Personal protection
The Personal Protection Functional Area includes all functions related to protecting the soldier against all types of risk, including CBRN threats and improvised explosive devices. It also includes technologies aimed at detecting, identifying and reducing the impact of these types of threats.
The Area includes the following three Functional Sub-Areas:
- Countering IEDs
- Protection against CBRN threats
- Soldier technologies
Countering IEDs
This Sub-Area is concerned with improving capabilities to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and includes skills training, the analysis of event episodes and of devices captured, and the evaluation and possible development of systems, procedures and instruments. It is largely based on acquiring an understanding of the threat (devices, means of implementation, etc.), of analytical methods (simulation, experimentation, procedures, etc.) and their application to achieve better preventive systems (detection and/or identification of devices, intelligence, etc.) and protection.
This Sub-Area concerns various Sub-Areas contained in the Protection of Platforms and Critical Assets Functional Area, and serves as a complement to it, particularly TG 5.1.3. Developing inhibitor systems (against RC-IED).
It includes the following Technology Goals:
- TG 4.1.1 To increase technological capabilities in order to detect IEDs at standoff distance or remotely, with operational performance and the capability to evaluate detection systems.
- TG 4.1.2 To increase technological capabilities to obtain custom-made systems for exploiting IED incidents (including -exploitation methods) and deployable laboratories.
- TG 4.1.3 To increase technological capabilities to analyse directed distance neutralisation systems (using HPM) for firing systems.
Protection against CBRN threats
This Sub-Area includes technologies and activities to improve capabilities to detect and continuously monitor the CBRN threat, and to identify it via characterisation and analysis. Furthermore, the aim is to improve current capabilities regarding personal protection and decontamination, and to acquire a new generation of medical counter-measures that are effective against this type of agent.
It includes the following Technology Goals:
- TG 4.2.1 To acquire the capability to detect, identify and monitor CBRN threats, with methods that are highly sensitive, and operate in real time, using specific, remote and non-invasive stand-off systems.
- TG 4.2.2 To procure national capabilities in the field of CBRN decontamination with effective and environmentally secure systems.
- TG 4.2.3 To obtain national capabilities in the field of individual protection, with protective equipment that is lightweight, comfortable and provides a high degree of protection, whilst not reducing combatants’ operational capabilities.
- TG 4.2.4 Increasing technological capabilities to obtain a new generation of effective medical CBRN counter-measures.
Soldier technologies
This Sub-Area addresses the aims of improving combatant’s capabilities, by developing aspects such as ergonomics and other human factors, and providing appropriate technological means adapted to the operational environment, at present and in the future. For this purpose, it is necessary to improve the combatant’s level of protection, reduce his logistic load, facilitate networking and increase system endurance.
It includes the following Technology Goals:
- TG 4.3.1 To increase the effectiveness of personnel deployed in asymmetric environments, taking into consideration aspects related to ergonomics and other human factors.
- TG 4.3.2 To improve ballistic protection by researching new materials (nanostructured, self-repairing, biomimetic, exoskeleton, multifunction tissues, etc.), while avoiding limits imposed on such protection due to the lack of ergonomic considerations in such systems.
- TG 4.3.3 To increase close-combat capabilities through the use of systems with networking capacities, full electromagnetic range sensors and data dissemination.
- TG 4.3.4 To increase technological capabilities to reduce the physical load transported by combatants, reducing their dependence on batteries and increasing the energy efficiency of systems.