The CCTT (Close Combat Tactical Trainer) Team training program was awarded in late 1993 by the U.S. Army. This simulation program, the largest ever awarded, has undergone an extensive development and testing program, and is scheduled to go into full production in 1999. In the fall of 1995 after prototype development and deployment, the supplier of the 26-inch CRT, the key component in the commander's popped-hatch display, announced they would no longer manufacture the component, and no direct replacement was available. A Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract was initiated through the Army SBIR program to recommend an alternative solution. The final recommendation is being developed in a prototype phase II contract, to be ready to fit within the final production contract to be let in early 1999.

This same 26-inch CRT is used extensively in the Wide-Angle Collimated (WAC) window, with many thousand in use worldwide. The demise of the 26-inch CRT left the future of spare parts in doubt, as evidenced by the great concern voiced by present users of the CRT. The same SBIR Phase II program that has developed the 26-inch CRT replacement unit for the CCTT program has also funded the development of a replacement for the 26-inch CRT used in the WAC window.

This new approach uses the fundamental building block of the micro-display devices just being introduced by display component vendors to produce a product that can be made to fit many display configurations, not being limited to available CRT bottle sizes. Scaling, improvement in optical characteristics, and other modifications are all made with relative ease, with no major NRE cost drivers as would be required if a new CRT is desired.

A unit will be available for viewing at the conference.