IT'S ABOUT TIME—ALL OF IT
Te CP&ID drives PNT innovation so that Soldiers will have an optimal solution regardless of the circumstances they might encounter; these innovations span the areas of identi- fying potential threats, anticipating future needs and making science and technology investments that will help the Soldier beyond 2025.
SEEKING ATOMIC CLOCK CAPABILITIES In 2002, the National Institute of Standards and Technology demonstrated a rudimentary physics package that proved the feasibility of a miniature-scale atomic clock. CERDEC and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) set out to mature this proof of concept and provide complete atomic clock capabilities for weapons, weapon systems and the dis- mounted Soldier.
Tis collaboration resulted in the chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC), a microchip-sized prototype that would support highly accurate location and battlefield situational awareness, even in the temporary absence of GPS.
CSAC is one of the most game-changing PNT technologies developed in a long time, and DOD has just begun to scratch the surface of its potential. CSAC enables a device to hold accurate time at sub-microseconds for hours after losing access to GPS. At 15 cubic centimeters, about the size of two books of matches, CSAC can be integrated into a platform, weapon or handheld device while being transparent to the user.
While CSAC’s precision is not that of a full-scale atomic clock, which is accurate to about a nanosecond or less, its accuracy is acceptable, making it a trusted source of time with advantages in size, weight and power. If GPS is degraded or disrupted, a CSAC could provide precise time to the GPS receiver to enable rapid recovery.
Such a device is considered game-changing because CSAC provides 100 to 1,000 times better accuracy than clocks of the same size and format, enabling new capabilities in radios, GPS receivers and other military electronics. But it was sad- dled initially with labor-intensive manufacturing processes that produce small quantities at high cost. CSAC was highly impractical at $8,700 per item, and the manufacturing capabil- ity was enough to turn out just tens of devices a month in a laboratory environment. Tese manufacturing challenges had to be addressed to ensure consistent, repeatable quality at a lower cost per unit.
WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER CARRY?
Full-scale atomic clocks are the most accurate, telling time to the nanosecond, but they weigh 50 pounds or more, not including the weight of the power supply. At a very portable 15 cubic centimeters, the chip-scale clock tells time in microseconds or better. A microsecond is one-millionth of a second; a nanosecond is one-billionth of a second. (Photos by U.S. Army CERDEC)
SMALL WONDER
CSAC is a microchip-sized prototype that can support highly accurate location and battlefield situational awareness, even in the temporary absence of GPS. Since it’s both very accurate and very small, it is highly relevant to the Army’s expeditionary vision.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
The Army relies on GPS not only for navigation but also for timing. Orchestrating the variety of weapon systems, information- and intelligence-gathering systems and communication technologies that support the modern Army's operations requires highly accurate time. Thus GPS vulnerabilities make the entire Army vulnerable.
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Army AL&T Magazine
July-September 2016
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