S-Band Antenna System for Littoral Combat Ship Communications Relay

This proposal lays out an innovative concept produced by Defense Engineering Corporation (DEC) in Beavercreek, Ohio for a communications relay sensor. DEC’s relay is an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) that integrates a conformal antenna, transmit/receive modules (T/R Modules), custom feed networks, and a Radio Frequency System on a Chip (RFSoC) controller/processor. The DEC solution is capable of producing enough Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) to significantly increase the range of the Mine Countermeasure Mission (MCM) required by the Navy. The DEC relay includes an RFSoC to increase relay capability by providing a real-time digital signal processing platform to help mitigate interferes in a contested environment. DECs system provides the ability to actively place nulls in directions of unwanted interference, as well as reducing side lobes to minimize radiation in undesirable locations. The DEC solution minimizes Cost, Size, Weight, and Power (C-SWaP) through simulation optimization, off-the-shelf components, traditional manufacturing capabilities, and maximizing packaging in the allocated system volume. The DEC team has extensive experience in designing RF systems using commercial simulation packages, such as ANSYS HFSS, and has a proven track record of simulation performance matching fabricated and tested prototypes. These high fidelity simulations provide confidence the hardware will perform as designed and intended.