Award Data

OptTek proposes to create a new methodology and tool set, “OptDef,” to provide MDA a capability to optimize Ballistic Missile Defense systems—a capability that will enable MDA to answer credibly not only “what if?”, but also “what’s best?” and “why this and not that?” OptDef will build on proven OptTek-proprietary technologies in simulation optimization that will leverage MD ...

Micro-RDC is developing a Radiation Hardened 64Mbit SONOS based Nonvolatile Memory with the highest levels of reliability. It will be manufactured in a130nm technology at a high volume, high yielding semiconductor foundry. No process development will be needed for this project. The product will include techniques such as redundancy, internal EDAC, hardened latches and proven RHBD layout in order ...

Our PHASE II effort intends to take forward the 3 best Black Surface Processes as a result of the PHASE I study effort. The processes chosen: Deep Space Black (DSB), Deep Cobre Black (DCB), Deep Immersion Black (DIB), have shown the potential to meet the surface quality needs of the community on a variety of substrate materials. All require additional effort in PHASE II to open the "application ...

The current U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) is comprised of a range of components, the integration of which is the responsibility of the Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) system. In the current architecture, track data from Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) systems and ground-based radar systems are processed separately. However, ongoing work is devel ...

Foreign missile threat will increase as ballistic missile technology becomes available on an international scale. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) requires high performance, high sensitivity and low noise infrared sensors for space based sensing applications that operate in environments where radiation hardness is essential to mission operation. Radiation hard by design (RHBD) readout integrated circu ...

Phased array antenna systems are growing in use within military systems. These arrays of thousands of elements need precise control of the aperture distributions to meet requirements for gain, sidelobes, etc. Errors in these phase and amplitude distributions over time will degrade the performance of these apertures. FIRST RF favors simple concepts with little or no hardware impact that fully ch ...

Current MDA High Energy Laser systems have can greatly benefit from more agile scanning optical systems.'' This proposal focuses on improving key characteristics of LHDC''s current scanners. These characteristics include scan performance, step response, pointing accuracy and optical coating survivability by utilizing innovative scanner mirror substrate materials and actuator configurations. Addi ...

Resource optimization for battle management in ballistic missile defense requires the determination of both the optimal allocation and optimal employment of sensors and weapons against threat launches. This becomes especially difficult for threats in ascent phase, where the class of potential algorithms is restricted by severe time and information constraints. In this proposal, we focus on the a ...

The development outlined in this proposal will lead to an advanced concept modular IBS coating system capable of coating ~1m diameter optics to a high degree of uniformity, while maintaining our industry-leading laser damage threshold performance. In Phase I, coating uniformity in a commercial IBS chamber will be dramatically improved, and applied to 30cm diameter substrates. In Phase II, this t ...

Propagation Research Associates, Inc., (PRA) proposes to utilize its unique capabilities in atmospheric effects characterization, atmospheric effects mitigation, and track processing to develop multi-spectral track correlation algorithms to improve boost phase optical-to-radar track correlation for multiple sensor fusion in support of ascent phase intercept of ballistic missiles. PRA proposes to ...