The Army and major contractor, Lockheed Martin have joined forces.  The Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory is teaming up with contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. to develop new synthetic materials to support the warfighter.

The recent five-year agreement cements a commitment to invest in synthetic biology. The intent is to enhance Army operations with improvements to advanced specialty paints for corrosion and protection; high-performance optics for drone sensors; and repair of parts and systems for expeditionary forces, according to an Army release. Applications could also include the civilian market, such as development of non-toxic paint with anti-fungal and anti-mold protection and reductions to the size, weight and cost of diagnostic and surgical devices. A formal program launch is set to be announced later this year.

Officials said the collaborative effort leverages a current tri-service synthetic biology Department of Defense Applied Research for Advancement of Priorities program, the Army’s Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies and the Army’s Open Campus framework to co-locate academic, Army and industrial personnel in regional technology hubs of Boston, Massachusetts, and Austin, Texas.

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory is the Army’s corporate research laboratory and known a ARL.   Under the agreement, ARL and Lockheed Martin will develop rapid prototyping methods using bio-production and self-assembly to create the building blocks of novel materials for defense optical technology and protective coatings.

The collaboration envisioned in this proposed effort will be wide-ranging, and will involve personnel, material, data, models and method exchanges bringing synthetic biology solutions to the Soldier..

Both ARL and Lockheed Martin have several research laboratory locations and personnel and facilities in the Boston and Washington, D.C., metropolitan regions to include ARL Northeast, which will aid in the collaborative exchange.

Initial efforts of this agreement are focused on understanding materials integration challenges with a focus on early wins in protective coatings.
ARL and Lockheed Martin will be working closely with both DOD and commercial company partners that align with DOD’s Engineered Resilient Systems, Materials and Manufacturing Processes, as well as Army and DOD science and technology ecosystem for early adoption of synthetic biology products.

Officials are planning a formal program launch to be held later this year.

By Debbie Gregory.

After thousands of soldiers responded to a survey that they would rather buy their own combat boots than wear service-issued ones, the Army is field-testing new combat boot designs.

The survey, conducted by the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Soldier Center at Natick, Massachusetts, found that about 50 percent of the 14,000 soldiers surveyed prefer to buy commercial-made combat boots that are “lighter, more flexible, require less break-in time, and feel more like athletic shoes than traditional combat boots,” Anita Perkins, RDECOM Soldier Center footwear research engineer and technical lead for the Army Combat Boot Improvement effort, said in a recent press release.

The Army awarded contracts to Altama, Belleville Boot Company and McRae Footwear to design prototype boots featuring new types of leather and other materials for more flexibility and reduced weight, David Accetta, a spokesman for Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center. One of the manufacturers designed two prototypes, and the other two submitted one each.

New combat boot prototypes are being issued to 100 recruits in Basic Combat Training, with 200 pairs going to Fort Leonard, Wood, Missouri and another 200 pairs to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and to soldiers stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas The soldiers will wear the boots throughout trainings and testers will return to the testing venues in March and April for input.

The Soldier Center will then provide recommendations to Project Manager Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment for future development of the next generation of Army Combat Boots. The feedback will be used to create the next prototype with the best features from the different boots. It is entirely possible that materials and design features from one boot will be combined with materials and design features from another boot.