TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platform
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The Army has interest in innovative, flexible, and cost effective re-use of software programmable radio technology to support missile uplink/downlink (UL/DL) capabilities for multiple missiles.
DESCRIPTION: The technology should support multiple missile types. We wish to investigate the adaptation of software programmable radio technology as the basis for more flexible and affordable UL/DL equipment solutions than that yielded by traditional single missile centric UL/DL implementations. The initial technology insertion target would be the Army Indirect Fire Protection Capability phase II (IFPC-2), with potential to support additional missile systems. Frequency mixing to the specific missile UL/DL frequency bands (e.g., L, S, C and X-Bands) will be required, but is assumed to be secondary to the software reprogrammable radio technology. Frequency tuning and message processing across the radio's operational frequency bandwidth is of interest and is primary to the investigation.
Missile uplink/downlink (UL/DL) equipment must be able to support current and future missile systems. Therefore variable message length, encoding, transmission rates, and latency/timeline requirements must be supported. Current and future missiles operate on different frequency bands and require different power levels depending on environment, missile type, and mission range. Accordingly, it would be expected that a software programmable radio would be integrated with mixing and power amplifier circuitry and with a suitable antenna to ensure that communications with a missile are robust and reliable. It can be assumed that the data links for existing fielded missiles cannot be modified due to cost and readiness implications. Supported missiles should include, but are not limited to, the AIM-9X, the AIM-120, and the AI3. Candidate software programmable radios should be based on Army standard radios (programs of record). As background information: The Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) program is defining a Small Footprint Radio (SFR) to support the IFPC platoon network communications requirements.
PHASE I: Investigate and research software programmable radios and/or similar technology to provide affordable and reliable missile uplink/downlink (UL/DL) capabilities for current and future ground launched missile types. Integration, size-weight-and-power (SWAP), mixing circuitry, power amplification circuitry, and antenna technology must be addressed to yield suitable UL/DL concepts and alternatives with the potential for further development into a fielded UL/DL system, but these are second tier items for this investigation. SWAP Thresholds: Size - 1.5 cubic feet, Weight - 140 lbs, Power - 713 watts 28 VDC. Concepts must account for items that the software programmable radio technology would address, including message lengths, encoding, decoding, classified information processing (including possible encryption/decryption), in-band frequency tuning, transmission rates, and timelines/latency requirements for multiple missile types. Given viable technical concept(s), sufficient information to estimate development, test and production costs should be included with technical concept data.
PHASE II: Using the technology approach developed in Phase I, fabricate and validate a prototype to prove the concept of software programmable radios and/or similar technology to provide affordable and reliable missile uplink/downlink (UL/DL) capabilities for current and future ground launched missile types. Fully address integration, size-weight-and-power (SWAP), mixing circuitry, power amplification circuitry, and antenna technology to yield suitable UL/DL performance with potential for further development into a fielded UL/DL system. Implement support for message lengths, encoding, decoding, classified information processing (including possible encryption/decryption), in-band frequency tuning, transmission rates, and timelines/latency requirements for multiple missile types. Given a viable technical approach and performance, sufficient information to refine estimated development, test and production costs should be included with technical concept data.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The commercial application would be within DoD acquisition programs. Transition the Phase II product into a prototype for detailed technical and operational testing. Following testing, perform cost/ performance optimization and prepare sufficient data products to support potential procurement and fielding with the Army Indirect Fire Protection Capability phase II (IFPC-2) or with other potential missile systems. The Army's IFPC-2 would be a potential customer. Other Army programs might follow.
REFERENCES:
Space-based Reconfigurable Software Defined Radio Test Bed aboard International Space Station, Richard C. Reinhart, James P. Lux, SpaceOps 2014 Conference, 10.2514/6.2014-1612, http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.2014-1612
Datalink Requirements for the Enhanced Range Applications Program (EnRAP) Meeting the Future Wireless Data Transfer Needs of the Test Community, R. Lunsford, 2005 U.S. Air Force T&E Days, 2005, 10.2514/6.2005-7620
Designing Software Defined Small Form Fit Radios for JTRS Networking, M.S. Hasan, T. Jensen, R. Gunsaulis, L. Muzzelo, R. Housewright, Military Communications Conference, 2006. MILCOM 2006. IEEE Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/MILCOM.2006.302186, Publication Year: 2006
Design of secured, high speed two way RF data link for airborne vehicle communication, M.M. Fazal, A.G. Pawar, J. Prasad, Microwave and RF Conference, 2013 IEEE MTT-S International, Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/IMaRC.2013.6777698, Publication Year: 2013
IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN implemented on software defined radio with hybrid programmable architecture, T. Shono, Y. Shirato, H. Shiba, K. Uehara, K. Araki, M. Umehira, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, Volume: 4 , Issue: 5, Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/TWC.2005.853967, Publication Year: 2005
Programmable analogue baseband filters for software defined and cognitive radio, J. Moritz, Sun Yichuang, Zhu Xi, 2011 IEEE 54th International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS), Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/MWSCAS.2011.6026409, Publication Year: 2011
A 0.5-to-3 GHz Software-Defined Radio Receiver Using Discrete-Time RF Signal Processing, Chen Run, H. Hashemi, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Volume: 49 , Issue: 5, Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/JSSC.2014.2303791, Publication Year: 2014
Doppler shift correcting in high rate digital receiver Yishi Sunxu ; Chen Zhi Wen ; Xie Xing Hong ; Lai Wu Gang Computational Problem-Solving (ICCP), 2010 International Conference on Publication Year: 2010 , Page(s): 250 255, http://nutaq.com/en/blog/doppler-shift-estimation-and-correction-wireless-communications-0
Software Communications Architecture (SCA) Compliant Software Defined Radio Design for IEEE 802.16 Wirelessman-OFDMTM Transceiver, NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA DEPT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING, Kian, Low W., DEC 2006, http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=ADA462542
KEYWORDS: Missile, Uplink, Downlink, Software Programmable
TPOC-1: George Wells
Phone: 256-842-0570
Email: george.w.wells.civ@mail.mil
TPOC-1: David Fisher
Phone: 256-842-6689
Email: david.b.fisher36.civ@mail.mil
