Next-generation counter-improvised-explosive-device technologies are goal of Navy's planned JCREW 3.3 upgrades

ARLINGTON, Va., 10 March 2011. Scientists at the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., are asking the aerospace and defense industry for proposals to improve Joint Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) technologies to enable U.S. and allied fighting forces to detect and defeat roadside and other hidden bombs that are detonated with cell phones, garage door openers, and other small radio frequency devices.ONR officials issued a broad agency announcement Tuesday (ONRBAA11-017) that asks industry for new ideas and technologies to improve next-generation JCREW equipment. ONR wants full proposals that address hardware, software, techniques, or technology developments.

JCREW enables several electronic warfare jammers to work together on a network to detect RF signals intended to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and jam the signals quickly enough to prevent IED detonation.

JCREW systems, which are man-portable, vehicle-mounted, or located in fixed sites, use advanced digital signal processing, embedded computing, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), fast A/D converters, antennas, and other advanced digital and analog technologies to respond extremely quickly to IED-detonation signals and jam them before they can explode their hidden bombs.

Specifically, ONR scientists are asking industry for new JCREW technologies in antennas, receivers, transmitters, isolation techniques, modulators and techniques, signal generators, intelligent network jamming, extremely wideband spectral mapping, signal assessment system (SAS), direction finding and geo-location, situational awareness data fusion, electromagnetic compatibility, JCREW network centric operations, packaging and cooling, scalable open architectures, simultaneous transmit and receive, and other JCREW-related technologies.

-- low-profile or low-observable antennas are for vehicles and foot soldiers with wide-bandwidth, multi-function capability to perform communications and counter-radio controlled improvised explosive device (C-RCIED) operations;

-- RF receiver and transmitter technologies to make the most of broadband RF coverage at frequencies between the mid-LF to mid-EHF frequencies;

-- isolation techniques that enable receivers to operate reliably near out of band, co-site, and high-power transmitters;

-- modulators and techniques that enable JCREW systems to generate several simultaneous and coherent jamming waveforms with low noise in response to detected RF emissions;

-- signal generators able to switch quickly between waveforms to support on-demand signal delivery to transmitters;

-- intelligent network jamming techniques for jamming individual RF devices participating in a network;

-- extremely wideband spectral mapping to provide real-time RF situational awareness to signal processing and assessment tools;

-- signal assessment system (SAS) to separate hostile RF trigger signals rapidly from the background RF emissions;

-- direction finding and geo-location of threat devices focus jamming energy effectively;

-- situational awareness data fusion of sensor systems, including electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), operating in a common battlespace with JCREW systems;

-- electromagnetic compatibility to enable JCREW systems to operate effectively alongside communications and signals-intelligence activities;

-- network centric operations to enable JCREW systems to communicate with one another and with other platforms and systems;

-- packaging and cooling for the JCREW power amplifier;

-- simultaneous transmit and receive electronics and photonics technologies that will eliminate the need to blanket the receiver while transmitting and receiving from one aperture; and

-- other technologies to improve existing JCREW systems.

Companies interested must mail JCREW proposals to ONR no later than 15 July 2011 at Office of Naval Research, Attn: Mr. David Tremper, ONR Department Code 312, 875 North Randolph St. - Suite 1125, Arlington, VA 22203-1995. Those who plan to submit proposals first must e-mail white papers no later than 16 May 2011 to [email protected].

For technical questions or concerns contact ONR's David Tremper by e-mail at [email protected] or Peter Craig at [email protected]. For business questions or concerns contact ONR's Rebecca Foster by e-mail at [email protected] or Vera M. Carroll at [email protected]. For security questions contact ONR's Diana Pacheco by e-mail at [email protected].

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/ONR/ONR/ONRBAA11-017/listing.html.