June 23, 2015 — Optical taggants take many forms. They can be fully integrated into marked objects in the form of paints, coatings, fillers and fibers; they can also be used as standalone devices such as patches as shown below:
Infrared taggants are embedded markers that can emit optical signals outside of the visual spectrum. Current optical taggants, emitting at wavelengths below 1.1 µm, have been developed for battlefield operations and can be seen with the 3G IR goggles that are widely available worldwide. The Brimrose R&D department produces unique, state-of-the-art technologies that give us a multi-year lead over our competition for manufacturing military, aerospace and commercial products. The new generation of Brimrose optical taggants will provide enhanced, covert marking and identification using a narrow-band source and AOTF SWIR HSI.
Brimrose IR Optical Taggants are battery operated emitters that consist of LEDs or laser diodes and emit at a user specified wavelength, above 1.1 µm, that can be detected only by the SWIR Hyperspectral Imager (HSI). They can be used to located friendly, or enemy, personnel or material and enable the Warfighter to make critical decisions in target identification in a tactical environment, day and night. The 21st century battlefield is evolving rapidly. For the U.S. Army to maintain superiority, we need to continue to employ tools and tactics that keep us ahead of those who would do harm to our nation. With the new Brimrose taggants, we will open opportunities at the cutting edge that will make our fighting forces more effective.
Tracking and identifying using covert SWIR taggants can become an important tool for the warfighters. Brimrose’s current efforts are in the development of low-cost robust tagging system for TTL (Tag, Track and Locate) and real time monitoring of specified routes used by US troops in combat zones. Brimrose taggants can be easily deployed and dispersed over a wide area of interest.
Covert SWIR optical taggants can also benefit friendly forces by providing battlefield identification and communication to aid tactical operations and prevent friendly fire casualties. Brimrose smart IR Optical Taggantscan be programmed to emit sequenced flashes, at the user specified wavelength, for optical communication between the Taggant and HSI. This eliminates presence of any RF signal or radiofrequency in the targeted field, and can covertly communicate soldier ID and his status on the battlefield.
For more information, please contact Jan S. Kasprzak via e-mail at [email protected] or phone 443-417-8439. To see the demonstration of this system, you can also visit us at the GEOINT 2015Symposium on June 23-25, 2015 in Washington DC at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, our booth number is 3072.
