The concept of distributed maritime operations is reliant on low latency and high throughput connectivity throughout the fleet to accurately utilize the available information at the pace of combat. The use of multibeam phased arrays will allow the future force to operate multiple simultaneous data links from each platform, which will dramatically increase the connectivity, resilience, and speed of the network. Moreover, digital phased array technology allows for tremendous flexibility and future growth by substituting application-specific RF beamforming with scalable/upgradable digital processing. The proposed FIRST RF approach uses a highly flexible modular building block with design roots in high yield manufacturing. The FIRST RF array architecture addresses the basic physics constraints of heat, space, and aperture efficiency found in all phased array systems, and has been highly successful in adopting best-in-class RF and digital components to maintain cutting-edge performance.
Benefit: The successful results of this SBIR will support improved flexibility and situational awareness for the warfighter in naval and expeditionary operations. The resulting technology will also easily upgradeable over time to keep pace with advancing technology and outpace potential threats. In the commercial realm, emerging 5G applications will offer opportunities for multibeam and digitally beamformed phased arrays.
Keywords: digital beamforming, digital beamforming, Networking, reconfigurable, Modular, Digital RF, dual polarization, phased array
