Army Modernizing System for Enabling Sensor Interoperability

The U.S. Army Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors is modernizing the service’s Integrated Sensor Architecture to speed up the incorporation of various sensors into the Army’s network-centric systems and the sharing of information between sensors from different manufacturers.

Matthew Harrell of PEO IEW&S said having sensors interact with each other without relying on an intervening system will provide soldiers with timely information and reduce the number of systems the warfighters need to manage.

While ISA has already enabled sensor interoperability using a modular and adaptable framework, PEO IEW&S seeks further improvements to the system’s capabilities to support future interoperability demands, the Army website reported.

The Army employs several sensors and systems but they operate in an exclusive, proprietary environment. At the AFCEA Alamo ACE conference in November 2022, Laurence Mixon, special assistant to the PEO for IEW&S, announced that the office was seeking industry solutions to support the modernization efforts focused on ISA and other sensor-related systems.

According to Mixon, the Army wanted the ISA to allow access to sensor data from various locations to improve situational awareness and enable sensors within a network without the need to be physically integrated to enhance threat detection.

As part of the modernization effort, ISA is being eyed to support the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System program. Harrell said the program is still in the process of defining the HADES requirements, making it a good time for program managers to look at ISA.