Electric Field Sensing for UAV-based MAD Noise Mitigation

White River Technologies, Inc. and Boston University propose a systematic R&D project that first develops the requirements for an E-field sensing solution based on our physical understanding of UAV-based MAD noise and then tailors design and development activities to those requirements. New Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD)-equipped unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems that are organic to the P-8A or launched from other base platforms will provide a number of improvements over current airborne MAD systems, but also create new considerations that require modified or new/innovative approaches to effectively mitigate geomagnetic noise influences. For UAV-based MAD sensing, it may be possible to utilize an electric field sensor on the same platform as the MAD sensor in order to more efficiently mitigate geomagnetic noise. This effort brings together systematic analysis and assessments of airborne sensing and noise mitigation methods, decades of university research and development on electric field sensing, and innovative operational strategies for integrating small sensor payloads on unmanned systems to provide a new capability in support of Navy ASW and related missions.