MAGIC CARPET RIDE A PAUL L. PRICE


COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, U.S. Army Communications- Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC)


TITLE: Chief, Aviation Branch


YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 16 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 28


EDUCATION: Continuing studies, Liberty University


AWARDS: Legion of Merit; Distinguished Flying Cross; Purple Heart; Air Medal (2); U.S. Army Master Aviator Wings; High Altitude Low Opening Parachute Badge; Parachute Badge; Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal; CERDEC Mid-Level Manager of the Year and Degraded Visual Environment Team Awards; Army Aviation Associa- tion of America Hall of Fame inductee


Now with NVESD for 16 years, Price and his team have achieved a great deal. Among his proudest accomplishments is Night Eagle, a system to locate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that was deployed in Iraq in 2007. “I deployed with it and spent over a year getting that platform ready, working with Soldiers either in identifying IEDs or doing overwatch for dismounted troops. I am very proud of the work we did because we put that system together in about a year and got it deployed.”


He’s also proud of current work to develop systems that allow pilots to operate in a degraded visual environment (DVE). “Our engineers have come up with a great sensor


fter retiring from the Army in 2002 following a long and distinguished career as an Army aviator, Paul Price was looking for a way to continue to support Soldiers. He found it in the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), where he now serves as chief of the Aviation Branch.


NVESD, part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, researches and develops sensor and sensor suite technologies for air and ground intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and target acquisition under adverse battlefield conditions. Price supervises a team that includes two noncom- missioned officers, eight civilians and 15 contractors. “NVESD has the reputation of being the best sensor lab there is. It’s my honor to be able to manage this workforce and flight-test present and future sensor arrays in support of Army aviation,” he said.


“We flight-test so much more than people think, often in one day—flight goggles and multiple sensors on a Black Hawk, the ISR sensor suite on an MC-12 [reconnaissance aircraft] and the one-pound sensor on a small unmanned aircraft system.” He also deploys with Soldiers to install and operate mission systems and transition the systems to Army users.


Price was originally hired at NVESD to work on transitioning systems from the labo- ratory to the field. “My boss decided that what he really needed is a pilot to work with the scientists and engineers when we start developing things, so they can ask me how things work—or how they don’t work. So I was reassigned to the Engineering Branch and now I’m part of the entire life cycle, supporting the acquisition workforce and still within my own comfort zone.”


UNDERSTANDING IEDS


Price in the “IED boneyard,” where vehi- cles damaged by IEDs were repaired or stripped for spare parts, during his deploy- ment to Iraq in 2007 with the Night Eagle system. Price visited the site to learn more about the damage that IEDs could do. (Photos courtesy of Paul Price)


136


Army AL&T Magazine


January-March 2019


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