Multi-Mission Waveform Design

The goal of this project is to develop a waveform design approach that can optimize the waveform suite for a multiple mission airborne or space-based radar syste. Future surveillance concepts envision platforms with multiple radars (at differentfrequencies) on the same platform. Each of the radars will be addressing aspects of various missions (AMTI, GMTI, SAR). The optimization of a multi-radar, multi-mission waveform suite requires a detailed analysis of the performance of waveforms for eachmission. Closed-form analytical approaches to waveform optimization will be inadequate for this complex problem. Evolutionary computational approaches (modeled on biological evolution) will be employed to meet this need. This approach maintains apopulation (i.e., waveforms) that evolve according to the rules of mutation and selection. The good news for the waveform optimization process is that the selection can be accomplished on a mission-by-mission basis.Multiple-mission waveform selection hasapplicability in any radar system (military, civilian government, commercial) that attempts to reduce costs by performing more than one mission with the same RF hardware. Another major market for multuple-application waveforms is the commercial wirelesscommunications sector. This internationally growing market deals with waveform conflict problems very similar to those addressed in the proposed radar application. Wireless commuication could provide a more cost-effective capability if waveforms could bedeveloped that would improve the ability to simultaneously pass multiple messages of multiple types to multiple locations.