SBIR-STTR Award

This proposal will address the development of a wideband digital receiver and exciter (DREX) technology for next-generation scalable missile-defense radar. A DREX is currently being specified at the sub-array level to feed an analog tile or panel subarray in order to generate flexible waveforms and beams with improved performance. The technical challenge is to meet the required receiver sensitivity, dynamic range, spurious response, bandwidth, waveform parameters, etc. at an acceptable cost in this new distributed architecture. Applied Radar, Inc. is currently developing a VME-based DREX architecture that will support multiple (~10-50) channel panel-based BMD radar demonstrations. In Phase I, we will investigate and quantify the performance and cost of the current DREX architecture, and determine what modifications are needed to integrate the hardware into a large scalable array that is suitable for the battlefield. We will also investigate emerging technologies including receiver-on-a-chip (ROC) and waveform generation methods for possible integration into the DREX architecture. In Phase II, these changes will be implemented into the DREX hardware, and the DREX will be integrated with existing analog tile and panel arrays. We will work with BMD prime contractors to determine insertion opportunities for this DREX technology in various radar applications.

Keywords:
Scalable Bmd Radar, Wideband Digital Waveform Generation, Digital Receiver/Exciter (Drex), Digital Beamforming, Receiver-On-A-Chip (Roc)

Next-generation ground-based BMD radar is anticipated to employ a scalable architecture with multiple low-cost transportable arrays employing hundreds of thousands of elements per array. Low-cost analog array panels are to be employed in the array, and will typically contain a digital receiver/exciter (DREX) behind a subarray group of typically 64 or 256 elements. The combination of element-level analog beam steering and subarray digital beamforming allows for multiple simultaneous receive beams which are digitally controlled. A wideband DREX increases target discrimination capability, along with a great degree of flexibility in the waveform control and anti-jam capability. Applied Radar is developing a DREX solution to meet the needs of next-generation BMD radar under a spiral development process. This DREX interfaces with the MIT/LL Radar Open Systems Architecture (ROSA) for beam-steering and waveform control as well as back-end radar processing. This proposed Phase 2 effort improves upon the current VME-based DREX hardware, and includes demonstrations with available array hardware. Additionally, further effort will be made towards integrating the DREX with the array hardware. Emerging chip-level transceiver technologies are to be investigated towards the goals of reducing DREX size, weight and cost. We also look at the possibility from the DREX perspective of separating the transmit and receive functions of the radar into physically separate arrays, as well as cohering multiple arrays.

Keywords:
Scalable Bmd Radar, Wideband Digital Waveform Generation, Digital Receiver/Exciter (Drex), Digital Beamforming, System On A Chip (Soc), Silicon-Germanium (Sige)