Fata Morgana Subsequent Phase II

Synoptic Engineering will participate in the April 2024 and later REDSAW data collection campaigns by transitioning its DARPA Fata Morgana SBIR work as a subsequent Phase II effort for ONR. The fully-polarimetric C-band collection system we developed in Fata Morgana is well-suited for inclusion in REDSAW effort. It will complement the channel characterization systems being provided by other researchers and provide a rich source of RF channel data for characterizing the stable ducting structures that are the focus of the REDSAW effort.  Our collection system provides a 10m long aperture, dense 40-element spatial sampling, full 2x2 Stokes’ matrix polarimetric channel characterization at each element, 1.5GHz tunable and 10MHz instantaneous bandwidth, ability to simultaneously collect multiple emitters, high sensitivity, and suitability for long-term unattended operation.   The $1M baseline effort being proposed for this Subsequent Phase II is focused on enhancing the collection system we developed by increasing its sensitivity, making it more environmentally robust for long-term unattended operation, providing a relative calibration of the array and developing a data repository where the space-time-polarization channel measurements from multiple emitters is made available to the ONR research community.    The data collected under this proposed subsequent phase II effort will also be of great value in maturing and commercializing the passive ranging and altitude categorization technologies that are the primary focus of the SBIR.    This proposal consists of a 1-year, $1M baseline effort and two 1-year, $500K options. The baseline effort includes a three-week data collection campaign, nominally at the Salton Sea.  The first option includes data analysis of the RF channel data collected in the base effort and preparation for a second data collection.  The second option will support a data collection in the Persian Gulf, possibly based in Doha, Qatar.