To help deployed Special Operations Forces (SOF) meet shifting threats, Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned technology solutions company, was awarded an $18 million task order to provide quick responses to SOF needs for repairs and improvements to critical weapons systems by engineering and prototyping the enhancements in-theatre.
The “Mobile Technology Complex-Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MTC-MRAP) Proof-of-Concept Exercise Engineering” program, now called simply the Mobile Technology and Repair Complex (MTRC), brings a portable manufacturing facility to the point of use.
Alion engineers will enhance equipment, from weapons and night vision mountings to more sophisticated electronic sensor adaptation, bringing mission-specific technologies closer to the warfighter. Currently, it can take months to communicate a problem or need, assess it, make modifications, conduct testing and deploy a solution. With the MTRC, these steps can be performed as needed, putting the improvements in the hands of front line forces more quickly. The enhancements will also be delivered to SOF commands for inclusion into future deployments of the systems.
“Connecting our mobile engineering team, many of whom are former SOF, directly with warfighters, gives us the insight to quickly design and enhance equipment to better meet their needs,“ said Chris Amos, Alion Senior Vice President and Manager of the company’s Technology Solutions Group. “For example, a newly deployed military vehicle sat 8 inches higher than previous models, which caused a problem with standard mine-detection equipment. Alion specialists were able to build, test and employ a bracket to attach the mine-detection equipment to the vehicle which allowed continued use of this essential piece of life-saving equipment—all in two weeks. The long-term benefits of Alion's work will be a decrease in the time from technology development to deployment.”
The work was awarded as a task order under the Weapon Systems Technology Information Analysis Center (WSTIAC) contract vehicle. The period of performance runs from September 28, 2010 through September 27, 2013.
WSTIAC, operated by Alion, is one of the nine Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Information Analysis Centers (IACs). The IACs house libraries of information that are focused on specific technology areas, in addition to providing technical expertise in these areas. DTIC is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, VA, and serves the Department of Defense (DoD) by providing access to scientific and technical information for DoD personnel and contractors, including researchers, designers and engineers.
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