Navy seeks simulations of rapidly changing airborne threats to help enhance F-35 strike fighter targeting
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. – U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are surveying industry for companies able to provide simulations of enemy radio, radar, and electronic warfare (EW) signals to help refine the airborne targeting sensor suite on the F-35 joint strike fighter (JSF).
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., issued a source-sought notice (N00019-18-R-0028) on Monday for the F-35 Radio Frequency Environment project. This initiative seeks to expand the library of simulated coherent radar and EW signals for inclusion in the F-35 JSF Reprogramming Enterprise (JRE) laboratories.
The F-35's advanced sensor suite is more sensitive than that of any other combat aircraft before it, and military avionics experts are still working on identifying everything the F-35 sensors can detect.
To identify enemy missile launches, radio frequencies, weapons, sensors and other adversary systems correctly, the F-35's avionics must be able to match detected signals against known signatures of enemy systems stored the plane's software called threat libraries.
Without the ability to match detected signals against known threats, the F-35's sensitive sensor suite might not be sure of what it's seeing. Navy experts want the ability to simulate rapidly changing threats that F-35 sensors detect to refine and update the plane's on-board threat libraries.
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Navy experts want these simulations to include hardware and software that are compatible with the radar and EW subsystems aboard the F-35. Experts want to test new simulation equipment against f-35 equipment available the original manufacturers, because government-provided equipment is not available for this effort.
In addition, Navy experts are looking for digital models of susceptibility, as well as high-fidelity F-35 radar models. Navy experts say they expect to order this equipment from August 2018 through 2022.
Companies interested that have the necessary expertise should email written capability statements to the Navy's Kevin Harding at [email protected].
Contact Kevin Harding for questions or concerns by email at [email protected], or by phone at 703-602-5086. More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVAIR/N00019/N00019-18-R-0028/listing.html.
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John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
