WBI Facilitates evaluation of advanced AFRL concepts in USINDOPACOM Sustainment Exercise
More than 140 sustainment and operations Airmen from the 920th Rescue Wing established a temporary contingency location in less than 24 hours to conduct the wing’s Distant Horizon exercise. (Air Force photo)
By: Laura Dempsey
A contingent from Wright Brothers Institute’s Rapid Innovation team joined AFRL and members of the 920th Rescue Wing from Patrick Space Force Base to evaluate a series of ongoing AFRL technologies. The evaluations took place during the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) sustainment exercise, “Distant Horizon.” The exercise focused on validating the multi-capable sustainment abilities of a Personnel Recovery Task Force (PRTF) in the jungle environments of the Indo-Pacific region. Elements of the PRTF evaluation included jungle operations and survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) tenets that allowed AFRL and WBI to capitalize on technology evaluation opportunities in this relevant warfighting environment.
Concepts under evaluation were:
Evaluation and feedback for viability of personal cooling devices in hot/humid environments (Acclimate)
Evaluation and feedback for advanced water filtration and hydration techniques in a survival context (Hydration for Isolated Personnel)
Evaluation and feedback of appropriate footwear for jungle operations (Jungle Boots)
A vest equipped with a cooling device was tested and evaluated (Air Force photo)
The exercise saw more than 60 students performing jungle survival and operations that allowed for a wide array of evaluations and feedback to be garnered for each of the concepts and technologies to drive the AFRL project further.
Acclimate
As part of an on-going effort, WBI facilitated the use, evaluation, and feedback of the Warfighter Cooler product dubbed Acclimate, invented by 1LT Justin O’Brien. This project was selected by the Army’s Dragon Lair Innovation contest and 1LT O’Brien was the only Airman selected for award in the joint-service competition. During the Distant Horizon exercise, WBI worked with end-users in the jungle operations phase of the effort to garner feedback on the utility of the device. Attractive benefits and features were enumerated just as constraints, limitations, and ‘nice-to-haves’ were also identified. This information will be used to further refine the concept and aid in the technology transfer and transition of the product.
Hydration for Isolated Personnel
WBI and AFRL socialized and demonstrated advanced water capture, filtering, and hydration techniques and products during the exercise. Of particular note was the use of the Seal Forward Osmosis Pack from Fluid Technology Solutions. Identified during an AFRL Tech Sprint, WBI has connected this organization to the Air Force for use, evaluation, consideration and incorporation of the technology into survival seat kits in CAF aircraft and life rafts in MAF contingents. The technology allows for a wide variety of questionable, but available water sources to be used for hydration by leveraging a bio-inspired forward osmotic technique to create an electrolyte nutritional drink which provide critical hydration and nutrition in survival contexts.
Jungle Boots
WBI and AFRL worked to garner feedback on the newly developed Jungle Boots. Done in partnership with a commercial manufacturer, inspired by INDOPACOM operations and developed in partnership with JFWORX (AFRL/RX), WBI demonstrated and gathered feedback from Guardian Angel personnel and provided that design information back to manufacturer. With this latest round of feedback, WBI has facilitated the technology transition of the concept to industry such that the product will likely be available to the Warfighter in 2023.
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