Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A13-001

Description

In this sequential Phase II (SP2) effort, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop, and test a new Distributed Phased Array-based Enhanced Sense and Avoid (DESAA) System. This system is an innovative fusion of distributed phased array radar sensor nodes that provide a 360 situational awareness to a manned/unmanned platform with an extended range of 500 ft. DESAA not only provides mission safety and secure navigation specifically during formation flying but also aids in preventing risky tail-strikes in degraded visual environments (DVEs), in confined landing zones. The innovations in the design offer multi-target tracking capability and color-coded symbology with audio-visual outputs for display on cockpits multi-function display (manned platforms) or on remote pilots display (unmanned platforms). The SP2 effort builds on an on-going Phase II under the same topic (A13-001, Contract No.W911W6-14-C-0018) where POC demonstrated a functional prototype capable of detecting and tracking 4-6 objects up to 90 ft. in the platforms rearward space in DVE. In this SP2 effort, a fully functional TRL-5/6 prototype will be developed that will be mature enough for full certifications and pre-productization. We will also develop an integration plan with a selected platform and demonstrate the sensor capability in a near real operational scenario.