A Novel LPI/D Radar Sensor for Wide Area Surveillance

Innovative technologies that offer high performance at very low cost are required for meeting the needs of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Existing sensors (radar, seismis, acoustic, IR) offer limited performance, particularly in missions requiring broad area surveillance. Surveillance through walls and doors may also be desired to assist special operations forces in monitoring activity when visual means are not available. The use of ultra wideband (UWB) radar offers excellent penetration capability without the loss of resolution. Multispectral Solutions, Inc. (MSSI) has developed a very low cost radar technology that can be easily modified to perform surveillance functions. The sensor will operate as a time-gated presence sensor and only objects within a selected range will be detected. These detections will be based upon returned energy levels and not doppler motion. This feature when combined with a low cost CMOS camera output, will substantially reduce nuisance and false alarms. Since UWB waveforms are difficult to detect, the sensors can be used in situations where covertness is required. Under Phase I, MSSI proposes to develop a prototype UWB surveillance sensor for field test and evaluation. Under Phase II, several prototypes will be constructed for use by USSOCOM.