TEXAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE , AUSTIN, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A17-070

Description

The Armys Assault Kitchen (AK) supports the field feeding with Heat and Serve (UGR-H&S) meals in mobile operations as well as Unitized Group Ration A (UGR-A) while stationary. The AK is conducts highly expeditionary field feeding operations with limited space and may not always have a FSC present. For the system to be expeditionary it needs to be assembled every time it is used and then repacked and moved. The AK needs a Compact Sanitation Center (CSC) that is designed specifically for the space constraints and unique requirements of expeditionary field feeding. Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc. (TRI/Austin) will establish technical feasibility by demonstrating that the CSC for the AK will meet the operational and environmental requirements. The technical hurdles will be addressed with laboratory environment testing and performance characterization through experimentation. The supportability, safety, and human factors concerns will be addressed along with estimates of size, weight, cost, safety, and performance. A prototype will be fabricated to demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of the conceptual design. A production cost and weight estimate will be developed. The knowledge gained during the development process will ensure that the full-scale performance requirements will be met in Phase II.