SBIR-STTR Award

The Unexploded Ordnance Asset RFID System (UARS) is an active low frequency RFID tracking system designed for locating unexploded ordinance (UXO) on the battlefield.  The system is a passive thin collar RFID tag that is placed onto the munition during manufacture and becomes activated after delivery on target.  Once activated, the RFID tag enters a passive listening mode, waiting for a specific excitation signal before responding.  This design allows for unprecedented system shelf life, a long active lifetime, and superior ranges of operation for detecting both above ground and underground UXO.   The user friendly, vehicle mounted reader design allows for accurate detection and location of the tags from extended distances.   The secure RFID tag contains information critical to Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams directly on the tag, with the full history of the munition stored on a centralized database.  

Benefit:
The UARS is poised for immediate impact reducing civilian deaths from UXO and reducing the quantity of UXO that is reused as Improvised Explosive Devices against US Forces.    By small adjustments to the packaging geometry, the underlying technology can be readily applied to the tracking of additional munition types such as other Mk80 series bombs, cluster munitions, missiles, and unguided rockets.

Keywords:
Unexploded Ordnance (Uxo), Radio Frequency Identification (Rfid), Tracking, Bombs, Inventory Control, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (Eod)

UARS (Unexploded ordnance Asset RFID System) is a secure, active radio frequency identification (RFID) system that when equipped to munitions provides a method for underground geolocation in the event that munitions do not explode. Additionally UARS provides a method for authenticated wireless inventory of munitions in storage. UARS is comprised of rugged, long-life, queriable RFID tags that are adhered to the outside of ordnance, such as the Mk82 500lb. bomb, forward of the tail kit. The system’s reader can be mounted on a UAV, carried on the ground by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel or unmanned vehicle/robot, or be used cooperatively in the ground and onboard air assets via a built in long-range wireless mesh network. UARS utilizes modern RF technology that is proven to work while buried underground and is specifically tuned to provide a safe stand-off range to EOD personnel. Phase II of the UARS program aims to produce MIL-STD certified external tags for munitions tracking that are commercially ready for DoD adoption. Based on extensive modeling and simulation in Phase I, ARES believes UARS will provide a superior RF performance, the lowest design risk, and delivery schedule that quickly equips EOD personnel with this cost saving technology.

Benefit:
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) clearing continues to pose an expensive and dangerous proposition for U.S. and Allied forces, civilian populations, and environmental cleanup efforts around the world. While the EPA estimates that UXO cleanup in the U.S. will cost roughly $14 billion overall, a single recent cleanup operation on Kaho''olawe Island Hawaii cost the Navy $330M. For the same estimated cost of the Kaho’olawe cleanup, the U.S. government could switch to UARS based technology and tag every single air dropped munition for the next 50 years while reducing lost lives and injuries. Opportunity cost savings at ranges equipped with UARS could amount to as much as $120,000 per day. The commercialization of UARS technology will not only impact CONUS test-range operations, but will also benefit overseas soldiers advancing across pre-bombed battlefields, reducing the time to clear the field and the risk to coalition soldiers. Additionally, the specific RFID tags being designed for UARS possess additional characteristics that make them an ideal candidate for future government tagging technology. Their secure authentication protocol, long battery life, and long above-ground range makes them ideal for add-on equipment inventory applications or locating key assets during disaster recovery operations. An example of this includes quick identification of sensitive assets in buried rubble, such as an embassy bombing or downed aircraft.