Project Manager for Close Combat Systems (PM CCS) along with the Product Manager, Counter Explosive Hazard (PdM CEH), say they will release a solicitation (W15QKN-14-R-0020) no later than 31 Oct. for AMDS engineering and manufacturing development (EMD).
The resulting contract will be a 30-month cost-plus-incentive-fee (CPIF) engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract which will include a yearlong fixed price incentive option for low rate initial production (LRIP).
The winning contractor will be asked to design and build several AMDS prototypes mounted to a government-furnished TALON IV tracked UGV from QinetiQ North America in Reston, Va. In addition to the prototypes, the winning contract may be asked to build 16 AMDS systems and related maintenance as an option.
For questions or concerns contact the Army's Mike Klein by phone at 973-724-4262, by email at [email protected]; or Tyler Fulper by phone at 973-724-1871 or by email at [email protected].
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/b0fb8e1b601d4542732d1f494224d695.
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.
