Navy researchers approach industry for next-generation electronic warfare technologies

ARLINGTON, Va., 26 Nov. 2012. Scientists at the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., are reaching out to industry for technologies that will lead to the next generation of electronic warfare (EW) systems for Navy and Marine Corps. forces.

ONR issued a broad agency announcement (ONRBAA13-005) last week for the Electronic Warfare Technology program, which seeks to enhance Navy and Marine Corps capability to control the electromagnetic spectrum by exploiting, deceiving, or denying enemy use of the spectrum while ensuring its use by U.S. and allied forces.

The goal is to provide the Navy and Marine Corps with improved threat warning systems; electronic warfare support (ES); decoys and countermeasures against weapon tracking and guidance systems; electronic attack (EA) against adversary command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR); and electronic protection (EP) of U.S. and allied weapons and C4ISR from intentional and unintentional interference.

ONR EW experts will brief industry on the Electronic Warfare Technology program starting at 10 a.m. on 18 Dec. in Arlington, Va. Register by e-mail to [email protected] no later than 14 Dec. 2012. No walk-in registration is allowed.

In registration e-mails include name of attendees, titles, organization, department or company division, phone, fax, and e-mail address. Those unable to attend the briefings may view briefing slides, questions, and answers online after 18 Dec. at www.onr.navy.mil/02/BAA.

Objectives of the ONR Electronic Warfare Technology program include enabling cognitive and adaptive electronic warfare; technologies for high throughput and rapidly programmable EW systems; emulation environments for adaptive and targeted electronic warfare; and innovative EW concepts.

Cognitive and adaptive EW work will include applying adaptive and machine learning algorithms to EW to replace traditional static emitter databases and pre-programmed countermeasures to counter EW systems that are agile in waveforms, bandwidth, functionality, and diversity of electronic protection modes.

Technologies for high throughput and rapidly programmable EW systems involves developing enabling technologies for reconfigurable EW systems that have extremely high-volume processing capability to consume a large amount of raw sensor data, extract high-level knowledge from this data, and then derive optimized EW attack strategies in real-time while operating over very large bandwidths.

Emulation environments for adaptive and targeted electronic warfare will center on developing emulated RF environments or modeling and simulation environments to enable the development, testing, and validation of advanced cognitive and targeted EW techniques and systems.

Innovative EW concepts will involve exploring innovative concepts in electronic support, electronic attack, and electronic protection that could produce fundamental changes in the way Navy and Marine Corps forces conduct EW operations.

Companies interested in participating in the ONR Electronic Warfare Technology program should submit white papers no later than 5 Feb. 2013 by e-mail to [email protected].

Promising white paper presenters will be asked to give oral presentations. Those invited to submit full proposals should respond no later than 7 May 2013.

For questions or concerns contact the ONR's Peter Craig by e-mail at [email protected], or Kevin Rudd at [email protected]. E-mail business questions to the ONR's Rebecca Foster at [email protected].

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/ONR/ONR/ONRBAA13-005/listing.html.