See-through-the-Sensor Weather Measurements

In the See-through-the-Sensor Weather Measurement SBIR Phase II project, BCI will design, test, and validate a through-the-sensor weather radar data processing system for the Armys MPQ-65 (PATRIOT) radar system, with the end-goal of providing high-fidelity weather measurements for use in hazardous weather warnings and integration into tactical decision aids and performance evaluation tools such as the Missile Weather Toolkit being developed in parallel to this program. The SBIR initially focuses on the MPQ-65 PATRIOT radar in order to support the Armys investment in PATRIOT missile performance models and tools that require real-time weather data inputs, and will provide capabilities that are not currently available to the Army without a dedicated weather radar, enhancing the Armys capability to accurately determine weather effects on the PATRIOT missile system. In addition, the capability will provide benefits to other Army and allied forces such as hazardous weather and wind detection which support troop movement planning, helicopter flight operations, and artillery (ballistic) weather calculations, particularly when Air Force weather data are unavailable. Expansion of this through-the-sensor capability to other battlefield radars, such as the MPQ-64 Sentinel radar and others, will provide more continuous radar coverage in theater, as well as additional benefits to specific missions.