Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: N121-075

Description

To address the U.S. Army’s need for a system to transmit localized wind data to increase the accuracy of air delivery of supplies, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop the Surface-to-Air Weather Interface (SUWI) system. For compatibility with the Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS), the SUWI design integrates the standard JPADS radio with POC’s Micro Weather Sensor (MWS) to provide real-time wind data. This design will greatly enhance JPADS’ air-drop accuracy by providing previously unavailable wind-data at low altitudes when trajectory correction is crucial to ensure accurate resupply. Building on prior successful development, POC will, in this subsequent Phase II effort, investigate interfacing the MWS wind data with existing JPADS hardware and complete multiple prototype tests and demonstrations to prove functionality and refine the design. The SUWI system will leverage POC’s experience in wirelessly transmitting MWS data and will use the existing field-proven MWS design and JPADS-encrypted radio module to reduce development risk and cost, culminating in TRL 6 level prototypes delivered to the customer and the end-user of the Phase II effort. Based on testing and customer feedback from the Phase II prototypes, POC will develop a plan for future development and commercialization of SUWI technology in Phase