The Department of the Navy faces critical operational challenges in delivering real-time C2 capabilities to personnel operating in complex, multi-domain maritime environments. Naval operations require processing vast amounts of multi-source intelligence from JADC2 while ensuring mobility, tactical effectiveness, and operator safety.
Operational Gaps:
Key challenges include:
• Information Overload: High-tempo operations result in multi-domain data saturation, reducing situational awareness.
• Mobility Constraints: Console-based systems limit operator mobility and adaptability in dynamic maritime environments.
• Environmental Limitations: Commercial wearables lack durability and functionality under maritime conditions, including exposure to salt spray, extreme temperatures, and high humidity.
• Test Range Deficiencies: Current test ranges lack integrated C2 capabilities across JADC2 domains.
• Laser Safety Compliance: Eye protection for Class 4 laser environments is required while accessing multi-domain data.
• REPLICATOR Program Needs: Human-autonomous system interfaces are essential for coordinated swarm operations
The objective of this topic is to develop, demonstrate, and deliver a production-ready, wearable, real-time C2 interface utilizing MR technology with spatial anchoring that integrates and fuses multi-domain naval sensor data from JADC2 with the purpose of enabling enhanced human-machine interfaces (HMIs) for geographically dispersed naval forces supporting Distributed Maritime Operations.
This interface must provide real-time, multi-source intelligence processing while maintaining mobility and tactical effectiveness, with initial deployment focused on test range operations and REPLICATOR autonomous systems integration.
Technical Requirements:
This effort demands MR capabilities, surpassing basic augmented reality (AR) systems. MR provides spatial anchoring of digital information to real-world objects, environmental understanding for safety-critical operations, and occlusion handling to ensure digital displays are appropriately hidden behind real-world hazards. These features are vital for naval operations where tactical data must be spatially registered to ship equipment, deck spaces, and operational areas while maintaining operator safety.
Existing Systems and Limitations:
Current systems include console-based combat information centers, handheld tactical computers, and tablet-based devices, all of which are vulnerable to maritime conditions. Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) MR platforms, such as Microsoft HoloLens 2, Magic Leap 2, Apple Vision Pro (passthrough mode), and Meta Quest Pro (passthrough mode), provide foundational capabilities but lack maritime environmental qualification and military-grade cybersecurity features.
Technology Maturity:
• Integrated MR systems: TRL 6-7
• Maritime-qualified implementations: TRL 5-6
• JADC2 sensor fusion with laser safety integration: TRL 4-5
Performance Requirements:
Optimized for initial deployment in test range operations and REPLICATOR integration under non-combatant conditions:
• Operating temperature: -10°C to +50°C
• Water resistance: IPX6 rating
• Continuous operation: 12+ hours
• Data processing latency: <30ms
• Sensor integration: 10+ simultaneous inputs
• Display performance: 1 arc minute resolution, 90Hz refresh rate
• Angular tracking accuracy: sub-1 deg
• Security: FOUO/CUI processing capability
• Laser safety: ANSI Z136.1 and MIL-STD-1425 compliance
• Human performance: MIL-STD-1472H compliance
• Equipment Durability: MIL-STD-810 compliance
• REPLICATOR compatibility: Autonomous system interfaces and Common Control System (CCS) framework
Critical Innovation Areas:
Breakthrough development is required in:
• Laser-safe optical systems: Full MR functionality with Department of War (DoW)-approved eye protection for Class 4 laser environments.
• Adaptive brightness control: Handling extreme maritime lighting conditions and MIL-STD-1472 compliance
• Real-time processing architecture: Supporting 15+ simultaneous JADC2 data streams with AI-driven threat correlation.
• Ruggedized electronics: Surviving 1,000-hour salt spray exposure with MIL-STD-810 compliance.
• Quantum-resistant encryption: Enabling secure mesh networking.
• Autonomous system interfaces: Intuitive gesture and voice recognition for single-operator swarm management.
Security and Classification:
Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. owned and operated with no foreign influence as defined by 32 U.S.C. § 2004.20 et seq., National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) formerly Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor and/or subcontractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances. This will allow contractor personnel to perform on advanced phases of this project as set forth by DCSA and NAVAIR in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material during the advanced phases of this contract IAW the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), which can be found at Title 32, Part 2004.20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
