Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF191-092

Description

To address the Air Force need for an advanced wideband multifunction RF sensing to enhanced the AgilePod capability, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Advanced Multifunction Agile RF Sensing (MARS) Module. The MARS antenna is based on a nonplanar wide-band design and RF front end, digital backend electronic utilizing a novel RF design with state-of-the-art commercial off-the-shelf components that offer at least an 18-GHz bandwidth and 2 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth. Specifically, the innovative combination of the antenna design, antenna material, and modular RF and digital design will offer an open-architecture approach, enabling a plug-and-play capability. Leveraging the technical data package (TDP), Phase I will focus on the wide-band conceptual design of the multifunction RF system will include the antenna wideband backend/frontend modular electronics and will address the open-architecture approach. POC will conduct a trade study of performance vs size, weight, power, and cost compatibility with AgilePod components, including thermal and mechanical analysis. POC will make a limited-scale benchtop prototype to show proof-of-concept, reaching technology readiness level (TRL)-3. In Phase II, we will leverage the Phase I efforts to develop a field-ready MARS prototype at TRL-5/-6.