N161-039 TITLE: Extremely Small, High Performance Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Payloads for Expendable Undersea Platforms

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Battlespace, Electronics, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: FNC - SIRFSUP (FNT-FY15-04); NAVSEA PMS 435 (Submarine Electromagnetic System)

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

OBJECTIVE: Develop an extremely small, high performance Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) payload for expendable undersea platforms.

DESCRIPTION: Undersea platforms are used in many applications where the covert, extended persistence is required. These expendable modules can be buoys launched from the three inch launcher, sensors left behind from unmanned undersea vehicles, or submarine launched unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) requiring small ISR payloads. All of these need to convert electromagnetic energy into actionable intelligence (ref. 3). There are currently NO small ISR or EW payloads that are capable of being deployed out of something as small as a submarines 3 inch launcher.

There is a need and associated requirements within the Navy and other Department of Defense (DOD) agencies to detect, geo-locate, and discriminate emitters of interest in littoral and open ocean environments (ref. 1). Larger intelligence data demand and fewer manned intelligence platforms make it difficult to meet all intelligence requirements. Additionally, scenario characteristics such as geometry, obscuration, clutter, multi-path, signal detection, and signal type may limit the performance of large standoff intelligence gathering systems (ref. 2).

This SBIR topic seeks to develop various sized Radio Frequency (RF) system payloads (< 1U, 1U and 3U form factors) and associated signal processing for various size expendable platforms that will perform detection, processing, and discrimination of multiple emitters in dense environments. System solutions should include both tethered and untethered concepts.

Signals of interest cover a wide range from High Frequency (HF) through Ka-band (approximately 1 megahertz (MHz) through 40 gigahertz (GHz)). This range covers communication systems as well as radar. Recognizing that one system will not fit all applications simultaneously, there is a desire to develop common hardware solutions that can have different profiles loaded based on the focused missions.

Size, weight, and power (SWAP) considerations often limit a system’s applications. For this topic, various classes of expendable platforms will be taken into consideration. These classes include extremely small SWAP (less than inch cubed, less than one half pound, 10’s of milliwatts of power), small SWAP (inches-cubed volume, sub-one pound weight, watts of power), medium SWAP (inches-cubed volume, one to ten pound weight, 10’s of watts of power), and large- SWAP (5-10 inches cubed volume, 10’s of pounds, 10’s of watts of power). The system shall be modular and would include an antenna, receiver and transmitter hardware, processing hardware, downlink and communication hardware, and an associated ground station. System designs should consider extensions to multi-platform system concepts where the same hardware may be repeated across several sensors forming an integrated and netted sensor network.

Algorithm development shall include all required processing for the given system for detection, processing, localization, and discrimination of multiple signals. Single sensor and multi-sensor techniques will be considered. Algorithms must consider and process advanced emissions such as 4th and 5th generation (4G and newer) mobile phones and Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) radar waveforms such as pulse compression, spread spectrum codes, and low peak power high duty cycle (LPPHDC) (ref. 3). Algorithms must consider operating conditions such as multi-path, obscuration (to some sensors in a multi-sensor system), geometry, synchronization and timing between platforms, and processing and memory constraints on the payload. Processing is expected to take place both on-board the expendable platforms (non-tethered) as well as on the host platform (tethered). Commercially available datalink bandwidths must be considered and will aid in determining the processing trade between on-board and off-board.

Finally, the system developed should co-exist with already available data format options of the host platforms. This allows for RF detection and location followed by optical validation.

This topic will allow the Navy to make tethered and untethered expendable high performance ISR payloads for undersea platforms, and submarines will be able to significantly expand their instantaneous ISR horizon. For unmanned platforms and other deployable buoys to perform an ISR mission, this becomes a force multiplier for submarines in the future.

This topic increases mission performance by allowing unmanned and deployed ISR sensors to become force multipliers for a submarine in the future. These capabilities will allow submarines to significantly expand their ISR horizon. This also allows the submarine, in real time, to geo-locate emitters by using these extended reach sensors to act as separate nodes on a distributed network reaching back to the submarine.

PHASE I: The company will design and demonstrate through simulation or limited testing the concept of and feasibility to develop a tethered and untethered modular, reconfigurable ISR sensor package as described in the Description. Phase I Option, if awarded, would include the initial layout and capabilities description to build the unit in Phase II.

PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I effort and the Phase II (SOW), the company will develop a tethered and untethered modular, reconfigurable ISR sensor package prototype system for the concept developed in Phase I. The company will further develop and refine detection, localization, processing, and discrimination algorithms for the detection of many signals in an emitter rich environment. Performance of bench level lab experiments will be used to demonstrate performance. This capability will be demonstrated in a 1U and 3U form factor as a minimum. A prototype system will be delivered at the end of the Phase II. Companies participating in Phase II will be required to prepare a plan to transition the technology to the Navy under Phase III.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning the ISR payload system to a AN/BLQ-10B (V) Program of Record (PoR) through NAVSEA PEOSUBS PMS435 Submarine Electromagnetic Systems program office. The company will finalize design and fabricate production engineering development models (EDMs), according to the Phase III SOW, to determine the systems effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. The company will support the Navy for test and validation, in accordance Submarine Electromagnetic Systems program office specifications, to certify and qualify the system for Navy use and for transition into operational platform. Following testing and validation, the end design is expected to transition to the PoR. Technology has application by local civilian emergency organizations desiring the ability to geo-locate hand held radio and phone emissions from stranded hikers.

REFERENCES:

1. Wiley, Richard G., ELINT: The Interception and Analysis of Radar Signals, London, UK, Artech House, 1993; http://www.artechhouse.com/uploads/public/documents/chapters/Wiley_925_CH04.pdf

2. Volakis, John, Antenna engineering Handbook, Fourth Edition, New York, NY, McGraw-Hill, 2007 (Chapter 47, Kellog, Robert; Mack, Eldon; Crews, Cathy, Direction finding Antennas & Systems); http://accessengineeringlibrary.com/browse/antenna-engineering-handbook-fourth-edition

3. Milojevic, D.J.; Popovic, B.M.; Improved algorithm for the deinterleaving of radar pulses, Radar and Signal Processing, IEE Proceedings F, Volume 139, Issue 1, Feb. 1992 Page(s):98 – 104

KEYWORDS: Unmanned Air Vehicles; Geo-location; Emitter location and identification; multi-sensor geo-location; single sensor geo-location; Unmanned Undersea Vehicles

TPOC-1: Steven Henry

Phone: 401-832-7849

Email: steven.w.henry1@navy.mil

TPOC-2: Jeffrey Carvalho

Phone: 401-832-3527

Email: jeffrey.carvalho@navy.mil

Questions may also be submitted through DoD SBIR/STTR SITIS website.

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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