Engineering Capstone Team Travels to Redstone Arsenal

Five Cadets and two Advisors representing the Departments of Civil and Mechanical Engineering and Systems Engineering traveled to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama to work with technical experts and to conduct research in support of their Capstone project. The project team, named team FEAR (Functional Engagement Area Reconnaissance) sponsored by the Boeing Company, seeks to conceptualize, design, and prototype a system that will autonomously survey, identify, and classify enemy targets in the region of a city block to support the intelligence needs of small tactical units such as Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas. The trip to Redstone Arsenal provided the cadets a unique and valuable opportunity to engage with leading experts in their respective technical field of engineering and provide professional development through interactions and coordination with external agencies. COL(R) Creekmore ’86 generously coordinated and hosted the trip, and he provided an overview of acquisition programs for the cadet team. The team visited the Unmanned Aerial Systems Project Office where Mr. Mallette and Mr. Bush discussed challenges associated with the incorporation of payloads and sensors on Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) platform. The team met with the Apache Project Office to discuss the product manager’s interests in manned and unmanned control and its implication on the modern battlefield. The trip culminated with a technical demonstration and presentation by Mr. J.P. Creekmore and Ms. Jones of the Lockheed Martin Company addressing their efforts to design a portable and autonomous UAS. During this research trip, Team FEAR gained significant knowledge and made valuable contacts that will benefit their Capstone Project.