standoff detection and identification with source location and mapping of the radiation field.


VIPER is the internal point sensor and is specifically tailored for mounted operations in radiological-nuclear envi- ronments. It has a wide operating range compared with the legacy AN/VDR-2 it is replacing; it provides warning and situational awareness for vehicle crews and


supports vehicle-mounted recon-


naissance and surveillance operations. MERLIN and VIPER are part of the Stryker Nuclear, Biological and Chemi- cal Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) Sensor Suite Upgrade program. Only VIPER is slated for use across military vehicle platforms.


COLLABORATIVE RAPID PROTOTYPING DTRA-NTD and JPDL-RND worked with several partners on the collaborative rapid prototyping effort: combat develop- ers from the Maneuver Support Center of


FIGURE 2


Excellence at Fort Leonard Wood, Mis- souri; the joint staff’s Joint Requirements Office for Chemical, Biological, Radio- logical and Nuclear Defense; the Stryker NBCRV sensor suite product manager and the Stryker Brigade Combat Team project manager. Te Radiation Detec- tion Branch of DTRA-NTD initiated three key parallel elements to meet the relatively short 18-month acquisition timeline required to produce 12 viable prototypes


by existing deadlines upgrade the NBCRV sensor suite.


First, as the basis for each detection system, DTRA-NTD made an initial decision to leverage 10 years’ worth of agency research and development efforts in imaging and radiological-nuclear detec- tion technology for countering weapons of mass destruction. Tis required using the original contractors (Alion Science and Technology Corp., H3D Inc. and Loco Labs LLC)


to mitigate risk and


ensure a rapid test-model-test framework with experienced staff.


to


Additionally, DTRA-NTD project offi- cers worked closely with the DTRA contracting office to elevate MERLIN- I to a top priority. Te buy-in from the contracting office prevented schedule and project changes from delaying the over- all effort throughout the development process. Similarly, the division’s pro- gram manager used technology designed through a partnership with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command to repurpose and repackage hardened versions of the sensors, allowing DTRA- NTD to meet


standoff detection


requirements for the MERLIN-A sen- sors as well as internal dose, dose rate and spectroscopic requirements for the VIPER sensor in the time allotted. (See Figure 2.)


Te second element involved coordinat- ing and marketing the concept with all stakeholders, including users. In addi- tion to those already discussed, DTRA representatives worked with members of the Army staff responsible for chemical,


THE PIECES COME TOGETHER


VIPER, MERLIN-A and MERLIN-I on a Stryker NBCRV. The inset is a first-of-its-kind distributed source image from tests conducted in late 2017 at Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The project team committed to repurposing as much existing government technology and research as possible to speed fielding and cut costs. (SOURCE: the authors)


HTTPS: / /ASC.ARMY.MIL


53


ACQUISITION


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