CRIMOS System of Systems to Streamline Firing of Self-Propelled Howitzers

In response to the SPARTN SBIR Topic BAA 20.5, titled “Self-Propelled Howitzer Rate of Fire”, Triton Systems Inc., plans to develop a group of collaborating systems that use concurrent processes in order to improve the M109A6 Paladin’s state of the art rate of fire and on-board ammunition inventory management. The proposed solution is termed “Collaborative Robots for Inventory Management and Operations Streamlining” or CRIMOS. CRIMOS is an innovative System of Systems approach that combines specialized robotic manipulators with a smart storage unit system. The primary benefit of CRIMOS includes increased firing rate as part of an automated loading/fuzing system. CRIMOS will provide a fully automated inventory tracking and management system to aid a streamlined loading/fuzing process. Finally, CRIMOS’ design will allow for an intuitive and fast manual bypass process in the event of power loss within the Paladin. In Phase I efforts, our team will demonstrate technical feasibility of CRIMOS as a solution to Army’s self-propelled howitzer firing rate problem. Triton will take part in the Army Application Lab 18 week cohort program and use this information to polish CRIMOS’ design to meet Army’s needs and integrate seamlessly into the M109A6 Paladin system. Deliverables include technical documentation for all design iterations, including a performance comparison analysis, a proof of concept demo (simulations and a preliminary prototype) and plans for Phase II.  In Phase II, the team will develop, test and validate a viable CRIMOS as outlined in Phase I. Touch points will be used to ensure that the final prototype design and demo match Army’s expectations. Collaboration with BAE systems will cover system environment specifications and demonstration integration. Triton will perform a formal risk assessment of CRIMOS in an operational environment. Phase II deliverables include demonstration and delivery of a TRL 6 prototype for Army evaluation and quarterly and final reports detailing design and performance analysis. In Phase III, Triton Systems plans to collaborate with BAE Systems to develop a manufacturing-ready product design for integration with the existing or future platform and demonstrate technology integration into the M109A6 Paladin system. Low rate production will occur as required. Phase III deliverables include system-level integration technical data package, installation documentation, and system-level prototype for demonstration and government-sponsored testing.