Radio Frequency (RF) Sensors Trends and Requirements Analysis

The Aeronautical Systems Center has the responsibility to ensure that new avionic systems development and acquisition planning are soundly based. Acquisition planning requirements include user needs, budget, and technology availability. To build technical credibility and reflect fiscal reality, acquisition planning must be linked to the development planning process from the beginning of development. To accomplish this for radar systems, the user requirements, budget constraints, and technology drivers must be factored into the planning process from the start. This effort will provide the Air Force and other radar systems buyers with a methodology to do: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the performance capability from radar sensor technology development as it applied to next generation aircraft (year 2010); (2) an extension of that assessment to far term radar technology; and (3) a conceptual framework to exploit the available technology in the design of radio frequency (RF) sensors to meet the user requirements within stated budget requirements.