Modular Narrow Band RF Generator

Future conflicts will be won with the control over battlefield electronic systems. The ability to burnout, upset, or even disrupt electronic systems, including smart weapons and communications, could limit the enemy to conventional, dumb weapons.Traditional high power microwave sources are designed for single frequency use. However, recent efforts made by Applied Physical Electronics, L.C. (or APELC) have made tremendous strides toward deployable weapons based on high voltage impulse generators.The impulse generators, when directly connected to various high voltage antennas, have demonstrated the ability to generate electric field strengths in excess of 1 kV/m, measured at 100 m. Furthermore, these generators produce Ultra Wide Band (UWB)pulses, allowing them to easily drive Narrow Band (NB) antennas ranging from 50 MHz up to 3 GHz. This proposed effort will extend preliminary demonstrations made by APELC to RF weapons suitable for hand held battle simulators. The proposed system willdeliver peak electric field strengths of 5 kV/m at 100 m with frequency agility from 50 MHz up to 3 GHz. The Phase I effort will demonstrate a single generator driving coil antennas to produce the range of desired frequencies.The military market for the compact Marx generator is extensive given the potential for controlling electronic environments. The proposed RF simulator brings the capability of delivering an RF weapon via conventional munitions, parachute deploy via airdrop, unmanned aerial vehicle, cruise missile, rocket or simply hand carried. The devices offer extreme peak powers and electric field strengths capable damaging enemy electronic systems. The proposed system is being offered as a battle simulator,however, the same system is powerful enough to be deployed as a weapon. Furthermore, such a system offers many advantages over the conventional HPM sources in frequency agility. The portable HPM device may be selectively tuned for particular targets.A commercial market is also apparent. The sources offer a portable means for dynamic radar sources, chemical or hazardous waste cleanup or decontamination of food or water. The compact Marx could also serve as a source for recent advances in cancerresearch, which are requiring nanosecond, high voltage impulses with performance characteristics that are similar to the Marx.