Optical System for Identification of Friend or Foe

This proposal is for a laser-based system to discriminate between friend and foe based on the acoustic signatures of military vehicles in the battlefield. A long range, multi beam, laser Doppler vibrometer would be capable of simultaneously probing the vibrational signatures of multiple locations of the target. Measuring at multiple locations with a single system enables the measurement of moving vehicles and enhances the reliability of the data. Strategies to eliminate or mitigate the noise associated with measuring moving targets will be implemented and demonstrated during Phase I. Standoff distances of several km are possible with fiber lasers operating at the eye-safe wavelength of 1.55 ƒÝm. Measuring vibrational signals for vehicle identification has been done for several years; mainly with CO2 lasers. Here we propose strategies to develop a fieldable system in a compact configuration based on telecom optics and multiple beams along with advanced algorithms to enable measuring moving vehicles. The Phase I work will consist of both analytical and experimental work culminating in proof-of-concept experimental demonstration of signature ID of a moving target.