Compact, Wideband, Single or Dual Antenna Geolocation

The current conflict in the Middle East has been the impetus behind tremendous advances in Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Electronic Warfare systems, algorithms and hardware. While most of the EW systems in use are vehicle based, a major thrust towards capability of the individual soldier is required in order to maintain ground superiority. A particular area of interest addressed in this proposal is to develop a robust, wideband, portable system that extends geolocation capabilities to the individual warfighter from a mobile platform. Using the achievements from Phase I, key areas of interest will be to continue antenna development for both backpack-mounted and vehicle-mounted options with increased coverage and characterization of multipath effects and to develop techniques to enhance system robustness. Other areas of focus are to develop and demonstrate ranging algorithms, including multilateration and multi-user techniques, explore direction finding techniques to maximize performance, flexibility, and robustness and survey OTS receivers to demonstrate system-level performance. Finally, miniaturization of the components and in particular the antenna is another challenge that needs to be addressed. A key element of our proposal is a suite of wearable, deployable and concealed antennas and RF products that individually and collectively serve as geolocation and SIGINT sensors.