Millimeter-Wave Micro-SAR (MMW uSAR)

ABSTRACT: FIRST RF Corporation of Boulder, CO, and IMSAR LLC of Springville, UT, propose the development of an ultra-low-SWaP micro-SAR (uSAR) system that operates in the military radar Ka and W-Bands.This radar will be extremely lightweight and low-volume, lending itself to integration on a variety of Air Force aircraft and weapons platforms, enhancing the situational awareness, survivability, and overall effectiveness of the same.Initially, the uSAR system will be integrated onto Boeings Scan Eagle UAS platform, which achieves extremely high levels of persistence at low operational costs.FIRST RF Corporation and IMSAR, LLC bring a near-optimal mix of core competencies to this SBIR topic solicitation.IMSAR has developed the worlds smallest operational SAR sensor, the NanoSAR, which has fielded on the Shadow UAS and has already been demonstrated on the target platform.FIRST RF, as the primary developer of the Ka- and W-Band front-end modules for the program, leverages its extensive history developing hardware at mmW frequencies for government customers.; BENEFIT: Security concerns across the global landscape reinforce the need for continuous awareness of ones environment. A capability that can provide intelligence imagery anytime - in any type of weather - is critical to enhancing situational awareness and gaining a tactical edge. That capability is Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR.Synthetic aperture radar, first invented in 1951, is a remarkable airborne radar paradigm that leverages modern signal processing hardware and techniques to achieve extremely high imaging performance when paired with highly capable antenna technologies.SAR has become a mainstay technology in the USAF and other governmental systems.The miniaturization of this ubiquitous radar technique, coupled with the meteoric rise in popularity of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), promises as-yet unrealized levels of sensor capability, effectiveness, and autonomy.