Airborne Scanning Transmit and Receive Assembly

To address the Armys need for developing a sensor system capable of modeling helicopter locality in three dimensions (3D) to support pilotage/hazard avoidance, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes, in Phase II, to advance development of the Airborne Scanning Transmit and Receive Assembly (ASTRA) system proven feasible in Phase I. ASTRA is based on an integration of optoelectronic and radiofrequency sensors to provide 3D locality as well as situational awareness in a degraded visual environments (DVEs). In Phase I, POC demonstrated the technical feasibility of the ASTRA and determined hardware placements on the aircraft fuselage for radial 200 m spherical field of regard in clear air, meeting Army requirements. In the proposed Phase II development, POC will bring to bear its extensive experience in avionic sensors, processing electronics, and system integration. Specifically, POC will concentrate on building 12 prototype sensors with demonstration of sensor installation for a 3D plus time visualization of the scanned locality, formulation of interface control document and system specifications with sufficient technical data and rights for the government to support system integration. We anticipate that at the end of Phase II, ASTRA will reach the technology/manufacturing readiness level (TRL 6/MRL 5) sufficient for testing in DVE.