Low SWaP Tactical Ultra-Secure Communications System

Low Probability of Detection (LPD) is a critical characteristic in modern covert waveform design to protect Soldiers and enable mission success. Increasingly, adversaries are able to detect LPD waveforms designed using traditional methods such as Direct Sequence Spread-Spectrum by using cyclostationary analysis techniques. In this Phase I effort, Cryptic Vector will leverage our existing featureless LPD waveform physical layer based on Chaotic Sequence Spread-Spectrum (CSSS) as a basis for exploration of high-throughput LPI/LPD waveforms suitable for terrestrial and SATCOM applications. Our CSSS waveform has been proven to be resilient to cyclostationary attacks as is highly configurable to trade covert performance, throughput, and link range. The spread-spectrum nature of this waveform make it ideally suited to SATCOM due to its Doppler impairment resiliency. It can be scaled to high-throughput (> 1 Gbps) applications via the novel application of multiple orthogonal codes occupying the same time/frequency space in point-to-point links. Critically, previous Cryptic Vector development has solved the problem of synchronizing chaotic systems without reliance on GPS or other external time references. Low-Size, Weight, And Power (SWAP) designs are of critical importance to achieve the man portable (500 g) requirements of this solicitation. Cryptic Vector proposes a modular hardware architecture utilizing stackable circuit card assemblies (CCAs). Custom RF CCAs are proposed providing significant size, weight, and power advantages over traditional block up/down converters. A high-performance, low-power custom Software-Defined Radio will provide all baseband waveform processing capabilities. Phase I will involve further investigation of hardware options, using the notional design presented in this work as basis. Feasibility of the waveform and hardware design will be assessed over various criteria including, size, weight, power, modularity of hardware, and the ability of the combined system to meet link range (terrestrial and SATCOM), throughput, and cover performance requirements in a variety of mission environments (urban, foliated, GPS-denied, etc.). The final output of this effort will include various waveform options modeled in MATLAB/Python to explore the waveform performance trade space and provide a realistic simulation environment of various channel conditions. A notional hardware design will be further developed with proposed component selections and CAD modeling to credibly estimate size, weight, and power. The results of the waveform and hardware analysis will be synthesized into a feasibility study, demonstrating the state of the possible with the technologies outlined in this proposal and further explored in the Phase I effort.