Title III Effort Works to Establish Domestic Supplier for Night Vision Systems Published Feb. 13, 2009 By Heyward Burnette AFRL/RX WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- AFRL initiated the second phase of a Defense Production Act Title III effort aimed at establishing a domestic supplier for critical night vision systems. Overall, the Title III mission is to create, maintain, or expand assured, affordable, and commercially viable production capabilities and capacities for items essential to national defense. Optical Systems Technology, Inc. (OSTI), is AFRL's identified industrial candidate for this important venture, which will ultimately establish the company as a domestic lens and system supplier--one capable of cost-effective, end-to-end production of monospectral (fused) and multispectral optical surveillance solutions for the warfighter. Introducing a domestic supplier for these technologies will reduce the present need for US military optics designers to transfer sensitive design information to overseas producers. The availability of a homeland supplier should also reduce product lead times and manufacturing costs. Image surveillance systems--fused and multispectral alike--are prevalent among various agencies of the US Army, Navy, Border Patrol, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as within government entities charged with the oversight of small arms night weapon sights and fire control devices. Further, since portable versions of these multiband systems and their common optical subsystems provide significant weight savings, they are in widespread use by individual warfighter personnel. The Title III team initiated a technical approach towards developing a domestic supplier. As part of this approach, OSTI was able to expand its production capacity through the acquisition of capital equipment. Accordingly, the team constructed a twofold plan encompassing increased production of shared-aperture systems (which enable transmission of separate wavebands through a common aperture) and automated facilities set up for lens and system production. The plan also emphasized the necessary implementation of lean manufacturing practices and strategic business and marketing approaches. Title III is organized as a Department of Defenseď€wide activity, with program management occurring at the Office of the Secretary of Defense level and provided by the Director of Defense Research and Engineering. The direct and indirect benefits to defense programs structured around Title III initiatives are substantial, entailing such advantages as increased supply, improved quality, and reduced cost of advanced materials and technologies needed for national defense. Moreover, the Title III influence decreases US dependency on foreign supply sources for critical materials and technologies, proportionately strengthening the economic and technological competitiveness of the US aerospace and defense industrial base.