Optical Combat Identification System
Performs Well in U.K. Field Exercise

Cubic Defense Applications reports that its prototype Optical Combat Identification System (O-CIDS) met or exceeded company expectations during a major field evaluation of various combat identification systems in the United Kingdom.

O-CIDS was one of four combat identification systems demonstrated during Exercise Urgent Quest, a Coalition Combat Identification Demonstration held from Sept. 19 to Oct. 9 at the U.K.’s Salisbury Plain Training Area. NATO and the U.S. Joint Forces Command hosted the event, which included soldiers and units from the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Canada, Sweden and Denmark, and observers from Germany and Australia.

O-CIDS was the only completely laser-based system studied during the demonstration. The product of three years of research and development, Cubic’s system was a relative newcomer among combat ID technologies. But Exercise Urgent Quest demonstrated that O-CIDS can be installed on tactical weapons and vehicles easily, accessed by soldiers quickly and perform well in the field environment.

O-CIDS features instantaneous combat ID, a built-in laser range finder and a low probability of detection and interception in a combat environment.

Cubic was responsible for installing the equipment and training soldiers in how to use it. Shortly before the event, Cubic’s system was mounted to British Army L85 rifles as well as Bradley fighting vehicles from the 1st Armored Division in Budingen, Germany, and U.S. Marine Corps M1 Abrams tanks. It was impressive to see a soldier take a new O-CIDS system out of the box, install, train and be prepared for field use in just a few hours.

O-CIDS consists of two major components: an interrogator unit that aligns with the sight of a weapon, and a transponder unit or tag that contains a modulated retro reflector. Infantry soldiers or tank crew members sight their target and activate O-CIDS. The O-CIDS interrogator unit then sends an encoded message via laser to the target. If the target is friendly, it responds with target ID information that is reflected by laser directly back to the interrogator unit. An LED display on the interrogator unit instantly indicates that the target is “friendly” or “unknown.”

From a technical viewpoint, O-CIDS represents a number of key advances in laser technology. It obtains impressive long-range performance yet is fully eye-safe, and the small, low-power retro-reflector makes the tag technology viable for combat environments since the battery requirement is minimal. From the soldier’s viewpoint, the value of O-CIDS is ease of use for both vehicles and dismounts.

Over the years, the U.S. Department of Defense has studied a number of different combat ID systems in an effort to reduce the incidence of fratricide or “friendly fire.” Preliminary results from the Exercise Urgent Quest demonstration are due out before the end of the year, and final results will be released in 2006. The intention is to achieve a common system across NATO and likely Coalition embers.

To read more about Cubic’s optical communications technology, clink on the links below:

San Diego Union-Tribune story (http://www.signonsandiego.com/articlelink/cubic/cubic.html)

For more information about O-CIDS and DOTs, see our news releases:

O-CIDS news release
DOTs news release