The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has awarded QinetiQ US a five-year, $49.4M sole source Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) with a two-year, $4.9M task order to support ARL’s enhanced AI and ML capabilities for Project Linchpin and the U.S. Army.
The IDIQ services include providing, modifying, enhancing, testing, and integrating Enhanced Opposing Force (OPFOR) Sighting Unit Kits for various vehicles and platforms. The ARL utilizes these units to support their Research and Development (R&D) mission, specifically to gather data from realistic battlefield environments. Notably, this Sighting Unit Kit is the sole system approved by Combat Training Centers (CTCs) for use on vehicles to collect crucial battlefield data.
As part of the $4.9M task order, QinetiQ US will enhance Sighting Unit Kits to support the development and fielding of Artificial Intelligence Target Recognition (AiTR) inference hardware for operational Test & Evaluation (T&E) of AI models. Additionally, the company will help establish AiTR hardware interface and software standards allowing the enhancement of Sighting Unit Kits with "best in class" government and commercial inference models and hardware designs for T&E vetting and review by ARL.
"The relationship between ARL and QinetiQ US dates back to 2021, collaboratively collecting IR video data via QinetiQ Thermal Sight Systems, fielded at U.S. Army Combat Training Centers to support ARL AI and ML model development," said Jonathan Riksen, executive vice president and general manager, of QinetiQ US’ National & Global Security Solutions. "We look forward to helping ARL manage vast amounts of data as the complexity of battlefield sensor systems increases and infusing AI/ML algorithms to ensure data integrity and openness."
QinetiQ US will continue building on current data collection and management efforts while expanding to other relevant collection sources where Sighting Unit Kits are deployed, to include the U.S. Army's Fort Moore Maneuver Center of Excellence and the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany.
This win reinforces the company’s position as a key partner in advancing the U.S. Army's AI and ML capabilities. By leveraging its expertise in sensor technology and data management, QinetiQ US is poised to make significant contributions to ARL, Project Linchpin and the future of military AI applications.