Support Jammer Queing

Mobility Air Force assets deployed in forward positions are vulnerable to enemy air defenses and require protection, typically provided by high-power standoff/support jammer aircraft loitering outside the range of enemy missiles while radiating high-power jamming waveforms at large region of enemy territory. However, the position of the jammer may be such that the jamming power is directed at the sidelobes of some threat emitters, and hence ineffective. In order optimize the jam coverage of the standoff jammer, real-time information is needed of threat emitter locations, so that the jamming assets can be repositioned. To address this issue, TSC demonstrated in Phase I of this study the feasibility of a concept denoted TEGS, which geolocates ground-based emitters with sufficient accuracy to allow the jammer to correct its spatial coverage. For Phase II of this topic, TSC proposes to fully define the TEGS system design; predict/estimate its performance characteristics via high-fidelity digital modeling and simulation tools; develop, procure, assemble, integrate, and test hardware and software of a TEGS Proof-of-Concept Demonstration System; perform and document tests to measure the efficacy of the TEGS concept in Geolocating ground-based emitters of opportunity; and identify commercialization paths for the concept, both for military and civilian applications. BENEFIT: It is anticipated that the potential outcome of this study will be hardware and software designs that will result in a small, lightweight ES receiver that can be carried onboard UASs, possessing the capability of detecting a variety of RF emitters, utilizing either conventional or low-probability of intercept (LPI) waveforms. The software algorithms, in combination of small UAS fleets (at least four), will provide the ability to Geolocate these emitters with sufficient accuracy to optimally position support jammers to protect vulnerable MAF assets. The technology may also benefit domestic commercial applications, among them are rescue missions to locate hikers and skiers carrying small RF beacons, and homeland security missions such as locating teams of intruders that communicate using cell phones. Additionally, the multi-sensor TEGS technique may be used to locate and manage slowly moving aircraft in airports, and to foil ADS-B spoofing by either measuring range to aircraft identified by these signals or locating the spoofing emitter.