Wideband Sub-Array Digital Receiver Exciter (DREX) Development and Packaging

In a conventional phased array radar (PAR), analog beamforming networks reduce the entire array into a few combined beams (e.g., sum beam, difference beams) at X-band. Next generation PAR will use a hybrid approach, forming many subarray beams in analog, and then performing a second-stage of beamforming digitally. In analog beamforming systems, only a few DREX modules are needed for the entire radar (one for each beam). For a next-generation hybrid radar, a DREX module is needed for each subarray. Since this could mean hundreds of DREX modules might be required in a complete system, this puts pressure on cost, size, weight, and power (CSWAP) of the DREX module and subsystem. Azure Summit Technology has teamed with a production supplier of miniature RF COTS to develop a reduced CSWAP DREX product for NGR. We will leverage technologies from commercial wireless and telecom markets and RF systems design and DSP systems engineering expertise. In Phase I we determined that a 1 GHz DREX is feasible within the $20k/20W/20in3 targets, and a 2 GHz DREX is feasible at modest additional cost. In Phase II, we will prototype the DREX in a small phased array, complete with Digital Beamforming (DBF).