Wanted: electro-optics companies able to build multispectral sensor for persistent surveillance
FORT BELVOIR, Va. – U.S. Army electro-optics researchers are surveying industry to find companies able to design a multispectral sensor from existing products for persistent surveillance to identify walking humans and vehicles at mid- to long ranges.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., issued a sources-sought notice on Tuesday (W909MY-19-R-E001) for the EO/IR Sensor Characterization for Persistent Surveillance System - Ground (PSS-G) component of the Army's Ground-Based Operational Surveillance System (Expeditionary) (G-BOSS(E)) project.
Army researchers want to find companies able to design a gimbal-mounted integrated electro-optical sensor payload that blends mid-wave and short-wave infrared sensors, laser range finder, and laser pointer.
The Army Contracting Command is issuing the sources-sought notice on behalf of the Product Management Force Protection Systems segment of the Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) at Fort Belvoir, Va., for this electro-optical sensor project.
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From industry, the Army wants to the know the maximum range of each sensor in the integrated electro-optical sensor payload at a standard atmosphere in which a human and vehicle can be identified with 90-percent probability.
Researchers also want to know about the zoom field of view of each persistent surveillance sensor; imagery and video standards to which the sensor conforms; integrated sensor packaging; whether it has an active illuminator; cooling methods; spectral ranges; hardware control and data interfaces; system size and weight; levels of ruggedization; cyber security standards; built-in test; and reliability, availability, and maintainability.
A multispectral sensor captures image data in 3 to 15 separate wavelengths to extract information the human eye fails to capture with its receptors for red, green and blue. It usually provides a combination of imaging in the visible-light, near infrared, short-wave infrared, mid-wave infrared, and long-wave infrared spectral bands into one image.
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The military typically uses multispectral sensors for target tracking, land mine detection, ballistic missile detection, and space-based imaging.
Companies interested should email responses no later than 16 Oct 2018 to the Army's Crystal Pressley, contract specialist, at [email protected].
For questions or concerns contact the Army's Crystal Pressley by email at [email protected], or by phone at 703-704-0860.
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/938d0006915990c918b9da7e46c2b8ca.
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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.
