The U.S. Air Force has selected nonprofit research and development organization Southwest Research Institute to design a digital, ultra-wideband receiver technology for the detection of advanced enemy radar signals.
SwRI said Tuesday the open-architecture UWR system uses a single processing card to rapidly intercept signals across a broader instantaneous bandwidth coverage of the electromagnetic spectrum and works to eliminate false detections to ensure accuracy.
“This open-system-based receiver will offer the military an ultra-wideband capability that can be integrated into existing defense systems to improve situational awareness and mission effectiveness,” said Finley Hicks, head of the UWR development team at SwRI.
SwRI will deliver the size, weight and power-optimized technology to the Air Force under a $4.8 million contract.
“It is important that the U.S. stays ahead of the advanced and emerging radars of potential combatants, while maintaining the ability to operate in ever-congested radio-frequency environments that contain a wide range of signals, from military radars to cell phones, TV and radio signals,” Hicks said.
