Operational Scanning Radar Altimeter for Real-Time Reporting of Directional Ocean Wave Spectra

This Phase II SBIR project focuses on the development of an operational Scanning Radar Altimeter (SRA) intended for airborne measurement of directional ocean wave spectra. The proposed innovation is a novel solid-state digital beamforming radar, designed to replace the aging prototype SRA currently operated by NOAA. The proposed SRA will employ a 10 W solid-state transmitter and a pulse compression waveform with a compression gain of up to 38 dB. The proposed design is highly sensitive, allowing operation to altitudes as high as 6 km. Furthermore, the design frequency of 16 GHz will permit the system to operate without loss of signal through heavy hurricane rainfall. Successful completion of Phase II will result in construction of a COTS-based operational SRA and data system designed to be deployed on NOAA-AOC¿s P-3 hurricane research aircraft.