N142-106 TITLE: Mitigation of Military Communication and Radar System Interference from Current and Future Fixed and Mobile Wireless Broadband Systems

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: JSF-MS

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN NATIONALS: This topic is "ITAR Restricted". The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign nationals may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign national who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal may be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: Develop communication and radar waveforms to mitigate interference from fixed and mobile wireless broadband systems now operating within the same frequency bands as these military systems.

DESCRIPTION: Worldwide, the transfer or approval for secondary use of frequency spectrum to the private sector has been shown to adversely affect the operation of many military communication and radar systems utilizing the same frequency band. For example, unlicensed�national information infrastructure (U-NII) devices are now permitted to operate on a non-interference basis in frequency bands allocated to primary Federal services including Radiolocation and Aeronautical Radio navigation. U-NII devices provide short-range, high-speed unlicensed wireless connections for, among other applications, Wi-Fi-enabled radio local area networks, cordless telephones, and fixed outdoor broadband transceivers used by wireless internet service providers. While these U-NII devices are required to operate with spectrum sharing technologies intended to limit electromagnetic interference (EMI), other communication and radar systems have been shown to be adversely impacted. Specifically reference 1 identifies a number of risk elements due to the likelihood of harmful interference from large numbers of U-NII devices to protected federal systems. The report goes on to discuss potential risks for federal airborne, ground-based, and shipborne radar systems and the fact that U-NII regulations were not developed to detect airborne signals. A variety of advanced time-frequency domain techniques utilizing distinct waveforms of different durations over different spectral bandwidths offer the potential to reduce interference from these secondary use systems. Balancing the level of interference mitigation provided by the new waveforms with the ease and cost of integration into candidate communication and radar systems is an important consideration. The work to be accomplished under this topic will have a primary focus on U-NII interference mitigation approaches for airborne radar systems but be extendable to airborne data link systems.

PHASE I: Demonstrate, via detailed simulation, the operational performance and interference mitigation of advanced waveform designs suitable for use in Navy airborne radar systems operating in the presence of U-NII devices. Develop a detailed integration and implementation plan showing how the techniques might be integrated into the radar system and extended for use in airborne data link systems. The small business will provide a Phase II development plan with performance goals and key technical milestones, integration approaches, and technical risk reduction addressed.

PHASE II: Further develop and refine the approaches demonstrated in Phase I. Implement and demonstrate the technique�s operational performance in an EMI environment on a candidate airborne radar system provided by the Navy.

PHASE III: Fully mature, test and integrate the technology into the radar system. Work with the applicable Navy Program Office and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to facilitate transition planning and execution.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The technology developed under this topic has direct utility to a wide variety of commercial and military communication and radar systems.

REFERENCES:
1. Department of Commerce, 2013, Evaluation of the 5350-5470 MHZ and 5850-5925 MHZ Bands Pursuant to Section 6406(b) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Retrieved from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ntia_5_ghz_report_01-25-2013.pdf.

2. Department of Defense, 2008, Strategic Spectrum Plan, Submitted to the Department of Commerce In Response to The Presidential Spectrum Policy Reform Initiative, Retrieved from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/dod_strategic_spectrum_plan_nov2007.pdf.

KEYWORDS: Communications; Radar; Electromagnetic Interference; Waveform Design; Spectrum Allocation; EMI Mitigation

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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