Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N142-120

Description

To address the Navys need for a high resolution refractive profile for high fidelity prediction of shipboard electromagnetic wave propagation environments, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Massively Parallel Refractive Environment Predictor (MPREP). This proposed system is based on a new design that uses fine-grain parallelism in the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) numerical weather prediction model and recent advancements in graphics processing unit (GPU) technologies. An innovative new system design with customized hardware and software will enable the MPREP system to forecast in near real time the refractivity of the environment around a ship to a range of 32 nautical miles. As a result, this system enables software routines, such as the Advanced Refractive Effects Prediction System (AREPS), to predict electromagnetic wave propagation with high fidelity to support prediction of radar, electronic warfare, and communication system operation, directly addressing the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of MPREP by providing details of hardware and software designs, along with benchmark code and measurement results. In Phase II, POC plans to build a prototype system at a Technology Readiness Level of 5 to demonstrate and validate the MPREP design.