Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A20-087
Physical Optics Corporation — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Defense.
Phase I SBIR feasibility signal
- Phase I awards fund proof-of-concept work. For capture teams, they mark early interest from Department of Defense in a technical approach.
- Watch for Phase II follow-ons from the same firm/topic family — that conversion path is where budgets and transition pressure rise.
- Obligated amount $111,499. Cross-check similar awards in the same agency and technology tags for going-rate context.
- Topic code A20-087 links this award to a solicitation family — search the same topic stem for incumbents and recompete timing.
- Amount
- $111,499
- Agency
- Department of Defense · Army
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Topic
- A20-087
- Solicitation
- 20.1
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- CA
- Period
- 2020-06-26 → 2021-03-17
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.