FIRST RF CORPORATION — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A16-033

Description

In order to meet the growing capabilities of todays multi-channel radios for dismounted warfighters, a growing variety of wearable antenna systems are available on the commercial market. However, most of these technologies have yet to demonstrate the ability to simultaneously support multiple bands of operation in the VHF, UHF, and L-Band spectrum. The result is an array of narrowband wearable antenna products that are specifically tailored to just a single communication band. When these band-specific antennas are paired with modern dismounted radios, their limited performance directly restricts the capabilities of the radios. This forces our warfighters to choose between two disadvantageous options: either take multiple wearable antennas and change them out with the radio as needed or use a non-wearable, broadband antenna that is often cumbersome and has an unacceptably large visual signature.Building on our successful Phase I effort, FIRST RF seeks to demonstrate breakthrough technologies that overcome the limitations of modern dismount antenna systems and provide our warfighters with a user-friendly antenna system that supports all their multi-band communications needs.