SEALED-OFF, HIGH PRF CO2 TRANSMITTER

SDIO'S GENERAL MISSION IS FINDING AND DISABLING BALLISTIC MISSILES IN FLIGHT. RANGE-DOPPLER LIDARS ARE A KNOWM MEANS BY WHICH MISSILES CAN BE FOUND. THE INNOVATIVE LIDAR TRANSMITTER PROPOSED HERE USES A PROPRIETARY DISCHARGE EXCITATION TECHNIQUE THAT RESULTS IN A MUCH SMALLER, LIGHTER AND LONGER LIVED COE2 TRANSMITTER BECAUSE NO GAS RECIRCULATOR IS REQUIRED EVEN AT HIGH PRF'S AND CAN GENERATE TWO CONSECUTIVE SHORT LASER PULSES SEPARATED BY A TIME INTERVAL SHORT ENOUGH TO YIELD RANGE, RANGE RATE OR RANGE DOPPLER INFORMATION ON A BALLISTIC MISSILE. NO PRESENT TECHNOLOGY APPROACH CAN MEET THESE DEMANDING MISSION REQUIREMENTS IN A COMPACT NONRECIRCULATING CONFIGURATION. THE ANTICIPATED BENEFITS OF A SUCCESFUL PROGRAM WOULG BE A COE2 TRANSMITTER THAT COULD BE INTEGRATED WITH AN AIRBORNE IRS&T SYSTEM TO REDUCE THE SYSTEM FALSE ALARM RATE, USED IN A COMPACT RANGEFINDER SYSTEM.