N102-139 TITLE: Exploiting Multipath for Efficient Target Classification

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Sensors, Weapons

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-231 E-2 / C-2 Program Office

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is "ITAR Restricted." The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120 - 130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign Citizens may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign citizen who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal will be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: Develop an innovative method to improve the efficiency and accuracy of Radar Cross Section (RCS) based target classification by exploiting naturally occurring multipath.

DESCRIPTION: Target classification or identification (ID) is often accomplished using radar measurements to determine an "image" of the target in the form of RCS, and then matching the measured image against a database. Doing this with a traditional approach requires collecting and processing large amounts of sensor data over a wide field of view in order to obtain sufficient image quality. Moreover, when multipath is present, as in urban or hilly settings, image quality is degraded, and classification performance suffers. A technology that can exploit environmental multipath to improve the efficiency and quality of RCS imaging, instead of degrading it, to enable faster and more accurate target classification is needed.

The goal of this effort is to develop a mathematical basis of the concept to be incorporated into an analytical model, which will be used to prove (or reject) the utility of this approach. Promising approaches may incorporate electromagnetic-based multipath modeling and methods to reconstruct the target�s free-space scattering behavior. Ultimately, experimentation will be performed, in which live data from a controlled multipath environment is collected and processed off-line to develop the RCS signature of an actual target.

PHASE I: Perform a detailed analysis and modeling effort to assess the feasibility of an approach to exploit multipath target classification with fewer sensor samples. Identify major technical challenges that if not addressed would limit the suitability of this technology and estimate which technical challenges pose the greatest technical and cost risk.

PHASE II: Significantly increase the fidelity of electromagnetic and processing simulation to be more representative of operational environments. Develop and end-to-end prototype system. Evaluate and improve the system using experimental data obtained in a real-world multipath environment.

Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. Owned and Operated with no Foreign Influence as defined by DOD 5220.22-M, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been be implemented and approved by the Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor and/or subcontractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances, in order to perform on advanced phases of this contract as set forth by DSS and NAVAIR in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material in accordance with DoD 5220.22-M during the advance phases of this contract.

PHASE III: Transition the developed technology to appropriate platforms and interested commercial entities.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Target RCS matching is an important element in air traffic control and maritime navigation and control. Success of this topic would benefit those fields. This technology could also be applied to municipal and private security, as well as natural-resource exploration.

REFERENCES:
1. Vespe, M, Baker, C.J. & Griffiths, H.D. (2007). Radar target classification using multiple
Perspectives, IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation, 1, (4), pp. 300�307

2. You, Y., Hong, S., Min,K., Lee, K., Kwon K. & Jeon, W. (2005). Analysis of OFDM Timing Synchronization Using Multipath Exploitation (Wireless Communication Technologies), IEICE Transactions on Communications E88-B(2):781-783

3. Arnaud, D., Brousseau, C., & Bourdillon, A. (2000). Study of flight route effects on aircraft RCS signature at VH frequencies by means of wire grid models. Univ. Radar Conference. The Record of the IEEE 2000 International

KEYWORDS: multipath exploitation; RCS signature; target classification; computational electromagnetics; pattern matching; scattering

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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