Innovative Multi-Static Surveillance System

Comprehensive and continuous surveillance of areas of interest (AOIs) is an increasingly important challenge. Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI) and its subcontractor Lockheed Martin Tactical Systems (LMCO) propose a different and potentially superior Passive Coherent Localization (PCL) approach based on multi-receiver signal processing systems that exploit NARROWBAND sources of opportunity. Compared to wideband PCL, narrowband PCL offers roughly three times the detection range and enhanced clutter rejection using relatively small and inexpensive receiver-antenna packages suitable for unmanned platforms such as Small Unmanned Areal Vehicles (SUAVs). As a result, narrowband PCL processing offers covert, inexpensive, continuous, wide-area, all-weather detection of air and moving ground targets. Narrowband PCL processing introduces technical challenges---specifically, the necessity of indirect inference of target range and velocity---that the proposed work will address. Phase I will demonstrate the potential feasibility of a unmanned narrowband surveillance and tracking system by performing the following tasks: (1) develop narrowband PCL signal processing algorithms; (2) test these algorithms in simulated, reduced-complexity scenarios; (3) identify suitable COTS equipment for unmanned platforms; and (4) develop a detailed Phase II plan that include processing of collected raw RF data. Lockheed Martin will provide both technical and commercialization support in the application of PCL technologies.