CHARLES RIVER ANALYTICS, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N161-002

Description

GPS performance can be degraded or disabled by radiofrequency (RF) jamming, RF interference, cyberattacks on satellite controls, or attacks on satellites/ground stations. Given these GPS vulnerabilities, military systems must be Navwar complianti.e., not reliant on a single source of positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) data. Possible alternative PNT technologies include E-LORAN; improved inertial navigation (NAV); terrain-following, gravimetric, and geomagnetic systems; vision-based NAV; improved celestial NAV; and systems that exploit RF signals of opportunity. However, no current PNT technology provides covert, jam-resistant localization with accuracy comparable to GPS. To enable accurate NAV in contested environments, Charles River Analytics proposes to design and demonstrate a system for Stealthy RF-based Alternative PNT (STRAP). STRAP will meet three requirements. First, STRAP will use an innovative, RF-based localization technology that is covert, jam-resistant, GPS-independent, and as accurate as GPS. Second, STRAP software will intelligently fuse data from multiple sensors and localization sources (based on their real-time availability and accuracy) to generate accurate estimates and ensure adaptable, robust performance under varying conditions. Third, STRAP hardware will be small, lightweight, and low-power to be compatible with platforms such as F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and precision guided munitions (PGMs).