MDA04-115
TITLE: Development of Advanced Radar Technologies for Missile Defense
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Sensors, Electronics, Space Platforms
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: MDA/TH
OBJECTIVE: Identify, develop, and demonstrate advances in phased array radar technologies that will
support existing Missile Defense (MD), and other, radar system architectures and will enable revolutionary
radar performance and cost enhancements to future radar architectures.
DESCRIPTION: The MD radar threats envisioned for the near- and far-term are a challenging mixture of
countermeasures that include chaff, jamming, low observable RVs, balloons, coatings, anti-simulation, and
simulation, among other countermeasures, that will require novel approaches to the discrimination
problem. This phased array radar technology research effort is focused on technologies to defeat evolving
threats (to include advanced Electronic Counter Measures (ECM), maneuvering and reduced signature
reentry vehicles while operating in a nuclear environment), by developing technologies that support
improved performance capability, transportability, supportability, reliability, availability, and system
survivability. Key areas of research include advanced T/R modules, lightweight antennas, wideband,
multichannel, multimode digital receiver/exciters, and ultra-wideband/multiband signal/data processing
technologies. Advanced radar T/R modules would provide an increase to radar power-aperture product and
bandwidth to enable improved search, track and discrimination capability and to reduce weight, and power
dissipation. Advanced, light weight, antennas that demonstrate a two-fold reduction in both cost and
volume while demonstrating a sensitivity improvement of 4-10 times and a 4-8 time improvement in the
operating bandwidth are needed. Antennas should include the use of lightweight materials, and multiaperture transmit and receive coherence technologies for transportable, distributed apertures. They would
also include technologies to achieve long time delay (true time delay) functionality in a very small,
lightweight, and low-cost MMIC package. Wideband, mulitichannel, multimode Digital Receiver/Exciter
(DREX) technologies are needed that can produce a 10-30dB dynamic range improvement, a 2-4 time
instantaneous bandwidth improvement, and improved phase/amplitude control). These technologies should
move the digital interface closer to aperture, thereby eliminating costly, bulky and sensitive analog
electronics. They should use open architecture technologies to enable plug-and-play of building blocks to
realize different receiver configurations and support for diverse RF applications. Finally, they should be
capable of multiple waveform generation and processing capabilities beyond traditional LFM/stretch
waveforms. Finally ultra-wideband/multiband signal/data processing technologies and concepts are needed
to increase discrimination k-factor by 2-4 times and decrease the vulnerability to RF countermeasures.
This includes Multiband (MB), Ultra-wideband (UWB), and Synthetic Ultra-wideband (S-UWB)
discrimination technologies to provide 2-8 times increase in the available instantaneous and total
operational bandwidths.
PHASE I: Analyze, design, and conduct proof-of-principle demonstrations of advanced radar technologies
that are scalable to desired missile defense radar system requirements.
PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate prototype radar technologies which meet or exceed missile defense
requirements. Conduct hardware and/or software tests to evaluate the performance of the technology in a
realistic environment.
PHASE III: Integrate radar technologies into missile defense systems and demonstrate enhanced
performance in realistic environments.
PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: Private sector applications exist for advanced radar
technologies throughout commercial industries. Commercial radars, communications equipment, and other
portable systems will have dual use potential for this development.
REFERENCES:
Merrill I. Skolnic, “Introduction to radar systems”, McGraw- Hill, 1962
Bassem R. Mahafza “ Radar systems analysis and design using matlab”, Chapman and Hall/CRC, 2000
KEYWORDS: Sensor, Radar, Signal Processing, T/R Modules, Phased Arrays , Receiver/Exciter,
Discrimination, Countermeasures, Fusion