Compact Wind Radar

To address the Navy need for an innovative and low-cost wind measurement system for air-capable ships, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to continue the development of the Compact Wind Radar (CoWiR) with a new electronically reconfigurable antenna allowing for measurement of wind velocity and wind direction with a range resolution of 10 ft and a maximum range of 300 ft. The CoWiR will be an all-weather system capable of providing precise information about the distribution of wind velocity vectors surrounding a ship with accuracy better than 1.5 knots and a data update rate of up to 10 Hz. In Phase I, POC both theoretically and experimentally demonstrated the feasibility of the CoWiR approach with a proof-of-concept prototype capable of measuring wind speed at a distance. In Phase II, POC plans to develop a fully operational prototype and validate its accuracy and coverage in a relevant outdoor environment as well as in a wind tunnel, demonstrate performance in poor weather conditions, and evaluate the system’s ability to withstand environmental conditions according to Navy requirements. At the end of Phase II, the CoWiR system is expected to reach TRL 6 and full cost and integration feasibility assessments will be complete.