Rome Laboratory/PKPX, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome NY 13441-4514

A -- SPECIAL NOTICE: ROME LABORATORY'S FY 97 SBIR TOPICS SOL SBIR TOPIC 25 POC Joetta A. Bernhard, Contracting Officer, A/C 315-330-2308; Margot Ashcroft, SBIR Program Manager, 315-330-1793. PART 6 OF 6. ROME LABORATORY'S FY 97 SBIR TOPIC. ROME LABORATORY IS PLEASED TO MAKE AVAILABLE THE FOLLOWING SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATIVE RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM TOPICS, AS FOLLOWS: SBIR TOPIC (25) - TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: John M. Pirog, RL/IWT, 315-330-7990. TITLE: Defensive Information Warfare Technology. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to improve the state of the art in Defensive Information Warfare technologies by providing innovative basic research in information system integrity, availability, security, and vulnerability assessment. Concepts and capabilities are needed to support a wide variety of missions including worldwide joint missions. The new concepts and technologies should address the Counter Information needs of US and allied systems for Information Warfare. The full spectrum of military operations should be considered. DESCRIPTION: Defensive Information Warfare technologies span a number of different areas. Information Warfare planning functions are needed which provide for the application of defensive technologies. Application of these technologies must include the entire system of systems and not just individual elements within the system. Recovery techniques and technologies are required to ensure continuous information operations. The ability to automatically perform near vulnerability assessment and subsequent real-time modification of the information system is needed to address increases in both the number and sophistication of threats. Predictive analysis capabilities are needed to provide analysis of intrusion potential which will provide the greatest amount of lead time to protect and contain information threats (e.g. Indications and Warning).- PHASE I: Define and propose the development of Defensive Information Warfare technologies and capabilities for use within existing and future information systems. Rudimentary proof of concept prototypes should be developed to demonstrate the ideas proposed. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION POTENTIAL: Technologies developed should have the widest global applicability to both AF and commercial information systems. The Air Force is quickly adopting COTS as the primary information system medium and therefore commercialization of the non-military specific portion of the Defensive Information Warfare technologies or concepts should be highly desirable. : SBIR TOPIC (26) TITLE: RF Photonics Technology. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: Gregory Zagar, RL/OC, 315-330-3142. OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative RF photonics technologies to enhance RF performance, availability, and affordability of C4I systems. DESCRIPTION: Investigate and develop innovative technologies and techniques using RF photonics to improve and otherwise enhance the performance of electronic communications, command, and control systems. Develop new methods to apply RF photonics technology to systems performance resulting in improvements to existing systems and innovative approaches for new systems where RF photonics implementation will result in lower cost, higher performance, and/or lighter weight. Fabrication of advanced RF optical and RF electro-optical components into subsystems with generalized compatibility with existing systems is encouraged. Specific areas of interest include but are not limited to the following: OPTICAL RF INTERCONNECTS: High RF frequency, high power, low noise optical sources, High RF frequency, high optical power, low noise photodetectors, High frequency low Vpi photonic modulators, and reconfigurable, integrated RF optical signal routing techniques. Frequency responses to be considered are broadband up to 100 Ghz minimum with minimum bandwidths of 20% in specific bands of interest. OPTICAL RF BEAMFORMING: Photonically-based RF true time delay techniques for RF phased arrays and photonically implemented RF phased arrays operation up to 100 Ghz. Minimum requirements are 30% bandwidth. OPTICAL RF SIGNAL PROCESSING: Direct RF antenna nulling using new innovative broadband - minimum of 4 Ghz RF bandwidth - techniques. - PHASE I: Conduct concept verification and experimentation justifying the technology need and proving the value of the planned approach. Develop a demonstration plan for Phase II. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL MARKET: RF signal remoting for high frequency radio systems. Reconfigurable RF interconnects. Lossless RF routing systems. RF antenna nulling for frequency reuse. SBIR TOPIC (27) TITLE: Photonic Signal Processing. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: Gregory Zagar, RL/OC, 315-330-3142. OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative approaches to apply optoelectronics technology to Air Force C4I signal processing systems platforms. DESCRIPTION: The performance limits of conventional approaches to air and ground surveillance are now being stressed by the emergence of low-observable threats, sophisticated electronic countermeasures, increased target densities, and the complexity of engagement of the modern battlefield. A number of multi-spectral sensor fusion techniques and electronic counter-counter measures have been widely identified as a means to increase surveillance capabilities against these threats. Processing requirements of many of these schemes, however, remain prohibitive, outpacing the rate of advance of conventional electronics. Estimated near-term processor requirements are in excess of two orders of magnitude beyond those of all-electronic contemporary surveillance platforms. Investigate and develop optical techniques that may offer potential solutions to this processing dilemma. Investigate and develop innovative technologies and techniques using photonic and opto-electronics technology to improve and otherwise enhance the performance of electronic communications, command, and control systems. Develop new methods to apply photonics processing technology to systems resulting in performance improvements to existing systems and innovative approaches for new systems where a photonics based implementation will result in lower cost, enhanced capability, and/or lighter weight. Fabrication for insertion of advanced photonics and electro-optical components into subsystems with generalized compatibility with existing systems is encouraged. Specific areas of interest include but are not limited to the following: OPTICAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES & SYSTEMS: Application developments to include Bragg cell based processing, photorefractive devices and other non-linear optical devices to implement processing algorithms without the necessity of optoelectronic conversion. Digital optical processing to include optical interconnects, architectures, algorithms, switching and logic, non-linear optics aimed at low power systems which process totally in the optical domain with minimal or no electronic conversion INTEGRATED OPTICAL SUB-SYSTEMS: Methods for systems integration of high data rate sources/detectors/modulators for analog and/or digital operation, network optical processing for multi-gigabit per second transmission, and integrated optoelectronic circuits (OEICs) and integrated optomicrowave circuits (OMICs) for future low cost reproducible implementation of advanced photonic systems.- PHASE I: Conduct concept verification and experimentation justifying the technology need and proving the value of the planned approach. Develop a demonstration plan for Phase II. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL MARKET: Transferred to the civilian sector, this technology will be used to provide increased capability in FAA radar surveillance and safety, and in newly capable real-time imaging medical system applications at reduced overall cost. Rapid processing of multispectral signals also finds use in mass communications and entertainment system. (0229)

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