Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A20-087

Description

To address the Army’s need for a low-cost, compact, early warning detection and tracking system for target tracking in support of mobile Army tactical platforms, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop an Agile Compact Hemispherical Threat Detection and Identification Radar (ATHENA) system. ATHENA is a compact, lightweight, low cost sensor that provides hemispherical coverage for early warning detection and tracking multiple threats. It interfaces with the platform’s high-power laser. ATHENA’s innovative system design and algorithms provide (a) a system with a platform-agnostic, low-size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) design that provides hemispherical coverage for early warning detection and (b) a device with large computational capability within a small form-factor that consumes low power, which is sufficient to detect, identify, and track threats with a low false alarm rate using radar cross-section data. In Phase I, POC will design ATHENA and develop a limited-scale benchtop hardware with modeling, simulation, or laboratory experimentation to show the efficacy of the concept design. In Phase II, POC will fabricate, test, and evaluate a field ready, technology readiness level (TRL)-5/6, platform-mounted ATHENA with threat detection capability that can be demonstrated to a suitable customer for further transition.