Extreme Environment Sensors and Associated Electronics

Future military satellite communication (MILSATCOM) systems require high power amplifiers that operate in the W/V-bands. To meet the needs for the platform testing of W/V-band satellite communications planned by the AFRL (AFRL/RV, AFRL/RY, AFRL/RI, and SMC) for around Year 2023-2024, we are applying our proven design and manufacturing practices of our commercial solutions in implementing W/V-band high performance high power amplifiers that are suitable for AFRL ransponder demonstrations and future MILSATCOM applications. The immediate goal of this Phase II is to ensure timely support of the platform testing of the Air Force for VW-band Military Satellite Communications; aligned with Topic Area 2 of the ARA; specifically, “space communications hardware - amplifiers. During this Phase II, InnoSys will perform hardware development of the high performance W-band amplifier and based on this, fabricate VW-band high power amplifiers. We will also conduct design optimization for the RF power chain (consisting of GaN MMIC driver and SSVDTM Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) booster to combine the advantages of the two) and associated Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) to ensure the best performance in efficiency, broad bandwidth, high linear output power, size and weight. We will demonstrate the VW-band high power amplifier can be achieved using affordable, high quality, and reliable manufacturing. Extensive testing will be conducted to evaluate the performance of the high performance VW-band high power amplifiers for sufficiently supporting high data rate RF communications and AFRL’s planned testing. We will ensure the hardware is ready to be third-party tested and verified and the development and resulting implementations properly transitioned to private sector uses and applications in addition to government customers. This Phase II SBIR will usher in a new generation of higher bandwidth, higher efficiency MILSATCOM communications power amplifiers to support numerous programs and objectives of the Air Force and DoD in general including multi- domain operations (MDO) and both 5G military and commercial applications and deployments.