SBIR-STTR Award

Compact Electron Beam Multifrequency Broadband Antenna (C-VLF) in Support of Assured Communications and Radiation Belt Remediation
Award last edited on: 6/19/2023

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : AF
Total Award Amount
$1,499,991
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF212-DCSO1
Principal Investigator
Yil-Bong Kim

Company Information

ENIG Associates Inc

4600 East West Highway Suite 500
Bethesda, MD 20814
   (301) 680-8600
   info@enig.com
   www.enig.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 08
County: Montgomery

Phase I

Contract Number: N/A
Start Date: 9/7/2021    Completed: 9/6/2023
Phase I year
2021
Phase I Amount
$1
Direct to Phase II

Phase II

Contract Number: FA8735-21-C-0008
Start Date: 9/7/2021    Completed: 9/6/2023
Phase II year
2021
Phase II Amount
$1,499,990
Proposal Summary: Enig Associates, Inc. is proposing a compact VLF transmitter system to address Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center applications and for dual use applications for Navy, Army, and commercial market. The proposed VLF transmitter, having successfully completed its Phase I proof-of-concept demonstration with subcontractor, Georgia Tech, can be combined with current state of the art, compact, and sensitive VLF receiver to enable two-way communications in many Air Force applications including nuclear forces communications and space applications of VLF wave excitation in magnetosphere. The proposed system is composed of compact vacuum tube antenna and filled with electron beam which is modulated by applied VLF. Output signal strength is scalable with antenna length and electron beam current. Power output is 100 times of magnitude larger than the conventional VLF loop transmitter with similar size and current. The data throughput is also significantly higher than the conventional VLF transmitter, because the proposed VLF transmitter signal is generated by electron beam current and it is not limited by fundamental bandwidth limitation of electrically small antenna. We propose to design, build, and test VLF transmitter in a vacuum test chamber and a portable vacuum tube system for dual purpose Air Force applications of airborne nuclear force applications on earth and radiational belt remediation by VLF excitation in space to satisfy the Air Force customer’s requirement.