Battlefield Optical Surveillance System (BOSS) - A HMMWV Mounted System for Non-Lethal Point Defense,

As the United States Armed Forces are increasingly asked to control world conflict through humanitarian and peacekeeping missions, non-lethal alternatives for applying force have spurred technologist to identify new methods for engaging potential adversaries. One promising technology comes from advancements in high power 1 to 10 watts semiconductor lasers, lead by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Phillips Research Site. Semiconductor lasers have been fabricated to produce high power over the wavelength range 650 - 1550 nm for a variety of applications. The use of semiconductor lasers to illuminate potential adversaries was field tested during operation United Shield in Somalia in 1995. This deployment demonstrated two prototype visible illuminators - the Saber 203, and a diode-pumped, doubled NdYAG green laser, in addition to a fiber coupled near infrared IR illuminator system. The success of using semiconductor lasers as nonlethal weapons to detect, designate, and deter is the impetus for the Battlefield Optical Surveillance System BOSS. This paper will present motivation for laser illumination systems, describe the BOSS in detail, present a notional operation scenario, provide laser eye-safety considerations and discuss the tested capability of the BOSS.