FIRST RF CORPORATION — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A14-066

Description

Since the first NAVSTAR GPS satellite was launched over 35 years ago, GPS has grown into one of the most important and widespread technologies used by modern military systems. These modern systems rely heavily on conventional GPS signals for position, navigation, and timing (PNT) functions and these mission-critical systems could be rendered inaccurate or inoperable if even a portion of the impinging GPS signals are lost. To combat loss of GPS signals, especially in environments where conventional GPS signals are disadvantaged by geography, the military has begun to use GPS pseudo-satellites (pseudolites) to augment the ability of military GPS receivers to reliably generate accurate location and heading solutions. During a successful Phase I, FIRST RF developed innovative antenna concepts, optimized performance, and validated simulations with hardware measurements to demonstrate tailored antenna solutions for both terrestrial and UAS platforms. In close collaboration with Army and industry partners, FIRST will refine and mature these antenna technologies during the proposed Phase II to deliver platform tailored solutions to provide unprecedented GPS augmentation services.