Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Detection of Agents of Mass Destruction (SUDAMaD)

Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare (NBCW) agents pose an increasingly credible threat to military and civilian personnel as adversaries seek non-conventional means to disrupt U.S. operations and terrorize the Homeland. Third-world countries andextremist groups that find political value in their use have shown they can acquire these agents without great difficulty.Current CBW detection programs have advanced the state of chemical and biological detection, yet issues remain. Fielded technologies and those under development address NBCW attacks in conventional battle space. For stand-off detection in particular, theyare large, complicated and expensive units with limitations in range, sensitivity and specificity, and subject to environmental interference and obstruction (hills, mountains, buildings, etc.) Pervasive detection over a broad area, at reasonable cost andwith high confidence embodies an unmet need.Advancements in UAV/MAV systems and sensor technology make feasible an inexpensive, flying NBCW sensor array. Such a system could be deployed by forward units, or dispatched by other air vehicles in order to scout and report back NCBW data of interestsuch as detection of threatening agents, extent of spread and source of attack. The autonomous aerial detection arrays that will result from this project will mitigate issues in current stand-off detection. Successful development of a SUDAMaD system will undoubtedly have its greatest impact on the Country's ability to deal with the pernicious threat of WMD. It is also anticipated that other needs will be satisfied in sensor development including UAV/MAVdevelopment and autonomous control. It's clear that activities such as homeland defense and hazardous materials monitoring could easily benefit and thus represent ready markets. For example, when sensing technology achieves higher sensitivity, swarmedsensing vehicles could patrol public facilities like airports and harbors searching for tell-tale signs of clandestine probing of the Nation's infrastructure. Another evident spin-off that seems likely is monitoring release of hazardous chemicals or gasesarising from conflagrations, vehicular accidents, nuclear power plants or natural causes such as volcanoes.