DARPA Tactical Technology Office (TTO)
Bradford C. Tousley, Director
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January 29, 2014
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was established in 1958 to prevent strategic surprise from negatively affecting U.S. national security and create strategic surprise for U.S. adversaries by maintaining the technological superiority of the U.S. military.
To fulfill its mission, the Agency relies on diverse performers to apply multi-disciplinary approaches to both advance knowledge through basic research and create innovative technologies that address current practical problems through applied research.
As the DoD’s primary innovation engine, DARPA undertakes projects that are finite in duration but that create lasting revolutionary change.
Mission
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1957
Sputnik
34th President of the United States 1953-1961.Coined the term “military-industrial complex” and warned against its unwarranted influence. Created DARPA in response to Sputnik.
First orbiting satellite. The satellite was not a threat, but the level of technology indicated that the Soviet Union possessed superior capability for intercontinental reconnaissance and bombing.
Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower
1958
DARPA
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DARPA technical offices
• Physical sciences
• Neuroscience
• Materials
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Cyber
• Data analytics at massive scale
• ISR exploitation
• Electronics & Photonics
• Imaging
• PNT
• Computing
• Engineering Biotech
• Biological Microsystems
• Directed Energy
• Battle Management, Command & Control
• Communications and Networks
• Intelligence, Surveillance, and Recon
• Electronic Warfare
• Positioning, Navigation, & Timing (PNT)
• Ground, Maritime, Air, & Space systems
• Agile Development
• Cooperative Autonomy
• Unmanned Systems
• Power and Propulsion
DSO MTOI2O STODefense Sciences Office
Microsystems Technology
Office
Information Innovation
Office
Strategic Technology
Office
Tactical Technology
Office
TTO
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Tactical Technology Office (TTO)
Aero-& Hydrodynamic Systems (13)
Tactical Technologies (8)
VisionTTO will rapidly develop new prototype military capabilities that create an asymmetric technological advantage and provide U.S. forces with decisive superiority and the ability to overwhelm our opponents.
ObjectiveTo provide or prevent strategic and tactical surprise with very high-payoff, high-risk development of revolutionary new platforms, weapons, critical technologies and systems, approaches addressing affordability, as well as rapid agile development.
Ground, Air, Space, and Maritime Systems
Agile Development
Cooperative Autonomy
Unmanned Systems
Power and Propulsion
TTO Focus Areas
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TTO past and current programs
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The environment
Multipolar- Diverse threats- Low to high intensity spectrum- Counter-insurgency
Peer/Non-peer threats- Pacific and other- Denied environments- Countermeasures
Cost challenge- Rapid and expansive red force modernization- Long U.S. development cycles of complex systems - Smaller U.S. defense industrial base-Increasing lifecycle cost
Global market and tech proliferation- Medium technology swarms- Rapid countermeasure development- Cost of labor
Areas of potential threats
Source: DARPA; based on collation of publicly available metrics, including (1) Foreign Policy Failed States Index, (2) Aon Political Risk Map, (3) Control Risks Political Risk Map, and (4) Bradburys Security Risk Map.
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Source: DefenceWeb.co.za
Source: NavyTimes.com
Source: AirForce-Technology.com 7
What we look for in programs
DARPA Robotics Challenge
Phoenix
VTOL X-Plane
ACTUV
ALASA
• Big wins; decisive superiority
• Drive cost-effectiveness (system and countermeasures)
• Decisive and flexible systems (unbalance)
• Rapid developmental program execution (agile)
• Demonstrating prototypes (new capabilities)
• Unmanned leverage (maximize effectiveness)
• Develop Service buy-in (transition)
• Cross-domain capabilities – cover the “seams” across Service stovepipes
Artist’s concept
Artist’s concepts
Artist’s concepts
Artist’s concept
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Ground Systems
Air Systems
Space Systems
Systems focus areas
Robotics Challenge
Amplify unit / soldier effectiveness
ACTUV VTOL X-Plane
Control the air anytime / anywhere
Control the sea, influence events on land
Phoenix
Normalize and simplify space
Cross-cutting Themes Agile development approach, autonomy, unmanned systems, power and
propulsionApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 9
Artist concept
Artist concept
Artist concept
Artist concept
Partnerships with industry and universities
• Focus on business case and capabilities
• Focus on enabling technologies through the BAA and contracting process
− TTO BAA link:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=5ac6c5b92db270c8
f96fc1124145e3ce&tab=core&_
cview=1
• Demand the A-team from performers; if we don’t get it, we don’t start
• Develop good relationships with partners
• Develop platforms and aim for demonstration
• Partners with resources can really help us make a difference
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A vision for the futureInfrastructure beyond LEO and GEO
Civilian accessible space
Global Hawk
Seamless exchange of information from all domains
This is a translation of "Changdi Airport" © 2007 by J Petersen, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en.
Space traffic control
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Ground SystemsLegged Squad Support System (LS3)DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC)Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordinance (EXACTO)Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS)
Maritime SystemsASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV)Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node (TERN)Hydra
Air SystemsHypersonic TechnologiesVertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) X-Plane
Space SystemsSpace Surveillance Telescope (SST)OrbitOutlookGalileoExperimental Spaceplane (XS-1)Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA)Phoenix
Current TTO programs
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www.darpa.mil
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Ground Systems current programs
Legged Squad Support System (LS3)
Develop a highly mobile, semi-autonomous quadruped ground vehicle to lighten the Soldiers’ load
DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC)
Develop human-compatible robot system for response to natural and man-made disasters
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Artist’s concept
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Ground Systems current programs (cont.)
Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordinance (EXACTO)
Demonstrate closed-loop guided flight of a .50-caliber bullet/weapon system and survivability of bullet components
Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS)
Enhance dismounted ground agent effectiveness with equipment enabling precise coordination and command of airborne weapons
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Maritime Systems current programs
Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node (TERN)
Develop Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance Unmanned Vehicle (MALE UAV) performance operable from smaller ships Artist’s concept
Leverage mature and emerging component technologies to cost-effectively develop a new undersea launch platform with modular payloads, including air vehicle and undersea vehicle payloads
Hydra
ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV)
Demonstrate unmanned vehicle’s capability to track and monitor a diesel submarine to offload tasks from manned platforms
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Air Systems current programs
Develop and demonstrate technologies that enable long-range, high-performance
maneuvering hypersonic flight; explore vehicle concepts for tactical-range hypersonic
cruise missiles and hypersonic boost glide vehicles
ISR
Hypersonic Technologies
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Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) X-Plane
Artist’s Concepts
Transformational vertical flight capabilitiesapplicable to light-medium
class aircraft
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Space Systems current programs
Demonstrate a cost-effective way to increase the amount and quality of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) information critical to warfighters: purchase data rather than build and operate sensors
OrbitOutlook
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Develop technology to image a GEO satellite from the ground by utilizing fixed mobile telescopes, each with adaptive optics and a guide star, to create multiple baselines that can be used to reconstruct the image through an inverse Fourier transformArtist’s Concept
Galileo
Space Surveillance Telescope (SST)
Government ground based sensors
Commercial RFtracking
University optical tracking
Joint Space Operations Center
Data gathering and analysis
Internationalpartner data
Government space based sensors
Space object
Commercialoptical tracking
Artist Concept
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Space Systems current programs (cont.)
ISR
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Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA)
Deploy small satellites to orbit from an airborne platform, allowing performance improvement, reducing range costs, and flying more frequently, which drives cost per pound down
Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1)
Enable routine-access space/hypersonic vehicles by integrating, testing, and maturing technologies and lean operations
Artist’s concepts
Artist’s concepts
Phoenix
Tele-presence control of on-orbit Robotic
Servicer/Tender at GEO.
Modular satellites that can be aggregated for
scalability, reconfigured, and easily replaced.
Artist’s concepts
Artist conceptArtist concept