Doppler DIAL/DISC Sensor for Plume Detection and Mapping

Modern armor designs for personnel and vehicles against small and medium caliber threats balance the projectile-stopping (energy-absorbing) effectiveness of layers of materials against weight. As a barrier to environmental and handling damage,encapsulation of these armors incurs a parasitic weight penalty, unless the attendant hydrostatic confinement also affords an additional measure of penetration resistance. The technical objective of this program is to extend the results of the Phase Ieffort, integrating titanium powder metallurgy (P/M) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) encapsulation with advanced ceramic and composite structures, into the medium armor regime. The proposed work plan consists of four (4) Design-Manufacture-TestIterations to produce advanced armor concepts sufficient to defeat a representative medium caliber threat. A collaborative design process will select materials which offer a balance of penetration resistance and density, are amenable to P/M+HIPencapsulation processing, and can be interfacially coupled with successive layers of materials. Assembly and ballistic testing of prototype armor modules will provide a concurrent cost-benefit assessment of P/M+HIP armor encapsulation technology.Penetration performance will be analytically reconciled with actual materials, manufacturing, and non-destructive test data and radiographic images of the ballistic event. With TACOM and ARL assistance, specific commercial applications of this armortechnology will be identified for both upgrades of fielded systems and for incorporation into the fundamental design of future generations of armor.