RAFTS: Realizing Advanced Features for Targeting Systems

Breakthroughs in hardware (thermal imagers, north finding/keeping, laser technology, etc.) have allowed the Marine Corps to combine the functions of a target locator, target designator and laser spot tracker in a single package: Future Targeting System (FTS). Intelligent use of this hardware and the data it provides can further reduce the size and weight of the system while improving performance. Image stabilization, automatic target recognition, target cuing, visible/thermal image fusion, automatic pointing and firing of the laser range finder and automatic target location have the potential to improve overall system effectiveness and permit reduced optics sizes and weight. The addition of target tracking would apply all of these improvements to moving targets. Intelligent Automation Inc. (IAI) together with AAI Corporation, d/b/a Textron Systems, Unmanned Systems (AAI) propose to develop and demonstrate these innovative technologies by leveraging substantial past experience in the development of sophisticated computer vision algorithms as well as miniature, agile, laser steering subsystems for handheld operations. The key innovation of the proposed approach is a flexible architecture using demonstrated technologies (TRL 6) that will allow the evaluation and validation of different approaches. This will allow selection of the configuration that best meets the requirements of the FTS.