Microminiature Sensor System for FORCENet

The miniature ESM receiver payload from Phase I will be prototyped into both an ESM and communications relay payload with low profile broadband antenna and high speed miniature TCDL Ku-band downlink. All aspects of the payload are very lightweight, small, low power, and inexpensive commensurate with use in an expendable UAV or similar FORCEnet sensor application. The system achieves its goals by innovative use of commercial components and technology from unrelated market applications. The remotely controlled payload operates from 0.5 MHz into the microwave range, and can downlink a variety of information selected by the user. A sophisticated software-defined radio "backend processor" provides all standard SIGINT high speed search, collection, and identification functions found in much larger and expensive equipment. A standard USN TCDL/CDL shipboard terminal receives the downlink data.