HF to UHF Camouflaged Antenna

Avtec views this SOCOM program as an RF systems development program, more than just an antenna development program. The family of antennas developed under this program must work with a wide range of communications systems, and also provide a wide range offunctionality (communications reception and transmission over a broad frequency range with multiple radio systems, provide omni and directional coverage, and potential use as a DF system). The Avtec Team proposes to develop the design concepts for a familyof affordable integrated antenna products into Special Forces tents and camouflage netting. This initial design will operate over the HF to UHF bands in receive, and will have a transmit capability of up to 100 watts at HF. These design concepts willallow the tent and netting structures to function as stand alone, or operate in series or parallel to obtain increased gain performance. These concepts will also allow both omni and directional performance, depending on deployed configuration geometries.The initial design concepts will be developed in a way to allow for potential future performance enhancements, to include frequency extension into the GHz range, and to accommodate a DF capability. We will look at both new and retrofitable productionoptions. The benefits of a successful development of antennas in this class would (1) reduce the amount of separate equipment needed to deploy to the field (i.e., antennas and nets/tents), (2) reduce potential force detection vulnerabilities by having toexpose separate structures in an exposed environment, and (3) a possible increase in performance depending on the arrayed construction of the equipment. These products will have immediate and direct application for the Special Operating Forces (SOF), bothdomestic and foreign (NATO forces and US allies). There may also be a market for these products in non-DoD applications such as Search and Rescue, and remote Forestry operations.