|
Air Force researchers envision a new generation of unmanned airborne sensor platform, but need to keep its sensors from jamming one another
By John Keller
JANUARY 7, 16:23 EST
ROME, N.Y. -- U.S. Air Force planners are looking for ways to address difficult electronic interference problems on future generations of pilotless sensor aircraft.
The concept at issue is called Sensorcraft, a future unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be built around advanced radar sensors, as well as infrared and other electro-optical sensors. Sponsoring the Sensorcraft program are officials of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Air Vehicles Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Passive and active sensors envisioned for Sensorcraft would include equipment for electronic support measures and electronic attack, as well as radars for airborne and ground moving target indication, stripmap and spotlight synthetic array radar imaging, and foliage penetration, Air Force officials say.
The intent is to define a concept of a high-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance UAV that is able to gather information from the ground and from the airspace around it.
The problem with such an aircraft, however, would involve the close proximity of UHF and X-band equipment operating simultaneously. This would create the potential for severe self-interference from overlapping signal spectra and intermodulation subsystems, as well as unintentional and intentional electromagnetic interference from external sources.
It is this problem that experts at the Air Force Research Lab's Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., are trying to solve, and they are asking industry for help. Air Force officials in Rome released a modification to the original Sensorcraft broad agency announcement Jan 4 seeking to identify ways for mitigating the Sensorcraft intrasystem and externally generated electromagnetic interference through various techniques.
Possible ways to mitigate electromagnetic interference aboard Sensorcraft include the appropriate location and design of antennas, application of interference-rejection filters and other signal-cancellation techniques, power-level adjustments, time-sharing of signals, and the suitable choice of waveform parameters, Air Force officials say.
The Sensorcraft platform, which may be ready for service before 2015, is to represent the next generation of sensor-based UAV beyond the existing Northrop Grumman Ryan Global Hawk. Air Force officials envision the UAV to be a diamond-shaped aircraft with sensors based around the outside edges of the airframe. The UAV is to operate subsonically, at about 60,000 feet altitude for missions lasting as long as three days.
Project leaders at the Air Force Research Lab in Rome say they would like to receive three-page white papers from industry on possible Sensorcraft electronic interference solutions by Feb. 1.
For more information contact Bob Purpura at the Rome directorate by phone at 315-330-7685, or refer to the latest announcement modification or to the original Sensorcraft broad agency announcement.
Military & Aerospace Electronics
| 
Community 
| View all PennWell sites | View all PennWell events | OptoIQ
Add RSS Feed