Low SWAP, eye safe LIDAR for airborne detection of periscopes in clutter

To decrease the probability of false alarms encountered in radar detection of periscopes in the cluttered environment presented by operation in littoral regions, the Navy seeks to develop a complementary technology to existing periscope search radars. Physical Sciences Inc., in collaboration with our subsidiary Q-Peak Inc., proposes to develop a SWIR lidar for long-range detection of periscopes in maritime environments from aircraft at both low and high altitudes. Our SWIR lidar utilizes a highly compact, state-of-the-art solid state laser transmitter operating at 1.5 m for eye safety. Our laser transmitter design benefits from experience gained while developing a related, multispectral solid state laser transmitter for the Navy in support of the Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) program. The Phase I program will develop designs for both the laser transmitter and the lidar system.