Low SWaP Resilient PNT Waveform via Digital Chaos

The ability to ensure trustworthy and secure operations of systems that rely on Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) information is founded upon reliable waveforms that are resistant to jamming, detection, and/or location by adversary signals intelligence systems. This proposal presents an enhanced PNT waveform that fulfills these requirements. Derived from arbitrary-phase digital chaotic sequence spread spectrum (CSSS) communications signals, the approach offers nearly an order of magnitude better timing performance than traditional DSSS pseudoranging waveforms like GPS. Our approach combines burst-mode High Order PSK Signaling waveforms, an associated fall-through correlator, and an innovative correlation peak mapping and curve fitting algorithm to provide a reduction of approximately 90% in computational complexity beyond traditional CSSS systems. The result is a reduced SWaP solution suitable for deployment as a standalone solution or via integration into other tactical waveforms as a time multiplexed burst or a co-channel underlay. The initial phase research approach uses simulation and a thorough trade study to quantify the performance and design tradeoffs of using arbitrary-phase spread spectrum communication systems and culminate with a waveform design specification. The goal of this work is to deliver a low-SWaP resilient PNT waveform that can quickly be transitioned to the warfighter.