Highlights
Additive Manufacturing at Sea →
Sailors aboard the USS Bataan turned the additive manufacturing at sea concept into reality after successfully fabricating and installing a stainless steel sprayer plate to repair the USS Bataan’s ballasting system. The machinists used a hybrid manufacturing system that was developed and installed on the ship with support from APL and Naval Sea Systems Command, allowing the ship to avoid costly repairs and resume operations.
BAS/CS™ →
Cyberattacks on industrial control systems—which power essential services like electricity, water, and transportation—are on the rise. In recent years, cyber threats targeting infrastructure have increased significantly. APL developed an advanced cybersecurity solution to detect real threats while reducing false alarms.
DART →
APL envisioned, built, and successfully demonstrated NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the world’s first planetary defense technology demonstration, which proved the capability of a kinetic impactor to deflect an asteroid. This revolutionary low-cost spacecraft used APL-developed and modified air and missile defense algorithms to autonomously target and intercept an asteroid almost 7 million miles from Earth, changing its orbit period by 32 minutes, and providing humanity with a proven solution for planetary defense.
Tomahawk
The Navy came to APL to ensure that the then-new Tomahawk long-range cruise missile could navigate itself through heavily defended environments and strike specific targets, and APL engineers applied terrain contour matching (TERCOM) technology to enable this capability. When even greater accuracy was needed, APL developed the performance prediction algorithms needed to apply digital scene matching area correlator (DSMAC) technology. Tomahawk—enabled by TERCOM and DSMAC—became the world’s first long-range, autonomous, precision-guided weapon, and remains one of the most accurate and effective strike weapons in the U.S. arsenal. In an era of GPS-denied environments, the un-jammable TERCOM and DSMAC systems remain operational on Tomahawk for use when GPS is not available.
Cislunar Science and Technology →
APL is making critical contributions to the development of cislunar infrastructure to ensure our nation’s security interests are protected, support development of a sustainable cislunar presence, and advance pioneering science.
Swarming Uncrewed Surface Vehicles
APL, in collaboration with the Naval Air Warfare Center Port Hueneme Weapons Division, led a swarming uncrewed surface vehicle demonstration of advanced multivehicle autonomy at tactically relevant speeds.
Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System (EMAPS)
EMAPS, a portable mapping system carried in a backpack, uses sensors and lasers to create annotated maps in spaces where GPS is not available, such as underground or on ships.
Revolutionizing Prosthetics
Revolutionizing Prosthetics was an ambitious multiyear program—funded by DARPA—to create a neurally controlled artificial limb that would restore near-natural motor and sensory capability to individuals with upper-extremity limb loss and spinal cord injury.