SBIR-STTR Award

A collaborative effort between the Eddy Company and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) is proposed to develop an affordable silicon-based visible to near infrared missile warning sensor. This sensor whould unltimately be part of an Infrared Counter-Measure (IRCM) system designed to protect Naval aircraft from anti-aircraft missiles. In this effort we will complete a feasibility study to address the technologies, capabilities, and design for a visible-near infrared (VNIR) missile warning system. The critical issue regarding the use of VNIR sensors for a missile warning system is to reject the solar and manmade visible background while at the same time sensing light from the missile plume. We will fabricate a prototype filter, that through a research and development effort be customized for a missile warning sensor application. The significance of our approach is ability to provide missile warning both during the day or night with extremely low false alarm rates using low cost visible sensing technology. As a deliverable product we will provide a feasibility study and development plan that describes the requirements, system design, performance specifications, manufacturing technologies, and a plan to fabricate a working sensor. Production of missile warning system for DOD/civilian aircraft.

The proposed effort, in response to Office of Naval Research STTR Topic N03-T020, is to develop a prototype affordable visible/near-infrared missile warning sensor (AMWS), which uses conventional silicon based CCD technology as a detector. This sensor would ultimately form part of a Directed Infrared Counter-Measure (DIRCM) system designed to protect naval aircraft from anti-aircraft missiles. To mitigate the effects of clutter at visible and near-infrared wavelengths, the AMWS employs an extremely narrow-band filter. This filter has been designed to have a wide on-band field-of-view, while maintaining its narrow bandpass. This enables the AMWS to have an operational field of view of 100 degrees. As part of the proposed development a production prototype will be designed and built and then undergo rigorous field testing

Keywords:
Missile Warning Sensor, Visible/Near Infra-red, Silicon Detector, DIRCM, Magneto-Optical Filter