Tactical User Antenna - Global Broadcast System (TUA-GBS)

The basic objective of this Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) is to build on the results of the Phase I feasibility study and to further research on the underlying technologies by developing and demonstrating a prototype Tactical UserAntenna (TUA) subsystem. The Phase I effort established the feasibility of investigating user requirements, investigating and assessing the availability of commercial components that can be used, with minimal modification, to meet the user's specificrequirements. The Phase I followed a broad approach that established the feasibility of the use and modification of commercial components as a building block to a modular TUA system that can meet a wide variety of use cases. The main design driversfollowed in Phase I included - low cost (effectively `disposable'), lightweight (man or vehicle portable), and modular (designed for multiple use cases). The Phase II research will follow a specific use case to further optimize the design approach andwill result in an operating prototype TUA subsystem for use in a Global Broadcast System (GBS) receive-only application - a TUA-GBS. The specific design drivers for this use case are: very lightweight (goal under 10lbs), 20 GHz receive-only high gain, andlow cost.