Active Expendable Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM)

(U) The advent of technology (e.g., GaAs MMIC amplifiers and DRFM devices) has enhanced the development of inexpensive expendable repeater/transponder jammers that can mimic an airborne radar's signal coherently, and modulate it to deceive, confuse or obfuscate the radar/receiver, effectively preventing it from achieving or maintaining track lock-on, thus delaying or precluding missile launch. The proliferation and availability of these inexpensive active expendables throughout the world makes them a viable threat to US airborne intercept (AI) radars. (U) Technology Service Corporation (TSC) proposes to assess two ECCM techniques to counter the effects of ECM signals generated by active expendables during an airborne radar track mode, while minimizing the impact on the radar system. The two techniques--Target Modulated ECCM (TAME) and Multiple Target Angular Resolution (MTAR) complement each other--and together will counter ECM wave forms expected from active expendables in general, and towed decoys in particular. TAME (a TSC-proprietary technique) is primarily effective against coherent repeater signals (false targets or pulloffs), but not against narrowband repeater doppler noise; whereas MTAR is most effective against narrowband repeater doppler noise, as well as against repeater signals in the same resolution cell as the protected target (i.e., prior to pulloff). (U) Phase I study tasks consist of assessing current and postulated future ECM parameters of active expendable jammers, developing the ECCM algorithms, and analyzing the ECCM techniques performance and feasibility. A plan to test the ECCM techniques via simulation during Phase II will be developed during Phase I.