The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals for the topic of "Passive Sensing for Distributed Radars" as part of their SBIR 24.1 BAA solicitation. The research aims to develop capabilities for passive sensing of distributed radars. The key technical objectives include passively collecting radar reflections, measuring the time difference of arrival (TDOA) of collected signals, determining the range of the object, calculating the location, heading, and speed of the object, developing techniques for accurate location, heading, and speed estimation with limited knowledge of the emitting source, and providing information for sizing passive arrays for different mission areas.
The typical sensors used in this research consist of a transmitter and a receiver, but passive sensors collect radar reflections using third-party transmitters in the environment. The proposed solutions could involve new passive sensing approaches, new processing algorithms, or a combination of both. The research will be conducted in three phases. In Phase I, radar reflections will be passively collected and the TDOA of collected signals will be measured. Phase II will focus on determining the bistatic range of the object and calculating its location, heading, and speed. In Phase III, the technology will be improved and a full design will be implemented, potentially including shrinking the system size, enhancing the hardware/software solution, and incorporating lessons learned from the previous phases.
The research falls under the Missile Defense Agency branch of the Department of Defense and is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR). The project duration and funding specifics are not provided in the document. The solicitation notice can be found at the following link: SBIR Topic Link.