Low-Cost Expendable RF Emitter System

The proposed project seeks to further develop a low-cost, expendable, modular radio threat emitter system, originally created for the U.S. Army, to transition it to the Air Force. Capable of replicating a range of threat signals, from communications used by armored vehicles to radar emissions and deceptive signals, these emitters are designed for military training, deception, and electronic warfare (EW) operations. The system offers a modular and scalable solution, supporting both small-unit training and large-scale operations. This provides the U.S. Air Force and other military branches with a flexible tool to address evolving threat emulation and deception needs.Current threat emulation technology is often costly and large in form factor, limiting its use in diverse training and deception environments. This capability gap affects the readiness of military personnel, particularly in realistic electronic warfare, deception, and counter-radar training scenarios. Our proposed emitter system addresses these gaps by delivering a remotely controlled, ATAK/WinTAK-compatible solution that is easy to operate, rapidly deployable, expendable, and customizable for various environments, enabling quick control from the platoon level up through the chain of command.Phase 1 of this project will focus on identifying capability gaps within the Air Force’s training, deception, and electronic warfare programs by engaging key USAF stakeholders. The objective is to align our emitter system's development with specific operational needs and gaps identified by Air Force personnel. This phase will consist of a comprehensive customer discovery process, where we will actively engage USAF units responsible for training, deception, and EW operations.We will conduct a series of outreach meetings with USAF personnel, aiming to establish relationships with operational and training units, as well as technical experts responsible for managing threat emulation and deception systems. These meetings will allow us to gather feedback about current system limitations, such as high costs, lack of expendability, or deployment complexity. By understanding these gaps, we will tailor the development of our emitter system to provide a more effective and adaptable solution for the Air Force.Additionally, we will identify opportunities where our modular and expendable emitter system can be integrated into existing Air Force training and deception operations, ensuring compatibility with infrastructure such as ATAK, WinTAK, and command control systems. This feedback loop with stakeholders will form the basis of a feasibility study, evaluating the potential of our system to meet operational needs across multiple levels, from platoon-level control to large-scale field exercises.