Defense

April 3, 2009
Command and Control System Module
Amount Requested: $5 million
Funding will support the design of a Common Command and Control System Module for current and future submarines.  This program will allow for more efficient operation and maintenance and reduce ship costs.  Reduced costs will allow for the purchase of more ships, further increasing the size of Rhode Island’s shipbuilding industrial base and helping the Navy to sustain the production rate of submarines necessary to fully support fleet size requirements and ensure our international naval supremacy.   Recipient's address: General Dynamics Electric Boat, 165 Dillabur Avenue, North Kingstown, RI 02852}

April 3, 2009
Encapsulated Ballistic Protection System
Amount Requested: $5 million
This project supports the development of an inexpensive and lightweight composite bullet-proof material to protect our armed forces.  Current body armor is heavy and expensive to produce, and variations in armor requirements demand different materials for vehicle or body armor.  EBPS is a lightweight, moldable material that is inexpensive to produce and can be shaped for use as body armor or vehicle armor.  The project is being developed with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport and will support new high-tech job growth in Rhode Island.   Recipient's address: Kelly Space & Technology, 2348 Post Rd., Suite 8, Warwick, RI

April 3, 2009
Harbor Shield – Homeland Defense Port Security Initiative
Amount Requested: $4 million
This project will significantly improve the defense of harbors against terrorist attack by detecting threats, such as explosive or smuggled payloads, on the hulls of ships as they come into port. As the system can detect threats on moving ships, this initiative will allow for the protection of American assets without impeding the flow of shipping commerce.  This technology will help provide “top to bottom” analysis of potential threats from ships entering U.S. ports.  The system will be installed adjacent to the Naval Undersea Warfare College in Narragansett Bay and will help support local high-tech jobs and industry. 
  Recipient's address: Battelle Memorial Institute, 17 Danielle Avenue, Westerly, Rhode Island 02891

April 3, 2009
Hybrid Battery System for Silent Watch Operations
Amount Requested: $3 million
Funding for this project will accelerate the use of high energy batteries in tactical vehicles.  Li-Ion batteries will reduce cost by enabling the use of commercial, off the-shelf technology and increase safety and protection for our soldiers.  This technology also has a dual-use application for renewable energy storage.  The project will stimulate local job growth and will help bolster existing Green initiatives across the state of Rhode Island.   Recipient's address: Modular Energy Devices, 20 Altieri Way; Unit 4, Warwick, RI 02886

April 3, 2009
Mobile Sensor Enhancement to BMD Sensors Network
Amount Requested: $5 million
The US and our allies face significant missile threats from rogue state and terrorist organizations.  The current plan for a strong global missile defense system requires additional sensors to track incoming threats.  Deploying mobile sensors on ships increases the coverage of our missile defense system and helps avoid concerns over basing rights in foreign countries.  Funding will be used to develop this capability and ensure protection from missile threats in the changing global threat environment.  This project will also expand the radar technology work done at Raytheon facilities in Rhode Island and support the local high-tech industry.
  Recipient's address: Raytheon, Integrated Defense Systems, 50 Apple Hill Drive, Tewksbury, MA 01876

April 3, 2009
Reduction of Weapon System Downtime Rapid Repair Structural Adhesives
Amount Requested: $4 million
This project would provide a cost-effective and urgently-needed method to rapidly repair structurally damaged military aircraft using UltraViolet (UV) cure structural repair adhesives.  Currently, damaged aircraft must be taken out of operation for a period of weeks while they are repaired.  With this technology, adhesives can be applied in minutes, making more aircraft available for critical missions and decreasing the cost of repairs.  This project will also help support Rhode Island’s developing high-tech industry with new job growth and capital investment in local companies.   Recipient's address: Epoxies Etc.  Inc., 21 Starline Way, Cranston, Rhode Island 02921

April 3, 2009
Self-Inerting Munitions
Amount Requested: $4.5 million
Funding will be used to support work for Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. at the University of Rhode Island on the development of self-inerting explosive materials.  The majority of US casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan have been from roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) made from munitions leftover from previous conflicts.  The self-inerting munitions project will lead to a new generation of explosives that can be chemically altered to make them inert if they are not needed or fail to explode.  This would significantly reduce the threat of American munitions being used against our own soldiers and would improve safety for civilians in combat zones.  Not only will this work go towards supporting higher education in the Second District, but it will also stimulate the creation of technically skilled jobs for graduates from URI and other regional colleges and universities.  

Recipient's address: Malcolm Pirnie Inc.,104 Corporate Park Drive, White Plains, NY  10602 0751 and University of Rhode Island, Kingstown, RI 02881

April 3, 2009
Standoff Detection of Explosives and Explosive Devices
Amount Requested: $4.2 million
The funding will support University of Rhode Island’s efforts to create and test an explosives detection system. This system will eventually be put to use protecting our forces deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).  It also has applications for domestic uses in areas where bomb threats are possible.  This project will place URI at the forefront of research on IED-defeating technologies and support new graduate student and faculty positions. Finally, it will create a national test bed at URI for the evaluation of IED-defeating technologies and will enhance forensic analysis capability. This project will support higher education in Rhode Island and will establish a Rhode Island/Massachusetts manufacturing capability for IED and Chemical/Biological sensors.  

Recipient's address: University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881 and Physical Sciences Inc. 20 New England Business Center, Andover, MA 01810

April 3, 2009
Tactical RPG Airbag Protection System
Amount Requested: $5 million
This project supports Army technology that defeats rocket propelled grenade attacks on lightly armored vehicles without harming nearby soldiers or civilians.  When an incoming rocket is fired at a vehicle, TRAPS tracks it and deploys an airbag just before it detonates.  This slows the rocket and deflects the force of the explosion away from the vehicle.  Funding will go towards applying this technology to vehicles for use by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It will also help maintain Rhode Island’s high-tech and defense workforce.   Recipient's address: Textron, 40 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903

April 3, 2009
United States Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program
Amount Requested: $5 million
This program provides injured U.S. armed forces personnel the chance to engage in paralympic sports activities as part of their rehabilitation and return to a healthy and active life. Over 4,000 physically disabled military veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have participated in the program to date.  This funding will allow increased participation, both at DOD medical centers and when injured troops return to their home communities.  The project is national in scope, but will also be operating in Kingston, Rhode Island.   Recipient's address: The United States Olympic Committee, 1 Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909-5750

April 3, 2009
X-Band Interferometric Radar
Amount Requested: $5 million
The project will support next-generation radar technology that will help keep our troops safe from the threat of rocket or artillery attack.  When deployed on the battlefield, the X-Band radar system alerts counter rocket and artillery systems to an incoming threat.  The systems can then destroy the rocket before it is close enough to harm our forces.  This funding will help develop a sustainable technology base in Rhode Island and will stimulate the creation of technically skilled jobs for graduates from regional colleges and universities.   Recipient's address: Applied Radar, Inc., 210 Airport Street, North Kingstown, RI 02852