By Dan Baldwin, PD SAI Public Affairs

Project Director Sensors-Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) engineers answered the call last month when units in the Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) theater identified a need to provide cooling to the unit’s Common Sensor Payloads (CSPs) that were being exposed to extremely high temperatures while sitting on the tarmac.

The PD SAI CSP team at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division in Indiana quickly got to work to develop a prototype turret cooling shroud that could be connected to the external cooling unit located in the aircraft electronics bay. The prototype will allow the turret to be cold soaked before pre-flight checks.

“The CSP team was able to go from getting a notification of the issue to getting the solution shipped out to the unit within one week,” said Ashely Gill, Task Lead at NSWC Crane and the CSP High-Definition Sustainment Lead for PD SAI. “This is an excellent demonstration of NSWC Crane and PD SAI being committed to supporting the warfighter.”

The CSP team completed the first prototype using the Rapid Innovation and Prototyping Lab at NSWC Crane on July 17. After completing slight design adjustments, three turret cooling shrouds arrived in theater on July 24.

“I am really proud of the amazing work the CSP team did to help address this challenge,” said Doug Haskin, Product Manager Aerial, Enhanced, Radar, Optics, and Sensors within PD SAI. “They proactively worked late hours and weekends to design, fabricate, and field test a solution for an emergent problem experienced by a deployed unit.”

The CSP is the electro-optical/infrared/laser designator sensor for battlefield commanders onboard the MQ-1C Gray Eagle aircraft. It provides real-time imagery for detection and classification of targets and threats for battlefield commanders with day and night imaging sensor and laser designation, pointing, target marking, and spot tracking for aerial intelligence.

The PD SAI CSP team will continue to coordinate with the OIR units to monitor the situation, provide expert advice, and develop local tactics, techniques, and procedures to ensure the system can meet its mission requirements.