High Efficiency SIGINT Collection Navy SBIR FY2012.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2012.2 Topic No.: N122-121 Topic Title: High Efficiency SIGINT Collection Proposal No.: N122-121-0858 Firm: Numerica Corporation 4850 Hahns Peak Drive Suite 200 Loveland, Colorado 80538 Contact: Benjamin Slocumb Phone: (970) 612-2312 Web Site: www.numerica.us Abstract: U.S. intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) platforms employ SIGINT sensors for target platform detection, identification and location. Many receivers are narrowband and are scanned over the RF spectrum (e.g., 2-18 GHz) in search of RF emitters of interest. With the rapid proliferation of RF technology, the signal spectrum has become complex and congested placing a burden on the SIGINT receiver to keep up with its surveillance and data processing requirements. However, the receiver must maintain a high probability of intercept for critical emitters. The objective of this SBIR topic is to develop methods for efficient SIGINT receiver data collection and processing. This proposed program will develop a mathematical optimization algorithm that will generate a receiver frequency band scan schedule that maximizes the receiver's resource usage. The algorithm is envisioned to enable the mission planner to prioritize the scan schedule for specific emitter signal intercept. The solution will be applicable to fielded receiver systems such as the ALQ-217, and should not require any hardware modifications. A software prototype that implements the optimization algorithm will be developed, and simulation results will be prepared that demonstrate the advantages of an optimized scan schedule compare to a baseline schedule. Benefits: SIGINT receivers such as the ALQ-217 are used to collect RF emissions from potential targets of interest for the purposes of detecting, identifying, and locating the target platform. The requirements placed on these receivers is significant, and as the signal spectrum becomes more complex and congested there is a need to improve the efficiency of the receiver's usage. Modern techniques in digital signal processing can provide benefit, but may require specific hardware changes to fielded receivers to become useful. Given budgetary trends, upgrades of this nature are not likely to be practical. Given this, we have developed a proposed program that seeks to improve SIGINT receiver resource usage by optimizing the way in which the receiver searches the RF spectrum for emitters. This solution would be immediately applicable and would not require a hardware modification. The proposed program seeks to develop a new optimization algorithm that will generate a receiver band scan schedule. The schedule produced is in the form of a software data table that is loaded into the receiver. Therefore, the key benefits of this program are the following: (i) a new receiver scan schedule optimization algorithm will be developed; (ii) the solution produces an software mission data table that can be loaded into a SIGINT receiver, thus no hardware changes to the receiver are required; (iii) the solution is useful in systems with a narrowband scanned receiver, such as the ALQ-217 and ALQ-218, making generally applicable to a broad collection of Navy SIGINT receivers. The solution proposed in this program provides a methodology for the SIGINT receiver mission planner to prioritize the data collection approach. Often a mission is planned where timely intercept of signals from key targets is critical. The proposed solution offers a way to design the RF band scan schedule such that the likelihood of intercept of each anticipated emitter can be specified. Since the receiver has finite dwell time resources, tradeoffs in the intercept performance will occur when resources are directed towards collection from specific high-priority emitters. Through the use of a global optimization formulation, the application of the receiver resources can be balanced across a prioritized set of emitters. This capability (the ability to automatically optimize the scan schedule for a specific mission) will greatly benefit the SIGINT mission planners, who currently tend to select the scan schedule based on manual methods. Return