AIR FORCE
SBIR 08.3 Proposal Submission Instructions
The AF proposal submission instructions are intended to clarify the DoD instructions as they apply to AF requirements.
The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is responsible for the implementation and management of the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
The Air Force Program Manager is Mr. Steve Guilfoos, 1-800-222-0336. For general inquires or problems with the electronic submission, contact the DoD Help Desk at 1-866-724-7457 (1-866-SBIRHLP) (8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST). For technical questions about the topic during the pre-solicitation period (28 July through 24 August 2008), contact the Topic Authors listed for each topic on the Web site. For information on obtaining answers to your technical questions during the formal solicitation period (25 August through 24 September 2008), go to http://www.dodsbir.net/sitis/.
The Air Force SBIR Program is a mission-oriented program that integrates the needs and requirements of the Air Force through R&D topics that have military and commercial potential.
PHASE I PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
Read the DoD program solicitation at www.dodsbir.net/solicitation for program requirements. When you prepare your proposal, keep in mind that Phase I should address the feasibility of a solution to the topic. For the Air Force, the contract period of performance for Phase I shall be nine (9) months, and the award shall not exceed $100,000. We will accept only one cost proposal per topic proposal and it must address the entire nine-month contract period of performance.
The Phase I award winners must accomplish the majority of their primary research during the first six months of the contract. Each Air Force organization may request Phase II proposals prior to the completion of the first six months of the contract based upon an evaluation of the contractor’s technical progress and review by the Air Force Technical point of contact utilizing the criteria in section 4.3 of the DoD solicitation The last three months of the nine-month Phase I contract will provide project continuity for all Phase II award winners so no modification to the Phase I contract should be necessary. Phase I technical proposals have a 20 page-limit (excluding the cost proposal, cost proposal itemized listing (a – h), and Company Commercialization Report). The Air Force will evaluate and select Phase I proposals using review criteria based upon technical merit, principal investigator qualifications, and commercialization potential as discussed in this solicitation document.
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ALL PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS TO THE AIR FORCE PROGRAM MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY.
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Limitations on Length of Proposal
The technical proposal must be no more than 20 pages (no type smaller than 10-point on standard 8 1/2 " x 11" paper with one (1) inch margins). The Cost Proposal, cost proposal itemized listing (a-h), and Company Commercialization Report are excluded from the 20 page limit. Only the Proposal Cover Sheet (pages 1 & 2), the Technical Proposal (beginning with page 3), and any enclosures or attachments count toward the 20-page limit. In the interest of equity, pages in excess of the 20-page limitation (including attachments, appendices, or references, but excluding the cost proposal, cost proposal itemized listing (a-h), and Company Commercialization Report, will not be considered for review or award.
Proposal Cover Sheets. Your cover sheets will count as the first two pages of your proposal no matter how they print out. If your proposal is selected for award, the technical abstract and discussion of anticipated benefits will be publicly released on the Internet; therefore, do not include proprietary information in these sections.
Technical Proposal: The Technical Proposal should include all graphics and attachments but should not include the Cover Sheet or Company Commercialization Report (as these items are completed separately). Most proposals will be printed out on black and white printers so make sure all graphics are distinguishable in black and white. It is strongly encouraged that you perform a virus check on each submission to avoid complications or delays in submitting your Technical Proposal. To verify that your proposal has been received, click on the “Check Upload” icon to view your proposal. Typically, your uploaded file will be virus checked and converted to PDF within the hour. However, if your proposal does not appear after an hour, please contact the DoD Help Desk at 1-866-724-7457 (8am to 5pm EST).
Key Personnel
Identify in the technical proposal key personnel who will be involved in this project, including information on directly related education and experience. A resume of the principle investigator, including a list of publications, if any, must be included. Resumes of proposed consultants, if any, are also useful. Consultant resumes may be abbreviated. Please identify any foreign nationals you expect to be involved in this project, as a direct employee, subcontractor, or consultant. Please provide resumes, country of origin and an explanation of the individual’s involvement.
Phase I Work Plan Outline
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NOTE: PROPRIETARY INFORMATION SHALL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE WORK PLAN OUTLINE. THE AF WILL USE THIS WORK PLAN OUTLINE AS THE INITIAL DRAFT OF THE PHASE I STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW). |
At the beginning of your proposal work plan section, include an outline of the work plan in the following format:
1) Scope
List the major requirements and specifications of the effort.
2) Task Outline
Provide a brief outline of the work to be accomplished over the span of the Phase I effort.
3) Milestone Schedule
4) Deliverables
a. Kickoff meeting within 30 days of contract start
b. Progress reports
c. Technical review within 6 months
d. Final report with SF 298
Cost Proposal
Cost proposal information should be provided by completing the on-line Cost Proposal form and including the cost proposal itemized listing (a-h) specified below. The cost proposal information must be at a level of detail that would enable Air Force personnel to determine the purpose, necessity and reasonability of each cost element. Provide sufficient information (a through h below) on how funds will be used if the contract is awarded. The on-line cost proposal, and itemized cost proposal information (a-h) will not count against the 20 page limit. The itemized listing may be placed in the “Explanatory Material” section of the on-line Cost Proposal form (if enough room), or as the last page(s) of the Technical Proposal Upload. (Note: Only one file can be uploaded to the DoD Submission Site). Ensure that this file includes your complete Technical Proposal and the cost proposal itemized listing (a-h) information.
a. Special Tooling and Test Equipment and Material: The inclusion of equipment and materials will be carefully reviewed relative to need and appropriateness of the work proposed. The purchase of special tooling and test equipment must, in the opinion of the Contracting Officer, be advantageous to the government and relate directly to the specific effort. They may include such items as innovative instrumentation and / or automatic test equipment.
b. Direct Cost Materials: Justify costs for materials, parts, and supplies with an itemized list containing types, quantities, and price and where appropriate, purposes.
c. Other Direct Costs: This category of costs includes specialized services such as machining or milling, special testing or analysis, costs incurred in obtaining temporary use of specialized equipment. Proposals, which include leased hardware, must provide an adequate lease vs. purchase justification or rational.
d. Direct Labor: Identify key personnel by name if possible or by labor category if specific names are not available. The number of hours, labor overhead and / or fringe benefits and actual hourly rates for each individual are also necessary.
e. Travel: Travel costs must relate to the needs of the project. Break out travel cost by trip, with the number of travelers, airfare, per diem, lodging, etc. The number of trips required, as well as the destination and purpose of each trip. Recommend budgeting at least one (1) trip to the Air Force location managing the contract.
f. Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is permitted. However, cost sharing is not required, nor will it be an evaluation factor in the consideration of a proposal. Please note that cost share contracts do not allow fees.
g. Subcontracts: Involvement of university or other consultants in the planning and/or research stages of the project may be appropriate. If the offeror intends such involvement, described in detail and include information in the cost proposal. The proposed total of all consultant fees, facility leases or usage fees and other subcontract or purchase agreements may not exceed one-third of the total contract price or cost, unless otherwise approved in writing by the contracting officer.
(NOTE): The Small Business Administration has issued the following guidance:
“Agencies participating in the SBIR Program will not issue SBIR contracts to small business firms that include provisions for subcontracting any portion of that contract award back to the originating agency or any other Federal Government agency.” See Section 2.6 of the DoD program solicitation for more details.
Support subcontract costs with copies of the subcontract agreements. The supporting agreement documents must adequately describe the work to be performed (i.e. cost proposal). At the very least, a statement of work with a corresponding detailed cost proposal for each planned subcontract.
h. Consultants: Provide a separate agreement letter for each consultant. The letter should briefly state what service or assistance will be provided, the number of hours required and hourly rate.
Failure to meet any of the criteria will result in your proposal being REJECTED and the Air Force will not evaluate your proposal.
1) The Air Force Phase I proposal shall be a nine month effort and the cost shall not exceed $100,000.
2) The Air Force will accept only those proposals submitted electronically via the DoD SBIR Web site (www.dodsbir.net/submission).
3) You must submit your Company Commercialization Report electronically via the DoD SBIR Web site (www.dodsbir.net/submission).
It is mandatory that the complete proposal submission -- DoD Proposal Cover Sheet, Technical Proposal with any appendices, Cost Proposal, and the Company Commercialization Report -- be submitted electronically through the DoD SBIR Web site at http://www.dodsbir.net/submission. Each of these documents is to be submitted separately through the Web site. Your complete proposal must be submitted via the submissions site on or before the 6:00 am EST, 24 September 2008 deadline. A hardcopy will not be accepted. Signatures are not required at proposal submission when submitting electronically. If you have any questions or problems with electronic submission, contact the DoD SBIR Help Desk at 1-866-724-7457 (8am to 5pm EST).
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The Air Force recommends that you complete your submission early, as computer traffic gets heavy near the solicitation closing and could slow down the system. Do not wait until the last minute. The Air Force will not be responsible for proposals being denied due to servers being “down” or inaccessible. Please assure that your e-mail address listed in your proposal is current and accurate. By the end of January, you will receive an e-mail serving as our acknowledgement that we have received your proposal. The Air Force is not responsible for notifying companies that change their mailing address, their e-mail address, or company official after proposal submission.
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As a means of drawing greater attention to SBIR accomplishments, the Air Force has developed a Virtual Shopping Mall at http://www.sbirsttrmall.com. Along with being an information resource concerning SBIR policies and procedures, the Shopping Mall is designed to help facilitate the Phase III transition process. In this regard, the Shopping Mall features: (a) SBIR Impact / Success Stories written by the Air Force; and (b) Phase I and Phase II summary reports that are written and submitted by SBIR companies. Since summary reports are intended for public viewing via the Internet, they should not contain classified, sensitive, or proprietary information. Submission of a Phase I Final Summary Report is a mandatory requirement for any company awarded a Phase I contract in response to this solicitation.
Evaluation of the primary research effort and the proposal will be based on the scientific review criteria factors (i.e., technical merit, principal investigator (and team), and commercialization plan). Please note that where technical evaluations are essentially equal in merit, and as cost and/or price is a substantial factor, cost to the government will be considered in determining the successful offeror. The Air Force anticipates that pricing will be based on adequate price competition. The next tie-breaker on essentially equal proposals will be the inclusion of manufacturing technology considerations.
The Air Force will utilize the Phase I evaluation criteria in section 4.2 of the DoD solicitation in descending order of importance with technical merit being most important, followed by the qualifications of the principal investigator (and team), and followed by commercialization plan. The Air Force will use the phase II evaluation criteria in section 4.3 of the DoD solicitation with technical merit being most important, followed by the commercialization plan, and then qualifications of the principal investigator (and team).
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NOTICE: Only government personnel and technical personnel from Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), Mitre Corporation and Aerospace Corporation, working under contract to provide technical support to Air Force product centers (Electronic Systems Center and Space and Missiles Center respectively), may evaluate proposals. All FFRDC employees at the product centers have non-disclosure requirements as part of their contracts with the centers. In addition, Air Force support contractors may be used to administratively process or monitor contract performance and testing. Contractors receiving awards where support contractors will be utilized for performance monitoring may be required to execute separate non-disclosure agreements with the support contractors.
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The Air Force has implemented on-line proposal status updates and debriefings (for proposals not selected for an Air Force award) for small businesses submitting proposals against Air Force topics. At the close of the Phase I Solicitation – and following the submission of a Phase II via the DoD SBIR / STTR Submission Site (https://www.dodsbir.net/submission) - small business can track the progress of their proposal submission by logging into the Small Business Area of the Air Force SBIR / STTR Virtual Shopping Mall (http://www.sbirsttrmall.com). The Small Business Area (http://www.sbirsttrmall.com/Firm/login.aspx) is password protected and firms can view their information only.
To receive a status update of a proposal submission, click the “Proposal Status / Debriefings” link at the top of the page in the Small Business Area (after logging in). A listing of proposal submissions to the Air Force within the last 12 months is displayed. Status update intervals are: Proposal Received, Evaluation Started, Evaluation Completed, Selection Started, and Selection Completed. A date will be displayed in the appropriate column indicating when this stage has been completed. If no date is present, the proposal submission has not completed this stage. Small businesses are encouraged to check this site often as it is updated in real - time and provide the most up - to- date information available for all proposal submissions. Once the “Selection Completed” date is visible, it could still be a few weeks ( or more ) before you are contacted by the Air Force with a notification of selection or non – selection. The Air Force receives thousands of proposals during each solicitation and the notification process requires specific steps to be completed prior to a Contracting Officer distributing this information to small business.
The Principal Investigator (PI) and Corporate Official (CO) indicated on the Proposal Coversheet will be notified by e-mail regarding proposal selection or non - selection. The e-mail will include a link to a secure Internet page to be accessed which contains the appropriate information. If your proposal is tentatively selected to receive an Air Force award, the PI and CO will receive a single notification. If your proposal is not selected for an Air Force award, the PI and CO may receive up to two messages. The first message will notify the small business that the proposal has not been selected for an Air Force award and provide information regarding the availability of a proposal debriefing. The notification will either indicate that the debriefing is ready for review and include instructions to proceed to the “Proposal Status / Debriefings” area of the Air Force SBIR / STTR Virtual Shopping Mall or it may state that the debriefing is not currently available but generally will be within 90 days (due to unforeseen circumstances, some debriefings may be delayed beyond the nominal 90 days). If the initial notification indicates the debriefing will be available generally within 90 days, the PI and CO will receive a follow – up notification once the debriefing is available on - line. All proposals not selected for an Air Force award will have an on – line debriefing available for review. Available debriefings can be viewed by clicking on the “Debriefing” link, located on the right of the Proposal Title, in the “Proposal Status / Debriefings” section of the Small Business Area of the Air Force SBIR / STTR Virtual Shopping Mall. Small Businesses will receive a notification for each proposal submitted. Please read each notification carefully and note the proposal number and topic number referenced. Also observe the status of the debriefing as availability may differ between submissions (e.g., one may state the debriefing is currently available while another may indicate the debriefing will be available within 90 days).
IMPORTANT: Proposals submitted to the Air Force are received and evaluated by different offices within the Air Force and handled on a topic-by-topic basis. Each office operates within their own schedule for proposal evaluation and selection. Updates and notification timeframes will vary by office and topic. If your company is contacted regarding a proposal submission, it is not necessary to contact the Air Force to inquire about additional submissions. Check the Small Business Area of the Air Force SBIR / STTR Virtual Shopping Mall for a current update. Additional notifications regarding your other submissions will be forthcoming.
We anticipate having all the proposals evaluated and our Phase I contract decisions within approximately four months of proposal receipt. All questions concerning the status of a proposal, or debriefing, should be directed to the local awarding organization SBIR Program Manager. Organizations and their Topic numbers are listed later in this section (before the Air Force Topic descriptions).
PHASE II PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS
Phase II is the demonstration of the technology that was found feasible in Phase I. Only those Phase I awardees that are invited to submit a Phase II proposal and all FAST TRACK applicants will be eligible to submit a Phase II proposal. The awarding Air Force organization will send detailed Phase II proposal instructions to the appropriate small businesses. Phase II efforts are typically two (2) years in duration and do not exceed $750,000. (NOTE) All Phase II awardees must have a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) approved accounting system. Get your DCAA accounting system in place prior to the AF Phase II award timeframe. If you do not have a DCAA approved accounting system this will delay / prevent Phase II contract award. If you have questions regarding this matter, please discuss with your Phase I contracting officer.
All proposals must be submitted electronically at www.dodsbir.net/submission. The complete proposal - Department of Defense (DoD) cover sheet, entire technical proposal with appendices, cost proposal and the Company Commercialization Report – must be submitted by the date indicated in the invitation. The technical proposal is limited to 50 pages (unless a different number is specified in the invitation). The commercialization report, any advocacy letters, SBIR Environment Safety and Occupational Health (ESOH) Questionnaire, and cost proposal itemized listing (a through h) will not count against the 50 page limitation and should be placed as the last pages of the Technical Proposal file that is uploaded. (Note: Only one file can be uploaded to the DoD Submission Site. Ensure that this single file includes your complete Technical Proposal and the additional cost proposal information.) The preferred format for submission of proposals is Portable Document Format (PDF). Graphics must be distinguishable in black and white. Please virus check your submissions.
FAST TRACK
Detailed instructions on the Air Force Phase II program and notification of the opportunity to submit a FAST TRACK application will be forwarded with all AF Phase I selection e-mail notifications. The Air Force encourages businesses to consider a FAST TRACK application when they can attract outside funding and the technology is mature enough to be ready for application following successful completion of the Phase II contract.
NOTE:
1) Fast Track applications must be submitted not later than 150 days after the start of the Phase I contract.
2) Fast Track phase II proposals must be submitted not later than 180 days after the start of the Phase I contract.
3) The Air Force does not provide interim funding for Fast Track applications. If selected for a phase II award, we will match only the outside funding for Phase II.
For FAST TRACK applicants, should the outside funding not become available by the time designated by the awarding Air Force activity, the offeror will not be considered for any Phase II award. FAST TRACK applicants may submit a Phase II proposal prior to receiving a formal invitation letter. The Air Force will select Phase II winners based solely upon the merits of the proposal submitted, including FAST TRACK applicants.
On active Phase II awards, the Air Force will select a limited number of Phase II awardees for the Enhancement Program to address new unforeseen technology barriers that were discovered during the Phase II work. The selected enhancements will extend the existing Phase II contract award for up to one year and the Air Force will match dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000 of non-SBIR government matching funds. Contact the local awarding organization SBIR Manager for more information. (See Air Force SBIR Organization Listing). If selected for a Phase II enhancement, the company must submit a Phase II Enhancement application through the DoD Submission Web site at www.dodsbir.net/submission.
The Air Force reserves the right to modify the Phase II submission requirements. Should the requirements change, all Phase I awardees that are invited to submit Phase II proposals will be notified. The Air Force also reserves the right to change any administrative procedures at any time that will improve management of the Air Force SBIR Program.
In addition to all the Phase I contractual deliverables, Phase I award winners must submit a Phase I Final Summary Report at the end of their Phase I project. The Phase I summary report is an unclassified, non-sensitive, and non-proprietary summation of Phase I results that is intended for public viewing on the Air Force SBIR / STTR Virtual Shopping Mall. A summary report should not exceed 700 words, and should include the technology description and anticipated applications / benefits for government and / or private sector use. It should require minimal work from the contractor because most of this information is required in the final technical report. The Phase I summary report shall be submitted in accordance with the format and instructions posted on the Virtual Shopping Mall Web site at http://www.sbirsttrmall.com.
All final reports will be submitted to the awarding Air Force organization in accordance with the Contract. Companies will not submit final reports directly to the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).
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SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
These special instructions apply only to Air Force Topic AF083C-068 – Technologies for the Rapid Curing of Composite Parts, and are in addition to the Air Force 08.3 instructions.
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This is a Manufacturing SBIR topic. The primary focus of Phase I of this effort is to demonstrate innovative technologies to enable rapid curing of organic matrix composite materials which are qualified for use on DoD platforms. In addition to demonstrating the proposed technology solution, successful offerors should also consider the technical, business and transition plans necessary to lower the risk of technology insertion into the manufacturing processes of a DoD weapon system Production supply chain.
The Air Force plans on awarding multiple Phase I contracts on this topic. Each Phase I contract will be limited to $100K. These Phase I contract awards will be normal 9-month efforts with six months planned for the technical effort and an additional three months allowed for reporting. The Air Force plans on awarding one Phase II contract worth up to $3+M and lasting for 24 months. Phase II proposals will be by invitation only. At that time, special instructions will be provided for the Phase II proposals.
Successful offerors will benefit from consideration of technical as well as manufacturing and business readiness levels when preparing responses to Manufacturing SBIR’s. Guidance and information on these three readiness measures can be found in the SBIR Mall Web site located at http://sbirsttrmall.com/Library/Default.aspx. Identification of the return on investment (ROI) through a quantitative cost reduction analysis should be addressed as this SBIR is targeting rapid composite curing, decreases in the overall process cycle time, and innovative processing out of the autoclave.
These special instructions apply only to Air Force topic AF083C-071 - Non-Metallic Conductive Material for ESD/EMI Applications, and are in addition to the Air Force 08.3 instructions.
The Air Force plans on awarding multiple Phase I contracts for these topics. Each Phase I effort will be limited to $100K. We anticipate that these phase I efforts will be the traditional nine months with seven months planned for the technical effort and an additional two months allowed for reporting (total: 9 months).
The Air Force plans on awarding one Phase II contract worth up to $4+M. Phase II proposals will be by invitation only. At that time, special instructions will be provided for the Phase II proposals. Examples of the additional information needed in the Phase II proposal package include the following: innovative technical approaches to address the critical processes and associated return on investment (ROI). Also, it is expected that the Phase II proposal will include both a business plan and a transition plan. These plans will document the offerors ability to address all aspects necessary to ensure implementation of the innovative approach to manufacture upon completion of the Phase II award.
We anticipate that the phase II effort will be a traditional two years technical effort with an additional three months allowed for reporting.
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Air Force Program Manager Listing
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Contracting Authority |
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Topic Number |
Activity |
Program Manager |
(for contract questions only) |
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AF083-001 thru AF083-010 |
Directed Energy Directorate |
Ardeth Walker |
Susan Thorpe |
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AFRL/RD |
(505) 846-4418 |
(505) 846-3404 |
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3550 Aberdeen Ave SE |
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Kirtland AFB NM 87117-5776 |
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AF083-013 thru AF083-032 |
Human Effectiveness Directorate |
Sabrina Davis |
Kellye Fisher |
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AFRL/RD |
(937) 255-3737 |
(937) 255-5216 |
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2610 Seventh, St, Bldg 441 |
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Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433 |
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AF083-034 thru AF083-058 |
Information Directorate |
Janis Norelli |
Lynn White |
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AFRL/RI |
(315) 330-3311 |
(315) 330-4996 |
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26 Electronic Parkway |
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Rome NY 13441-4514 |
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AF083-062 thru AF083-085 |
Materials & Mfg. Directorate |
Debbie Shaw |
Kim Yoder |
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AF083C-068, AF083C-071 |
AFRL / RX |
(937) 255-4839 |
(937) 255-4628 |
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2977 Hobson Way, Rm 406 |
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Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433 |
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AF083-088 thru AF083-099 |
Munitions Directorate |
Jill Barfield |
Mimi Martin |
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AFRL / RW |
(850) 882-3920 |
(850) 883-2675 |
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101 West Eglin Blvd. Suite 143 |
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Eglin AFB, FL 32542-6810 |
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AF083-101 thru AF083-110 |
Propulsion Directorate |
Laurie Regazzi |
Mary Lykins |
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AF083-117 thru AF083-124 |
AFRL / RZ |
(937) 255-1465 |
(937) 656-9752 |
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1950 Fifth Street |
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Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433 |
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AF083-111 thru AF083-116 |
Propulsion Directorate West |
Chanda Smith |
Melissa Petter |
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AF083125 thru AF083-126 |
AFRL / RZO |
(662) 275-5930 |
(661) 277-9553 |
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5 Pollux Drive |
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Edwards AFB, CA 93524-7033 |
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AF083-128 thru AF083-173 |
Sensors Directorate |
Claudia Duncan |
Debbie Bucher - PI |
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AFRL / RY |
(937) 904-9764 |
(937) 255-3585 |
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2241 Avionics Circle, Rm N2S24 |
(937) 904-9155 |
Kevin Riley – P II |
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Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433 |
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(937) 255-5762 |
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AF083-175 thru AF083-182 |
Air Vehicles Directorate |
Larry Byram |
Traci Schafer |
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AFRL / RB |
(937) 904-8169 |
(937) 255-8958 |
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2130 Eighth Street |
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Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433 |
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AF083-184 thru AF083-224 |
Space Vehicles Directorate |
Danielle Lythgoe |
Jean Barnes |
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AFRL / RV |
(505) 853-7947 |
(505) 846-4695 |
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3550 Aberdeen Ave SE |
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Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776 |
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AF083-225 thru AF083-230 |
Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center |
Becky Roberts |
Tay Ashford |
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OC-ALC / ENET |
(405) 736-2158 |
(405)739-8092 |
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3001 Staff Drive, Suite 2AG70A |
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Tinker AFB, OK 73145-3040 |
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AF083-233 thru AF083-239 |
Ogden Air Logistic Center |
Craig Shaw |
Lt Kirk Andrews |
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OO-ALC / LHH |
(801) 586-2721 |
(801) 777-0199 |
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6021 Gum Lane |
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Hill AFB, UT 84056-2721 |
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AF083-240 thru AF083-246 |
Warner Robins Air Logistics Center |
Greg Sutton |
Nita Steinmetz |
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WR-ALC / ENSN |
(478) 327-4127 |
(478) 926-3695 |
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450 Third Street, Bldg. 323 |
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Robins AFB, GA 31098-1654 |
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AF083-249 thru AF083-254 |
Air Armament Center |
Ramsey Sallman |
Daniel Burk |
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46 TW / XPXR |
(850) 883-0537 |
(850) 882-0168 |
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101 West D Avenue Bldg. 1 |
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Eglin AFB, FL 93524-6843 |
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AF083-255 thru AF083-260 |
Arnold Engineering Development Center |
Ron Bishel (931) 454-7734 |
Sue Tate (931) 454-7801 |
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AEDC / XRS |
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1099 Schriever Ave |
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Arnold AFB, TN 37389-9011 |
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AF083-262 thru AF083-268 |
Air Force Flight Test Center |
Abe Attachbarian |
Deanna Wright |
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AFFTC / XPR |
(661) 277-5946 |
(661) 277-3833 |
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195 East Popson Ave, Bldg. 2750 |
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Edwards AFB, CA 93524-6843 |
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Air Force SBIR 083 Topic Index
AF083-001 Modeling of High-Average-Power Solid State Lasers
AF083-002 Improved Analysis Techniques for Characterizing Jitter in Beam Control
Systems
AF083-003 Atmospheric Characterization for Laser Propagation
AF083-004 Fiber Laser Beam Combining
AF083-005 Innovative, Lightweight Methods For Thermal Management of HEL Mirror
Subsystems
AF083-006 Low Cost Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (UAV)
AF083-007 Compact, Submicrosecond Discharge Pulsed Power Capacitors
AF083-008 Tunable Dielectrics for Gigahertz, Pulsed Power Applications
AF083-009 High Power Microwave Frequency Selective Surfaces
AF083-010 Innovative UAV-to-satellite communication link concepts using adaptive optics
AF083-013 New Laser Eye Protection (LEP) Technology for Visors
AF083-014 Multimodal Synthetic Aperture Radar (MM-SAR) Exploitation
AF083-015 Binocular Multispectral Adaptive Imaging System (BMAIS)
AF083-016 Video and Image Enhancement for Assisting Sensor Operators in Multi-
Unmanned Aerial Systems
AF083-017 Smart Automatic Jettisoning Device for Helmet Mounted Display System
HMDS)
AF083-019 Full Multiplex Holographic Display (FMHD)
AF083-020 Decision Support for Geospatial Intelligence Analysis
AF083-021 Visualization of disparate domain operations toward a single effect for improved
decision making
AF083-022 Visualization for Command and Control of Cyberspace Operations
AF083-023 Assessment Tools for Evaluating Dynamic Flight Simulation and Force Cueing
Fidelity to Improve Simulation Environment Effectiveness
AF083-024 Advanced Visualization Methods for Mission Planning, Course of Action
(COA) Evaluation and After Action Review (AAR).
AF083-025 Gaming for Training and Rehearsal for Fifth Generation Fighter Tactics,
Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)
AF083-026 Collaboration for Space Situational Awareness
AF083-027 C2 Assessment of Joint Air Operation Center Cyber Operations
AF083-028 Training Simulations for Accelerated Acquisition of Cyber Forensic
Investigation Skills
AF083-029 Hyperspectral Retinal Imaging for Assessment of Retinal Laser Damage
AF083-030 Dynamic 3D Human Shape Modeling for Intention Prediction from Video
Imagery
AF083-031 Highly Novel Detection Approaches to Human Volatile Organic Compound
Signature Identification
AF083-032 Micro Games for Cyber Threat Awareness
AF083-034 Data access and security in a need-to-share environment
AF083-036 Automated Data Transformations for Net-Centric Operations
AF083-037 Automate Ontological Representation of security classification guides
AF083-038 Information Fusion and Prediction for Space Situational Awareness
AF083-039 Data Association and Filtering for Robust Space Control Decision Support
AF083-040 Maintaining appropriate classification of data for data agregated through
federated searches
AF083-041 Assurance Validation of Commercial Products Containing IPv6 Transition and
Tunneling Mechanisms on the Air Force Network
AF083-043 Rate-Adaptive High-Availability RF Links
AF083-044 Cross-domain solutions for airborne operations
AF083-047 Robust Engineering via Integrated Design and Analysis
AF083-050 Communications-On-The-Move (COTM) Antenna Pointing and Stabilization
System
AF083-053 Small UAV Accurate Geolocation and Discrimination
AF083-054 Network Centric Fusion Approaches for Command and Control Platforms with
Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
AF083-055 Exploiting Essential Elements of Information from Significant Activity Reports
(SIGACTS) for Forensic Analysis
AF083-058 A Hybrid Architecture Approach to Forecasting Adversary Reactions
AF083-062 Aircraft Avionics Temperature Management
AF083-063 Hyperspectral Infrared (IR) Windows
AF083-064 High Temperature Solid Lubricants for Bearings
AF083-065 Light Emitting Diode Technology Deployment Involving an Aerospace Light
Application Manufacture
AF083-066 Carbon nanotube heat sinks
AF083-067 Advanced Aluminum Alloy for Aircraft Wheel and Brake Applications
AF083-069 Closed-Loop Process Control for Electron Beam Direct Manufacturing
AF083-070 Thermodynamic Modeling of Ceramic Systems
AF083-072 Fretting Wear Prevention Coatings for Ti-Alloy Components
AF083-073 Quality Testing of Coated Fibers
AF083-074 ADVANCED DESIGN AND LIFE PREDICTION METHODOLGY FOR
POLYMERIC MATRIX COMPOSITE COMPONENTS
AF083-075 Anti-coking additive for ester-based aerospace gas turbine engine oils
AF083-076 New Ceramic Laser Hosts for High Power Lasers
AF083-077 Physics-Based Probabilistic Life-Prediction Model for Advanced Hot-Section
Turbine Disk Materials With Gradient Microstructures
AF083-078 Reversible adhesion concepts for multifunctional appliqués
AF083-079 High Temperature Sensor Materials Optimization and Fabrication Methods
AF083-080 Biotronic Sensors for Cost, Size, Weight and Power, and Enhanced Bandwidth
(C-SWaP-B)
AF083-081 Fiber Integrated Detection of Point-of-Failure of CB Protection Equipment
AF083-082 Materials and Process for Tunable Directional Thermal Conductivity for
Dimensionally Stable Space Structures
AF083-083 Advanced THz Materials for Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE)
AF083-084 Stimulus Responsive Passive Electromagnetic Shielding for Microwave/RF
Limiters
AF083-085 Nanodielectrics for High Energy Density Capacitors
AF083-088 Weapons Effects FRMs for Reinforced Concrete Walls & Floor/Ceiling Slabs
AF083-089 Common Gravity Dropped Small Weapon Electronic Safe Arm Fuze (ESAF)
AF083-090 Retrofittable Laser Protection for Weapons
AF083-091 Boosted Penetrator Technology
AF083-092 High Speed Survivable Small Penetration Fuze
AF083-093 Guided Smart Submunitions
AF083-094 Weapons Effects FRMs for Small Munitions on Fixed Targets
AF083-096 Perching Micro Air Weapon
AF083-097 Aerodynamic Control of Micro Air Weapons
AF083-098 Focused Miniature Ordnance Technologies
AF083-099 Indoor Mapping and Geolocation Using Signals of Opportunity and Cooperative
SLAM
AF083-101 Ultrafast Laser System for Drilling and Inspecting Straight and Shaped Cooling
Holes
AF083-102 Nonintrusive High-Speed Time-Evolving 3D Imaging in Turbine Engine
Augmentors
AF083-103 Improved Two-Phase Model for JP-8 and Alternative Fuels
AF083-104 Distributed Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) Workload
Reduction Through Standardization of Intelligent Fault Tolerant Sensing
AF083-105 Very High Frequency (VHF) Monitoring System for Engine Accessories Health
Management
AF083-106 Oil Deoxygenation for Higher Temperature Stability
AF083-107 Passive Mixing Enhancers for Improved Flame Spreading and Propagation
AF083-108 Coated Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) Blade
Development
AF083-109 Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Silicon Nitride Rolling Elements for
Bearings
AF083-110 Optically Gated, Silicon Carbide (SiC) Semiconductors for Aircraft Electrical
Actuator Motor Drives
AF083-111 Mono-Propellant Warm Gas Pressurization with Dual Use for Attitude Control
System
AF083-112 Design Tools for Combustion Stability
AF083-113 Weapon System Intermittent Fault Detection
AF083-114 Variation-Minimized Casting Techniques for Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs)
AF083-115 Aging and Surveillance Technology for Solid Rocket Motors
AF083-116 High Efficiency Green Propellant Thruster for Attitude Control of Spacecraft
AF083-117 High Temperature Solid Lubricant Coatings for Air Foil Bearings
AF083-118 Innovative Methods or Materials for Passivation of Lithium Metal
AF083-119 Multiphase Phenomena In Thermal Management Systems
AF083-120 Instrumentation for Hypersonic, Air-breathing Engines
AF083-121 Hypersonic Propulsion: Midscale Supersonic Combustion Ramjets (Scramjet)
Systems
AF083-122 Passive Conformal Radio Frequency (RF) Device for Structural Test and Health
Monitoring in Extreme Conditions
AF083-123 High Temperature Magnetocaloric Refrigeration
AF083-124 Advanced Diagnostics for Detonation-Powered Vehicles
AF083-125 Modeling and Simulation Tools for Predicting Energetic Ionic Liquid
Hypergolicity
AF083-126 Tough Ultra High Temperature Ceramic Materials for Structural Applications
AF083-128 Georegistration of Imagery with Target Tracking
AF083-129 Small Unpiloted Aircraft System (SUAS) Auto-tracking of Moving and
Stationary Targets
AF083-130 Airborne Dynamic Detection and Discrimination of Dismounts (AD4)
AF083-131 Long-range Target Identification
AF083-132 Distributed Real-Time Simulation and Network Monitoring Capability
AF083-134 Multifunctional Sensor for Search and Rescue
AF083-135 Geolocation of RF Emitters
AF083-136 Persistent Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) Wide-Area Sensor Exploitation
AF083-137 Miniature Multi-Spectral Imaging for Small and Micro Unmanned Air Vehicles
(UAVs)
AF083-138 Improved Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Sensors
AF083-139 Support Jammer Queing
AF083-140 Simulation Technologies to Rapidly Evolve Network-Centric System-of-
Systems Large Aircraft Advanced Situation Awareness (ASA) and Protection
Concepts
AF083-141 Polarization-Invariant Wideband Direction Finding
AF083-142 Energetic Event Sensor for Surveillance and Reconnaissance
AF083-143 Coherent Change Detection for Predictive Battlespace Awareness: Ground
Moving Target Identification (GMTI) Forensics
AF083-144 Develop low-cost high-speed image processing and visualization techniques for
persistent surveillance applications.
AF083-145 Radio Frequency (RF) Tomography for Reduction of Improvised Explosive
Device (IED) Threat
AF083-146 Combined Constellation Sensor Simulation Environment (C2S2E)
AF083-147 Conformal Antenna for Application to Jamming of IEDs
AF083-148 Synthetic Aperture Radar Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) for
Detection, ID, and Tracking, of Moving Targets from Airborne Radar Systems
AF083-149 Multimode, Laser Radar for High-Confidence Identification in Air Force
Targeting and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Missions
AF083-150 Algorithm Development for Predictive Battlespace Awareness
AF083-151 Radar Database Portability and Hybridization
AF083-152 Photonic Component Manufacturability
AF083-153 Digital Synthesizer with Tuning Filter for Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW)
Application
AF083-154 Ultra-Low Noise Amplifier for Enhanced Signal Intelligence (SIGINT)
Detection
AF083-155 Next Generation Ultra-linear Super High Frequency/Extremely High Frequency
(SHF/EHF) Solid State Power Amplifiers
AF083-156 Novel Device Processes For Anti-tamper Applications
AF083-159 Anti-Jam Improvements by Combining Remotely Located Global Positioning
System (GPS) Antennas on an Unpiloted/Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Platform
AF083-160 Cognitive Radio Technology
AF083-163 Low-Power, Software Defined Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver
AF083-164 Automated Resource Management and Beam Scheduling of Antenna Network
for Space Operations Support
AF083-165 Cooperative Handheld Location Device Using Signals of Opportunity
AF083-166 Wideband Direct Digital Synthesizer
AF083-167 Plug-and-Play Monolithic Integrated Waveform Generator, Antenna, Transmit
and Receive Module (MIGATARM)
AF083-168 Multi-Function Phased Array Optical Target ID Sensor
AF083-169 Ground-based Radar Space Object Identification (SOI) for Space Situational
Awareness (SSA)
AF083-170 Advanced Nanostructural Analysis of Semiconductor-based Devices
AF083-171 Trust-Based Dynamic Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)
AF083-172 TETMAN: Three-dimensional Exploitation Techniques for Moving and Non-
rigid targets
AF083-173 Mid-Infrared Solid-State Active Sensor
AF083-175 Verified and Validated Software for Three-dimensional (3-D) Fatigue Crack
Growth and Stable Crack Extension
AF083-176 Composite Damage Evaluation Tool
AF083-177 F-35 Lift Augmentation with Synthetic Jets
AF083-178 Structural State Sensing
AF083-179 Technologies for Rapid Affordable Hypersonic Flight Testing
AF083-180 Innovative Intelligent Control Learning Algorithms for Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs)
AF083-181 Multiphysics, Coupled Analysis of Hypersonic Vehicle Structures
AF083-182 Collecting Aerodynamic Data in an Aeroelastic Environment
AF083-184 Over the Horizon Skywave HF Radar Object Altitude Estimation
AF083-185 Next Generation Sensor Resource Management for Persistent and Responsive
Situational Awareness
AF083-186 High Efficiency Thin Multi-Junction Solar Cells
AF083-187 Next Generation Reconfigurable Field Programmable Gate Array
AF083-189 Minimally-Invasive Radiation Hardened Semiconductors
AF083-190 Innovative Lasing Techniques for Satellite Signal Distribution
AF083-191 Terabit Per Second Optical Router for Space-Based Satellite Network
AF083-192 Exploiting Commercial Microelectronics for Space Applications
AF083-193 Bandwidth Efficient SATCOM Waveform Techniques
AF083-194 Autonomous Vehicle Awareness Sensors
AF083-195 Wide Field-of-View Imaging Sensor System for SSA
AF083-196 Autonomous Mission Manager for Space Superiority and Responsive Space
AF083-197 Reliable and Rad-Hard Microelectronics
AF083-198 Low-Cost Deorbiting System
AF083-199 Lucky Imaging -Enhanced Imagery for Space Situational Awareness
AF083-200 Advanced Lithium Ion Batteries for Space-based Applications
AF083-201 Integrated Blanket/Interconnect System (IBIS) for Thin Multijunction Solar
Cells
AF083-202 Operational Algorithms for Disturbance Storm Time (DST) Index
AF083-203 Lightweight Solar Array Structure for Thinned-Multijunction Solar Cells
AF083-204 Deep Submicron Radiation Hardened Logic for Communications
AF083-205 Space System Threat Mission Impact Assessment
AF083-206 Innovative Low-Cost Encrypted Mobile Ground Systems
AF083-207 Digital Optoelectronic Logic for Highly Interconnected Systems
AF083-208 3-D Space Qualifiable Field Programmable Gate Array
AF083-209 Optical Switching Fabric
AF083-210 Responsive Multi-Parametric Methods for Remote Target Identification and
Characterization
AF083-211 Development of Tensioned Phased Array Structural Technologies
AF083-212 Payload Integrated Health Management Systems
AF083-213 Resident Space Object Characterization Using Natural Illumination
AF083-214 Exploiting of Nano Composite Materials Technology for Revolutionary Satellite
Development
AF083-215 Space-based Carbon Nanotube Ultracapacitor
AF083-216 ESPA Based Satellite Bus
AF083-217 Isothermal Satellite Panels and Inter-Panel Connections
AF083-218 High Performance Low Integration Cost Magnetometer System
AF083-219 Compact Precision Quantum Measurement Gyroscope for Inertial Navigation
AF083-220 Distributed Satellite Resource Management for Space Superiority
AF083-221 Space Networking Protocol Hardware / Software
AF083-222 Advanced Electronic Cooling Technologies
AF083-223 Unconventional Sensors for Characterization of Resident Space Objects and
Activities
AF083-224 Electro-Optical (EO), Infrared (IR) and Radio Frequency (RF) Calibration
Structures
AF083-225 Corrosion and Fatigue Degradation Analysis and Forecasting System
AF083-226 Replacement for Hexavalent Chromium Conversion Coatings for Magnesium
and Zinc-Nickel
AF083-228 Residual Stress Measurement and Forecasting System
AF083-229 Decision Support System Based On Collaborative-orientated System
Engineering Capabilities
AF083-230 Inspection Process Management
AF083-233 Speckle Reduction in Coherent Imaging Systems
AF083-235 Environmental Boundary System
AF083-236 Method of Locating Unexploded Ordnance
AF083-238 Low-cost Smear Reduction for Digital Displays
AF083-239 Dimensional Restoration of Landing Gear Component Bores
AF083-240 In-Situ Detection of Hidden General and Pitting Corrosion of Aircraft Structure
AF083-241 Improved Reliability and Multi-modal Capability of Non-Destructive Inspection
for Cracks and Corrosion
AF083-242 Wearable Nuclear/Biological/Chemical Agent Detector
AF083-243 Meta-Data Mining for Optimized Aircraft Repair and Overhaul
AF083-244 Efficient Chemical Storage of Hydrogen in a Liquid
AF083-245 Aircraft Corrosion Inspection
AF083-246 Aircraft fatigue damage inspection
AF083-249 Non-Spherical Blast in a Cluttered Environment
AF083-250 Passive Dry Bay Fire Extinguishing System
AF083-252 High Activation Temperature Intumescent Material Passive Fire Protection
Technique for Aircraft Engine Nacelle
AF083-253 Directed Energy Detection and Characterization Instrumentation
AF083-254 Portable Missile Miss-Distance Identification System (PMMDIS)
AF083-255 Infrared Projection Systems for Wide Field of View Sensor Testing
AF083-256 Thermal Microwave Signature of Rocket Exhaust Plumes
AF083-257 High Heating Rate Calorimeter Calibration System
AF083-258 Miniaturized Thermocouple Scanner
AF083-259 Integrated Overset Meshing and Grid Assembly Capability
AF083-260 High Range and Durable Thermocouples for Turbine Engines
AF083-262 Advanced Third Generation Midwave Sensor Control Architecture
AF083-263 Small-scale treatment of rocket propellant laboratory derived waste
AF083-264 MOBILE LOW-POWER MULTIPOINT LASER DOPPLER VIBROMETER
AF083-265 Algorithms for GPS-IMU Tracking Data (AGTD)
AF083-266 Systems Deployment & Relative Motion Analysis
AF083-267 Aeroacoustic Analysis
AF083-268 Geometric Proximity of Independent Systems Simulation
Air Force Critical Topics (see special instructions at end of Air Force SBIR 08.3 Solicitation Instructions):
AF083C-068 Technologies for the Rapid Curing of Composite Parts
AF083C-071 Non-Metallic Conductive Material for ESD/EMI Applications
Air Force SBIR 083 Topic Descriptions
AF083-001 TITLE: Modeling of High-Average-Power Solid State Lasers
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Improve mathematical models and computer codes to calculate the properties of the output beams of high power, solid-state lasers.
DESCRIPTION: This topic is applicable to high energy laser system concepts for future system applications. Computer simulation is an important aspect of the development of high-average-power solid-state lasers for application as directed energy systems (power in the range of 10s to 100s of kW). In order to minimize heating of the gain medium and to maximize overall efficiency, such lasers are pumped with diode lasers. New diode-pumped solid-state laser configurations are under development and are being scaled to high power, and computer software is needed to predict their performance and to aid in their design. Existing computer simulations for laser devices can accurately model the laser gain media and its interaction with the laser beam in an optical resonator or amplifier configuration. However, these existing simulations are less capable in dealing with heating of the gain media as the result of high-power operation and with the interactive effects between non-uniform heating and the optical field. Further, the gain media is often cooled in real time during lasing, so heat transfer effects must also be accurately modeled. Finally, high-average-power lasers frequently incorporate active control including intra- and extra-cavity adaptive optics to compensate for optical aberrations introduced by gain media heating and optical/pumping non-uniformities, so that simulating these systems is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Existing laser device computer simulations do not provide these needed capabilities.
An integrated, high-fidelity computer code is needed to include (1) models of laser gain media and their interaction with the laser beam; (2) modeling of gain media heating and heat transfer to an active cooling system; (3) wave optics algorithms to treat diffractive effects; (4) modeling of active or adaptive optics elements inside the optical resonator, and (5) the ability to address interactive effects among all elements. Gain media of interest for such lasers are frequently crystalline or ceramic YAG-doped with Nd or Yb atoms. Other host media may be of interest. The code should be able to predict the output power and beam quality of a laser with a specific design. The code should also be a useful tool for optimizing the designs of lasers and for determining the scaling limitations of laser concepts.
PHASE I: Develop an approach for computer codes to model a range of high-average-power lasers. Select algorithms for the various elements of the laser and study their appropriateness.
PHASE II: Implement and demonstrate computer codes for high-average-power lasers. Test the approach on at least two existing lasers for which experimental data are available.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Analysis of concepts for high-average-power lasers programs. Commercial application: Use to design commercial lasers. Code will also apply to low and moderate power lasers.
REFERENCES: 1. K. Contag, et al., "Simulations of the lasing properties of a thin disk laser combining high output powers with good beam quality," Proceedings of the SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering; 1997; vol. 2989, p. 23-34.
2. A. E. Siegman, "Laser beams and resonators: Beyond the 1960s," IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics; Nov-Dec 2000; vol. 6, no. 6, p. 1389-99.
3. A. W. Kennedy, J. B. Gruber, P. R. Bolton, M. S. Bowers, "Modeling gain-medium diffraction in super-gaussian coupled unstable laser cavities," Applied Optics; vol. 44, no. 7, p. 1283-7, 2005.
4. G. D. Goodno, et al., Coherent combination of high-power, zigzag slab lasers, Optics Letters, vol.31, no.9, p.1247-9, 2006.
5. K. N. LaFortune, R. L. Hurd, J. M. Brase, and R. M. Yamamoto, Intracavity, adaptive correction of a high-average-power, solid-state, heat-capacity laser, Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering; 2005; v.5708, p.1-7 Conference: Laser Resonators and Beam Control VIII; Jan 25-27, 2005; San Jose, CA.
KEYWORDS: laser, model, simulation, theory, computer model
AF083-002 TITLE: Improved Analysis Techniques for Characterizing Jitter in Beam
Control Systems
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors
OBJECTIVE: Develop improved analysis approaches and algorithms to identify cause/effect relationships from beam control test data. Modified test and instrumentation techniques are allowed.
DESCRIPTION: This topic is applicable to high energy laser (HEL) system concepts for future system applications. One aspect of airborne HEL system performance is beam alignment jitter. Jitter smears the HEL beam on target, reducing its integrated intensity and therefore its target damage capability, so it is desirable to develop beam control technologies and control architectures that minimize beam alignment jitter.
Jitter is caused by mechanical and acoustic disturbances applied to the components of the beam control system. In many commercial laser systems used in a laboratory or factory environment, beam jitter is minimized by implementing a very stable, stiff mechanical structure that maintains precise alignment of the beam control components (mirrors, windows, lenses, etc.). However, for future airborne HEL systems, the disturbance environment (bending, vibration, acoustic noise) is much more severe, and stiff/heavy mechanical structures are unacceptable because of platform weight/volume constraints. Thus, the approach to minimize beam alignment jitter in airborne applications typically involves a combination of a lightweight, stiff structure; passive/active vibration isolation; and active beam train alignment subsystems, using beam position sensors and beam alignment servos slaved to an inertially-stabilized reference. These components are all tied together with an overall control architecture and control algorithms. These beam stabilization systems reduce beam alignment jitter due to environmental and platform disturbances but they also introduce some additional jitter because of sensor/actuator noise and reference errors (“noise” sources).
In the on-going efforts to develop and demonstrate technologies and concepts to minimize beam alignment jitter, it is critically important to distinguish between and understand the contributions of both disturbances and noise to the residual beam alignment jitter. This information is key to optimize the performance of a given design and to identify areas where further technology development would provide the greatest performance gain. However, testing and data collection/analysis to evaluate beam alignment performance and to assign cause/effect to the sources of residual jitter are complex in several ways. First, ground-based jitter characterization is difficult because most of the jitter is due to airborne disturbances, which can only be poorly approximated in a ground test. Airborne testing usually involves target boards with simulated targets and beam measurement sensors but there are limited opportunities and testing is very logistically complex and expensive. A number of direct and indirect measurements are possible—accelerometers along mechanical disturbance paths, imaging of beam patterns, added laser alignment beams and/or sensors. Data analysis techniques include power spectra, coherence (both simple and multiple/partial) and correlation. At present, the limitations of current data collection and data analysis techniques often result in dealing with singularity or the inability to uniquely assign residual jitter to specific sources.
Improvements in the test protocol and data analysis algorithms that improve our ability to identify cause and effect relationships in the data are needed. Testing should be conceived with adequate (but minimally redundant) measurements and should allow for manipulation of the control system characteristics to support the prescribed analysis. Among possible analysis techniques, blind deconvolution (e.g., “cocktail party” source separation) techniques appear promising but have not been applied to problems involving strong distorting paths like resonant structures. Coherence techniques reveal correlation but fall short in revealing causation and relative contribution to the output.
This technology should find use in air/space platforms and information systems technology in support of vibration, line of sight and spectral analysis testing.
PHASE I: Define test and analysis approaches for unambiguous cause/effect relationship in beam control system models provided by the government. This should include improved frequency resolution for closely spaced spectral components. Preliminary algorithms should be demonstrated on these models.
PHASE II: Further develop analysis algorithms and test using data provided by the government. Develop a small optical testbed that includes multiple disturbances and noise sources to demonstrate the effectiveness of these techniques. On a government prototypical beam control system, develop instrumentation and test approaches that maximize the identification/differentiation of disturbance and noise sources.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Line of sight (LOS) stabilization testing and performance characterization of military optical pointing systems for HEL, laser free space communications, reconnaissance imaging. Commercial application: LOS stabilization testing eye safe illumination surveillance systems for border monitoring/homeland defense. Tracking structural borne disturbances (aircraft/civil structure monitoring) for defects.
REFERENCES:
1. Tryphon Georgiou, "Tools for Multivariable Spectral and Coherence Analysis," http://www.ece.umn.edu/users/georgiou/files/report2007.pdf.
2. D. O. Smallwood, "Using Singular Value Decomposition to Compute the Conditioned Cross-Spectral Density Matrix and Coherence Functions," 66th Shock and Vibration Symposium, Biloxi MI, pp. 109-118, Oct 1995.
3. J. S. Bendat and A. G. Piersol, Random Data: Analysis and Measurement Procedures, 2000.
4. P. Stoica and R. Moses, "Introduction to Spectral Analysis," 1997.
5. Intae Lee and Te-Won Lee, "Independent Vector Analysis for Real World Speech Processing," SPIE Vol. 6576, 657602 (2007).
KEYWORDS: Disturbance identification, spectral resolution, noise/disturbance differentiation, laser beam stabilization, model identification
AF083-003 TITLE: Atmospheric Characterization for Laser Propagation
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Battlespace
OBJECTIVE: Develop an innovative methodology to accurately characterize atmospheric turbulence properties along laser propagation paths for laser communication and other laser-based systems.
DESCRIPTION: Current approaches used to characterize and model atmospheric turbulence are often not sufficiently accurate for laser communication (lasercom) and other laser-based systems. This was shown in recent attempts to correlate propagated beam measurements with simulation predictions. Advances in applied theoretical turbulence models suggest that existing atmospheric turbulence measurements (e.g., the Fried parameter (r0), scintillation, and Greenwood frequency) do not capture enough information to completely characterize turbulence along a propagation path. Phenomena such as: 1) turbulence anisotropy and inhomogeneity, 2) variations of inner-scale and outer-scale of turbulence, as well as 3) strong departures from Gaussian statistics in driven turbulence are not included in typical descriptions of atmospheric optical paths. Without accurate knowledge of the turbulence properties along the path, lasercom devices must be built and tested with models and simulations that may lack critical detail, an expensive task. Additional measurements of atmospheric turbulence parameters are required to fully understand atmosphere turbulence behavior, and these measurements must then be correlated with detailed physical models of atmospheric turbulence.
The goal of this research is to develop both: 1) the appropriate models and 2) the corresponding field measurements to allow propagated beam statistics to be consistently and accurately predicted. This involves: 1) defining atmospheric turbulence quantities with measurement resolution requirements, 2) designing new measuring hardware or new uses for old hardware, and 3) building a theoretical, physics-based model that implements the measurement results to accurately predict the atmospheric turbulence effects on a laser wavefront. Applications include scenarios with high levels of turbulence, i.e., Rytov values of 0.3 and above.
The models and measurements will be defined in Phase I, with prototype measurement hardware designed. In Phase II the measurement hardware will be built and tested along a well diagnosed atmospheric path and the model accuracy tested.
PHASE I: Design a prototype device (or set of devices) that can characterize an arbitrary turbulent atmospheric path beyond the current measurements of the Fried parameter (r0), isoplanatic angle, and scintillation. Approaches should be anchored to appropriate physical models of the atmosphere.
PHASE II: Build and test a fully functional system to characterize turbulence along arbitrary atmospheric paths. Demonstrate the system along a well diagnosed atmospheric path.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Laser beam propagation is primary in laser systems effectiveness. Accurate path characterization will benefit all laser-based systems, lasercom, laser illuminators, and high-energy lasers. Commercial application: Laser communications have broad commercial uses such as commercial satellite links. Earth based astronomy has potential uses for such systems and measurements.
REFERENCES:
1. Y. Kimura and R. H. Kraichnan, ”Statistics of an advected passive scalar,” Phys. Fluids A, 5 (9) pp. 2264-2277 (1993).
2. Jayesh and Z. Warhaft, “Probability distribution, conditional dissipation, and transport of passive temperature fluctuations in grid-generated turbulence,” Phys. Fluids A 4 (10), pp. 2292-2307 (1992).
3. S. B. Pope, Turbulent Flows, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000.
4. R. G. Frehlich, “The effects of global intermittency on wave propagation in random media,” Appl. Optics, 33 (11), pp. 5764-5769 (1988).
5. R. J. Hill, “Review of Optical Scintillation Methods of Measuring the Refractive-Index Spectrum, Inner Scale and Surface Fluxes," in Waves in Random Media 2, pp. 179-201, (1992).
KEYWORDS: lasers, turbulence, propagation, laser communications, laser illuminator, high energy laser, atmospheric turbulence, inner-scale, outer-scale, turbulence anisotropy, turbulence inhomogeneity
AF083-004 TITLE: Fiber Laser Beam Combining
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Analysis and simulation of novel high-power fiber laser arrays, to determine feasibility, identify risks, establish operating ranges, and critically compare competing beam combining technologies.
DESCRIPTION: This topic calls for novel high energy laser (HEL) system concepts for directed energy applications. Specific tasks foreseen for HELs include, but are not limited to, long-range remote sensing, target designation and illumination, precision engagement, and self-defense. Electrically pumped solid state lasers are primary candidates since their energy supply is clean and rechargeable. One of the most promising members of this group is the semiconductor diode-pumped fiber laser, as this laser has high beam brightness due to its single transverse mode structure, high electrical and optical efficiency, and efficient thermal management. Proposals are called for achieving breakthroughs in beam power and brightness by coherently combining the beams of a number of individual fiber laser oscillator or amplifier modules. Specifically, the relevant parameters are total continuous wave or average beam power, beam quality (i.e., high power concentration in the central far field lobe), high conversion and thermal management efficiencies, system compactness and robustness (e.g., absence of free-space optics), which includes optical, thermal, and mechanical stability studies. It is mandatory that any proposed investigation addresses in totality both power scaling and scalable beam quality issues as minimal requirements. More specifically, we seek proposals for developing improved physical models or computational methods that will make performance predictions under untested operating conditions, determine operating ranges, and help identify anticipated obstacles and challenges. Recommended is that system modeled and parameter values (e.g., fiber type and wavelength) be grounded in the high power fiber beam-combining testbed that is being completed in the AFRL Directed Energy Directorate, and close collaboration be maintained with one or more of groups using this, with the objective to establish the winning approach among various methods of fiber laser beam combining.
PHASE I: Model single fiber laser/amplifier operated under extreme conditions, including essential nonliner/thermal effects; perform preliminary investigation of at least one compound system, or comparative analysis of two or more, with identification of associated experimental groups using the testbed.
PHASE II: Perform detailed theory-modeling analysis of system initiated in Phase I, perform critical comparison of theoretical and experimental results of test bed, and do pilot comparative system analysis to evaluate performance under realistic operating conditions, such as atmospheric effects, mechanical stability, etc.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Demonstrate uses in land, air, or space-based platforms and propose industrial partnerships in material processing or other applications. Commercial application: Stabilization testing eye safe illumination surveillance systems for border monitoring/homeland defense. Tracking structural borne disturbances (aircraft/civil structure monitoring) for defects.
REFERENCES:
1. Shirakawa, A., Saitou, T., Sekiguchi, T. and Ueda K, “Coherent addition of fiber lasers by use of a fiber coupler,” Opt. Express 10 1167–72 (2002).
2. Cheo, P. C., Liu, A., King, G. G., “A high-brightness laser beam from a phase-locked multicore Yb-doped fiber laser array,” IEEE Phot. Tech. Lett. 13, 439 (2001).
3. Augst, S. J., Goyal, A. K., Aggarwal, R. L., Fan, T. Y. and Sanchez, A., “Wavelength beam combining of Yb fiber lasers,” Opt. Lett. 28 331–3 (2003).
4. T. Shay, et al., Opt. Express, 24, 12015 (2006).
5. Corcoran, C. J. and Durville, F., “Experimental demonstration of a phase-locked laser array using a self-Fourier cavity," Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 86, Issue 20, May 16th, (2005).
KEYWORDS: Coherent Beam Combining, Phase Locking, Spectral Beam Combining, Spatial Mode Filtering, Coupled Oscillators
AF083-005 TITLE: Innovative, Lightweight Methods For Thermal Management of HEL
Mirror Subsystems
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Investigate and develop innovative, unique methods for lightweight (LW) thermal management of high energy laser (HEL) LW optics. Use these LW thermal mitigation approaches on many HEL mirror applications.
DESCRIPTION: This topic investigates approaches for thermal management of lightweight optics for HEL mirror applications. This effort supports the Airborne Laser (ABL) program as well as other HEL laser programs, by addressing a key technology issue associated with these programs. Active and passive methods for thermal management are of interest for both web-based and foam-core lightweighted optics. Temperature rise of HEL mirrors is a function of incident laser power, intensity and duration, and coating and substrate bulk absorption. The mirror temperature rise profile can degrade mirror performance and may cause coating/system failure; it is the limiting factor for lasing time and the system duty cycle. Current estimates range from 180KJ to 6 MJ, would possibly be deposited over a time of 100 seconds, with the heat load conducted to and stored in the thermal management systems, and then removed from the platform within an hour or so. Traditional mirror heat removal methods (e.g., by conduction, convection or radiation) have insufficient time constants for heat removal and may further degrade the system optical performance (e.g., closed cycle liquid cooling rapidly removes heat but causes jitter in the wavefront, and adds weight and complexity to the system). Purely convective methods also have limitations. Innovative, novel and unique phase change materials that allow the absorption of peak thermal loads during mission operations and then dissipate the heat during the non-operating portion of the mission should be considered for research and development. However, these types of storage and then removal of heat techniques will only be considered if they are able to become faster, LW and smaller in volume. The ideal desire is to seek innovative solutions to be able to keep the mirrors at approximately constant temperatures during operation to maintain high beam quality, while keeping the weight and volume of this heat management system small and compact.
The primary objective in Phase I is to study, analyze and identify the most promising lightweight (LW) thermal mitigation approaches for a HEL mirror and to demonstrate their viability through analysis.
AFRL will provide a government furnished equipment (GFE) HEL mirror and mount.
PHASE I: Determine feasibility of LW thermal management techniques for HEL mirrors. Accepted thermal analysis methods will be used to analyze, investigate and determine technique feasibility. An analytical report is required. Size, volume, weight and power requirements shall be estimated for a proposed hardware design.
PHASE II: Develop prototype thermal management hardware (HW) and integrate with a prototype HEL mirror system. AFRL will provide a GFE HEL mirror and mount. Prototype HW does not need to be initially LW but must show HW is traceable to being lightweighted. The prototype HW/GFE HEL mirror will be operated in a variety of realistic HEL and environmental conditions with the required instrumentation to determine performance.
PHASE III/DUAL USE: Military application: Modify HW subsystem and apply to AFRL HEL programs to ensure operational effectiveness. The HW subsystem should be transferrable to other AF airborne or relay mirror platforms. HW solutions are expected to have broad applicability to DoD and intelligence agencies. Commercial application: Topic is applicable to many commercial functions where heating occurs, such as laser drilling, laser machining, laser welding, laser communications, laser cutting and laser fusion.
REFERENCES:
1. M. E. Sorge, “Thermal Management for Relay Mirror Payloads”, 20 July 2006
2. William A. Goodman, Marc Jacoby, Daniel Marker and Ryan Conk, “Advanced Lightweight SLMS™ Primary Mirror for an ‘ATL-like’ Beam Director”, 2007 Directed Energy Professional Society Beam Control conference, Monterey, California, 19-23 March 2007.
3. Marc T. Jacoby and William A. Goodman, “Material properties of silicon and silicon carbide foams”, Proc. of SPIE Optical Materials and Structures Technologies II, Vol. 5868-20, San Diego, CA, August 2005, ed. William A. Goodman.
4. J. B. Hadaway, P. Reardon, J. Geary,; P. Stahl, R. Eng, “Cryogenic quilting or print-through of various lightweight mirrors”, Proceedings of SPIE Cryogenic Optical Systems and Instrumentation X Vol. 5172-03, San Diego, August 2003.
5. M. E. Sorge, “EAGLE Space Relay Mirror Pilot Program for AFRL/DE – Virtual Concept Design Center”, Aerospace Report No. TOR-2003(1214)-2717, 9 July 2003.
6. William Goodman, Marc Jacoby, David Reicher, Paul Black, Lewis DeSandre, Patrick Saunders, Daniel Marker, and Captain Ryan Conk, “SLMS™ and SiC-SLMS™ Technology for High Quality Wavefront Control of HEL Tactical Airborne and Relay Mirror Beam Control Applications”, Directed Energy Professional Society Annual Meeting, Lihue, HI, November 2005.
7. M. Kartz, S. Olivier, J. Brase, C. Carrano, D. Silva, D. Pennington, C. Brown, “High-Resolution Wavefront Control of High-Power Laser Systems”, International Workshop on Adaptive Optics for Industry and Medicine, Durham, U.K., July 1999.
KEYWORDS: lightweight (LW), thermal management, phase change material, high energy laser (HEL), relay mirrors
AF083-006 TITLE: Low Cost Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: Innovative low cost unmanned aerial vehicle concept/design with extended endurance, payload capacity for multi-sensor packages (with focus on small lasers) and low operating cost/logistics needs.
DESCRIPTION: DoD and other government organizations have a growing need for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and target designation systems capable of providing timely ISR data and target clarification to those responsible for ensuring secure unit operations. UAVs today are typically either low payload/low endurance systems for use only under highly restricted local conditions or are very large platforms requiring a high cost and complex support network. The need is urgent for a low cost UAV that can be transported by and launched and operated by a two-person team from the back of a small truck or trailer. User needs also require that these low cost UAVs have a suite of flexible (plug and play) capabilities to include sensing for ISR, persistent surveillance and laser target designation. The incorporation of small lasers on this platform to meet these mission needs is stressed to encourage innovative use of directed energy technologies to meet this immediate user need.
It is intended that this UAV will have the capability to serve as the airborne platform for an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with the following attributes:
(1) an endurance of 18+ hours,
(2) can accommodate a 10-15 pound highly capable day/night sensor system payload,
(3) can down-link real-time sensor data to operators on the ground,
(4) laser designate ground targets,
(5) can be flown by a non-pilot operator via simple commands from a portable laptop computer,
(6) can fly for long distances under global positioning system/autopilot control (with command update availability via satcom),
(7) can transfer command to a deployed forward team, and
(8) can be recovered safely and easily with minimal airframe damage.
For commercial use, this UAS needs to meet the requirements necessary for the system to operate safely in US airspace. Actual requirements for US airspace operation have not yet been defined by the FAA. It is clear that a reliable form of “sense and avoid” for the UAV, comparable to a manned aircraft’s requirement to “see and avoid,” will be necessary to permit flight of a UAV that is not under visual observation. Research indicates several sense and avoid systems are under development, including optical, acoustical, and others and these developers understand that these systems need to be small and light enough to be flown on a UAV. This UAV will be developed to have enough payload capacity to handle a sense and avoid system, as well as a radar transponder, also likely to be required by the FAA.
PHASE I: Prepare a high level design for a low cost UAV with attributes listed above. Consider using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) sensors, lasers, communication and other on-board electronics to meet mission requirements.
PHASE II: Develop a proof-of-concept prototype. Include a UAV demonstration with working sensing/targeting equipment in a UAS operational scenario. Develop computerized UAS training for system operation in an operational environment. Provide prototype design for the UAV to house equipment needed for safe operation in US airspace. Perform initial flight test experiments and performance assessment.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Surveillance, special operations team planning, airfield and force protection, improvised explosive device detection, target laser designation, infrastructure protection and ISR. Commercial application: Law enforcement, search and rescue, and coastal and border surveillance.
REFERENCES:
1. UAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems, The Global Perspective, 2007 – 2008, USAF White Paper.
2. Unmanned Systems Roadmap 2007 - 2032,
Memorandum for the Secretaries of the Military Depts, Chairman of the JCS,
Chiefs of Staff (USA, USAF), Chief of Naval Ops, Commandant of the Marine
Corps, Director (DARPA); Secretary of Defense publication.
www.acq.osd.mil/usd/Unmanned%20Systems%20Roadmap.2007-2032.pdf
3. UAdditional information provided by TPOC includes Summary, Cost, Exception, Sensor Payload, Speed, Endurance, and Special Interest Item/Payload Clarification. (See Word document uploaded to SITIS.)
4. Additional Information from TPOC in response to incoming FAQs from prospective proposers. (See Excel document uploaded to SITIS.)
KEYWORDS: UAS, UAV, ISR, laser designator, plug and play, endurance, payload, launch, recover, satcom
AF083-007 TITLE: Compact, Submicrosecond Discharge Pulsed Power Capacitors
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: To develop compact, high voltage, pulsed power capacitors with submicrosecond discharge rates, long life (~10^6 shots) utilizing novel dielectric materials and packaging techniques.
DESCRIPTION: The energy density of pulsed power subsystems for high power microwave (HPM) systems remains limited by the storage capabilities of the dielectric subsystem, which may consist of either capacitors or solid dielectric lines. Gigawatt-class HPM systems generally operate from megavolts to hundreds of kilovolts with pulse durations no more than several hundred nanoseconds long. The state-of-the-art for commercially available pulsed power capacitors approaches 2 J/cc. However, in practice repetition rate (as high as 100 pps), discharge rate < 0.1 microseconds and lifetime requirements for HPM systems limit the energy density of these capacitors to less than 0.5 J/cc. Compact, high energy density pulsed power capacitors with long lifetimes capable of fully discharging their stored energy in less than 0.1 microseconds are needed to increase the energy density and performance of compact, pulsed power systems that will enable HPM applications on airborne platforms. Innovative approaches that incorporate the development of both high breakdown strength, low loss (tan delta < 0.005) advanced dielectrics and improved metallization and packaging techniques are needed to produce higher energy density and longer lifetime packaged, pulsed power capacitors. The combination of long lifetimes and high energy density necessitate developing a configuration that mitigates electric field enhancements throughout the entire device. In addition, demonstrating an understanding of the device electrical performance as a function of electric field, temperature and frequency will be essential to successfully achieve the desired goals.
PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of achieving 15 kilovolt, submicrosecond discharge packaged capacitors with energy densities of > 3 J/cc and lifetimes > 100,000 shots.
PHASE II: Demonstrate and deliver 5 fully packaged prototype 15 kilovolt pulsed power capacitors with a packaged energy density of > 3 J/cc and lifetimes > 100,000 shots capable of submicrosecond discharge at repetition rate of (objective) 30Hz or (threshold) 10 Hz.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: directed energy systems, high power microwave generators, power modulators, particle accelerators, advanced radar systems. Commercial application: medical x-ray equipment, particle accelerators, advanced radar systems, defibrillators, utility distribution substations, machining equipment.
REFERENCES:
1. F. MacDougall, J. Ennis, X. H. Yang, K. Seal, S. Phatak, B. Spinks, N. Keller, C. Naruo, T. R. Jow, “Large High Energy Density Pulse Discharge Capacitor Characterization,” Presented at 15th IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference, June 13-17, 2005, Monterey, CA.
2. T. A. Hoskings, M. A. Brubaker, “Annular Form Factor Film Capacitors”, 2005 IEEE Pulse Power Conference, June 2005, pp. 1227-1230.
3. X. Qi, S. Boggs, “Analysis of the Effects of End Connection Quality on the Dielectric Loss of Metallized Film Capacitors," IEEE Trans. Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, 11 (6) pp. 990-994.
4. B. Chu, X. Zhou, K. Ren, B. Neese, M. Lin, Q. Wang, F. Bauer, Q. M. Zhang, “ A Dielectric Polymer with High Electric Energy Density and Fast Discharge Speed," Science 313, July 2006, pp 334-336.
5. Qi, X., Ronzello, J.A., Boggs, S., “Dielectric Properties of Metallized Paper-Film Capacitors,” IEEE Trans. Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation 12 (6), pp. 1235-1240.
KEYWORDS: pulsed power, capacitors, dielectric, high energy density
AF083-008 TITLE: Tunable Dielectrics for Gigahertz, Pulsed Power Applications
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: To develop dielectrics demonstrating a combination of nonlinear response to electric fields, high permittivity (1000’s) and very low losses (<0.0005) at frequencies in the range of 800 MHz to 1 THz.
DESCRIPTION: Delivering precision effects and full battlespace awareness are capabilities that are crucial for maintaining the superiority of the U.S. Air Force into the future. Many technologies facilitating these capabilities require devices that are robust, highly efficient, compact, powerful (>10 MW) and tunable to operational frequencies ranging from the high radio frequency to terahertz. To realize the full potential of these devices, the development of high performance, nonlinear dielectrics materials are needed.
Conventional ferroelectrics are known for high permittivites and strong, nonlinear response to an applied electric field under certain conditions. Their response is controlled both by the lattice dynamics of the material and the presence of defects. The loss tangent of the material typically exceeds 0.005 and is inversely related to the permittivity. Also, dielectric response (permittivity and tunability) decreases at frequencies in the range of interest (800 MHz to 1 THz). Innovative approaches are needed to provide the unique combination of electrical properties at frequencies within the 800 MHz to 1 THz range. Potentially useful approaches may explore theoretical and experimental aspects of developing novel, nonlinear dielectrics, including but not limited to new chemical compositions, thin films, hybrid composites and, multiple phase composites (ferroelectric, paraelectric, antiferroelectric). Teaming with a dielectric manufacturer is highly recommended during Phase II. Multiple phase I awards are anticipated based on approaches focusing on tunability over different frequency bands (>400 MHz wide) within the frequency range of 800 MHz to 1 THz.
PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of an electric field tunable dielectric with high variable permittivity (>500); low losses (tan delta <0.002) at room temperature over a frequency band >400 MHz-wide within the frequency range (shown above). Demonstrate scaling to high power applications (100's A, 10's of kV) is feasible.
PHASE II: Demonstrate and deliver 20 individual prototype units of electric field tunable dielectrics with high variable permittivity (>500) and very low losses (tan delta <0.002) at room temperature over a broad frequency band (>400 MHz wide) within the frequency range 800 MHz to 1 THz that are each capable of handling >3 kV.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Directed energy weapons, ultra wide band radar, voltage controlled oscillators, phased array antennas, tunable filters and phase shifters. Commercial application: Voltage controlled oscillators, tunable filters, phase shifters, compact, tunable (narrowband and wide band) microwave devices, communications and cellular telephones.
REFERENCES:
1. Y. Xu, Ferro-electric Materials and Their Applications, (Elsevier, North Holland, 1991).
2. H. Ikezi, J. S. DeGrassie and J. Drake, “Soliton Generation at 10 MW Level in the Very High Frequency Band,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 58(9), (1991) 986-987.
3. A. M. Belyantsev and A. B. Kozyrev, “Multilayer Heterostructures with Asymmetric Barriers as New Components for Nonlinear Transmission Lines to Generate High-Frequency Oscillations in the 100-300 GHz Range," International Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves 23(10), (2002) 1475-1500.
4. S. S. Gevorgian, E. L. Kollberg, “Do We Really Need Ferroelectrics in Paraelectric Phase Only in Electrically Controlled Microwave Devices?," IEEE Trans. on Microwave Theory and Techniques 49(11), (2001) 2117-2124.
5. A. K. Tagantsev, V. O. Sherman, K. F. Astafiev, J. Venkatesh and N. Setter, “Ferroelectric Materials for Microwave Tunable Applications,” Journal of Electroceramics 11, (2003) 5-66.
KEYWORDS: nonlinear dielectrics, ferroelectrics, paraelectrics, anti-ferroelectrics, nonlinear transmission lines
AF083-009 TITLE: High Power Microwave Frequency Selective Surfaces
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Design, validate, build, and test high power-capable (0.5-1 MW/cm^2, ~100 nsec pulse widths) frequency selective surfaces (FSS’s) at L-band (~1-2 GHz) for high power microwave (HPM) applications.
DESCRIPTION: FSS’s are commonly used to limit electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radar cross section (RCS) associated with antennas. However, when designing HPM systems, problems associated with air and material breakdown must be addressed. At the present time, many advanced materials, including FSS’s, are not employed in HPM systems due to breakdown concerns. This leads to EMI and RCS problems with HPM systems.
A complicating factor in designing HPM components is the fact that breakdown events are difficult to predict. Electromagnetic simulation is extremely valuable in the design phase to limit the risk of breakdown. However, field levels that cause breakdown are not precisely known and breakdown events are often dependent on microscopic surface characteristics, which are also not well known. These unknowns lead to uncertainty in any computation to predict breakdown. Thus, validation of the power handling capability of a design requires both simulation and experimental validation.
Innovative designs are needed to allow FSS’s to be employed in HPM systems. 0.5 to 1 MW/cm^2 power handling is required. Frequencies across the microwave spectrum are of interest, with emphasis on L-band. While power handling is the parameter of most importance, other performance parameters, such as resonant frequencies and bandwidth, as well as productibility, thickness, weight, and cost are important. Further, innovative methods to predict, test, and validate the power handling capability of FSS designs are needed. Successful proposals to this topic must address all of these concerns.
PHASE I: Conduct innovative research to identify novel designs for high-power capable FSS's. Carry out detailed analysis of one or more design concepts to assess performance, power handling, and technology abilities and deficiencies of each concept. Carry out a limited design proof of principle experiment.
PHASE II: Complete design and build a prototype of the most promising concepts. Demonstrate the electrical properties of the FSS's at low power. Design and execute a high power proof of principle experiment and address the mitigation of the highest risk technologies associated with the design. Validate the power handling capability of the FSS’s. Show a clear path to platform and HPM source integration.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Airborne and ground-based HPM offensive and defensive systems, high power pulsed radar, countermine and counterimprovised explosive devic missions, and counterelectronics. Commercial application: High power pulsed radar, electromagnetic interference testing, and numerous wireless power transmission applications.
REFERENCES:
1. B. A. Munk, John Wiley and Sons, Frequency Selective Surfaces Theory and Design, 2000.
2. W. S. Bigelow, E. G. Farr, J. S. Tyo, W. D. Prather, and T. C. Tran, "A frequency selective surface used as a broadband filter to pass low-frequency UWB while reflecting X-band radar," Sensor and Simulation Note 506, Jan. 2006.
KEYWORDS: High power microwave, directed energy, frequency selective surface, FSS
AF083-010 TITLE: Innovative UAV-to-satellite communication link concepts using
adaptive optics
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Sensors, Space Platforms
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate an innovative lightweight, miniaturized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)to-satellite communications link approach using adaptive beam compensation.
DESCRIPTION: In support of high data rate AISR (airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) the Air Force seeks innovative adaptive optic compensation techniques to minimize the effects of atmospheric disturbances. Conventional adaptive optics approaches often use actuators and include moving mirrors, adversely affecting the size, weight, power (SWAP) and reliability of the adaptive optics system. Electro-optic devices have been shown to be capable of minimizing time-varying atmospheric disturbances at greatly reduced SWAP while increasing the reliability. The purpose of this topic is to develop and demonstrate a miniaturized phase measurement and compensation system capable of supporting UAV-to-satellite communications links. The system should sense and compensate at least three waves of phase distortion across an approximately 20cm aperture. These phase distortions would be due to aircraft boundary layer effects and have an appropriate structure function, which may be assumed to go as separation squared for this effort. The compensation system should be able to respond in <30 micro-seconds and be operable in a temperature range of -40 to +80 degrees C. The optical loss will be less than 2dB, including effects such as fill factor. The device should be able to handle optical powers up to tens of watts.
PHASE I: Conduct innovative design approaches in area of terrestrial adaptive optics-based beam-compensation method in AISR. Select a promising approach suitable for a UAV-to-satellite communications link and verify the approach. Feasibility of the design should be supported by modeling and simulation.
PHASE II: Fabricate and characterize prototype system. Testing relevant to communications links through a dynamic atmosphere will be conducted, including optical compensation through an atmospheric simulator via closed loop control. Empirical verification of low optical loss and fast response time will also be conducted.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Adaptive optics enhanced beam compensation techniques will find broad application to various communications links applicable to AISR.
Commercial application: Very similar commercial applications will be found in civilian Drug fighting and interdiction efforts as well as Commercial security.
REFERENCES:
1. Doble, Nathan; Williams, David R., “The Application of MEMS Technology for Adaptive Optics in Vision Science,” IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, May/June 2004.
2. Tuantranont, A.; Bright, V.M.; “Segmented silicon-micromachined mircroelectromechanical deformable mirrors for adaptive optics,” IEEE Sel. Topics Quantum Electron., Vol. 8, No. 1, Jan./Feb. 2002.
KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, UAV, deformable mirror, satellite communications,
AF083-013 TITLE: New Laser Eye Protection (LEP) Technology for Visors
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Human Systems
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate new LEP technologies for highly curved and complex-shaped visors. This topic involves LEP solutions other than the dyes and reflective coatings currently in use.
DESCRIPTION: LEP currently used by USAF forces incorporates cutting edge technologies (absorptive dyes and/or reflective technologies) to protect against lasers at a variety of wavelengths in the infrared (IR) and visible portions of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. This can be particularly problematic when helmet-mounted displays such as the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System and the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) system are involved. Dyes tend to be broadband absorbers–their absorption at wavelengths other than the desired wavelength(s) frequently reduces overall luminous transmittance (LT) to levels that are unacceptable for night use. Also, dyes tend to decompose at the temperature of molten polycarbonate. This complicates achieving a desired level of laser protection, and dye decomposition products can produce unacceptable optical effects. Dyes can (in principle) be imbibed or coated onto a visor after it is molded, but the LT problem remains. Reflective technologies (dielectric coatings and holograms) are applied after the visor is molded and can be made with sharp cutoffs around the wavelength(s) of interest, providing much higher LT than dyes. However, only a select few functional reflective coatings have been placed on large or highly curved surfaces, and none have been placed on complex shapes. Also, protection provided by reflective technologies is dependent upon the angle of incidence of the incoming light. Narrow protective notches and high incident angles can cause the wavelength against which protection is desired to become uncovered (blue shift). For a highly curved or complex-shaped visor, some of the light coming in from any direction will always be at a high incident angle. So even if reflective technologies could be put onto large, complex surfaces, their usefulness is by no means certain. Finally, because they reflect light, these technologies have been found to produce distracting (and sometimes obscuring) nuisance reflections in the visual field, so visual compatibility of the laser protection with the avionics display on the inside surface of a visor is likely to be problematic. This effort will focus on the design, fabrication, and validation of a visor that incorporates LEP technologies not currently in use. The resulting visor will provide a minimum optical density (OD) of 4 in the near IR (700 to 1350 nm) but be transparent to visible light between 400 and 700 nm and free from internal reflections. Ideally, the LEP technology solution will create a passive barrier that protects against both continuous wave (CW) and pulsed laser emissions, will be compatible with incorporation into a polycarbonate visor during molding, and not be angularly dependent. The technology must be compatible with, and must not degrade the ballistic protection properties of, polycarbonate. The proposed technology must provide high luminance transmission (minimum of 85 percent) and be color neutral in the visible range. This technology must also be compatible with a neutral tint (dye) that reduces light transmittance to 15 percent for daytime operations. In terms of optical quality, it is paramount that negative factors such as haze, distortion, aberration, prism, and artifacts are minimized so as not to impair visual performance or create distractions in the visual field.
PHASE I: Perform a technology feasibility assessment, and deliver a description of the conceptual solution, data to support the feasibility of the proposed solution, and a brief outline of a Phase II effort.
PHASE II: Execute a technology development plan and demonstrate the proposed solution by delivering a visor incorporating the proposed technology with supporting performance data.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: The U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy all have requirements for LEP for personnel. Commercial application: Potentially any field that uses lasers or laser eye protection (e.g., medical/dental laser surgery, lab technicians, welding, manufacturing, and laser research).
REFERENCES:
1. “Beam Weapons Revolution,” Jane’s International Defense Review, pp. 34 - 41, August 2000.
2. Sheehy, James B. and Morway, Phyllis E., “Laser-protective technologies and their impact on low-light level visual performance,” Laser-Inflicted Eye Injuries: Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment, SPIE Proceedings, Vol. 2674, pp. 208 - 218, Stuck, Bruce E. and Belkin, Michael, Eds. (1996).
3. Visor performance specification, MIL-V-43511C.
4. ANSI Standard Z136.1. American national standard for the safe use of lasers, American National Standards Institute, Inc., New York, 2000.
5. ANSI Standard Z87.1 American national standard for occupational and education eye and face protection, American National Standards Institute, Inc., New York, 1993.
KEYWORDS: laser, visor, eye, protection, laser eye protection, LEP, laser defense, laser filter
AF083-014 TITLE: Multimodal Synthetic Aperture Radar (MM-SAR) Exploitation
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Sensors
OBJECTIVE: Develop efficient automated SAR exploitation capabilities for current and projected operational problems.
DESCRIPTION: SAR imaging sensors are gaining widespread application in both military and nonmilitary applications across the world. In its conventional image formation mode, it is considered to be a nonliteral sensor in that the imagery does not represent reflected light (as does human vision or electro-optical (EO) sensing) but, rather, is a representation of the radar reflectivity/cross section (RCS) of objects in the ground scene. The intensity of a SAR pixel is roughly proportional to the RCS of that point on the ground. But SAR is capable of supporting other modes for imagery analyst-performed exploitation.
Noncoherent change detection (NCCD) processing can be applied to detected SAR images. It offers the advantages of processing speed and relative robustness with regard to the requirement to match imaging geometries between the mission and reference images. It offers the disadvantage of a relative lack of resolution with regard to detecting disturbed earth or other indicators of activity. Coherent change detection (CCD), exploiting the complex SAR phase history data format, on the other hand, requires more precise matching of imaging geometries and longer processing times. Innovative techniques which employ NCCD to cue CCD processing to local areas in the SAR coverage can be expected to reduce false positives, produce highly exploitable chips of localized activity, and greatly reduce total processing time. Dynamic imaging (DI) represents a trade between angle diversity and resolution. In DI, multiple, lower resolution images are formed over the synthetic aperture formation period. It is possible that one or more of these lower resolution images may capture a glint or highly directional specular return from obscured targets which would have been lost (washed out) if the entire aperture period had been used to form a single high-resolution image.
Innovative MM-SAR exploitation tools can reasonably be expected to demonstrate significant advantages by making maximum use of the strengths of each of these collection modes while minimizing the impacts of their respective weaknesses. For example, it is reasonable to expect a reduction in missed targets which are obscured, which are treated to reduce their radar signatures, or which are in urban clutter while, simultaneously, reducing false alarms.
Either actual SAR imagery/data or high-fidelity simulated imagery/data would be appropriate to support this research and development effort.
Innovative research is required to gain a better understanding as to how to most effectively employ these nonimaging modes (NCCD, CCD, DI), either sequentially (cross-cueing) or in combination (integration). Capability-based measures of effectiveness are required to quantify the enhancements to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) exploitation products to be expected from MM-SAR data exploitation. Development and demonstration of a MM-SAR exploitation capability, in a laboratory workstation environment, will support the objective assessment of these new exploitation tools.
PHASE I: Research and demonstrate innovative, integrated SAR target detection capabilities which are compatible with the perceptual and cognitive capabilities of the intelligence analyst.
PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a prototype integrated/MM-SAR exploitation capability in a laboratory environment. Evaluate military potential of the prototype against the capability-based measures of effectiveness.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Innovative integrated/MM-SAR exploitation capabilities can be expected to greatly enhance standoff ranges, wide area coverage, and adverse weather imaging capabilities.
Commercial application: There is a rapidly growing market in geographic information systems (GIS) for application widely diverse domains including land use management, urban planning, disaster assessment and recovery, oil spill mapping, etc.
REFERENCES:
1. AFRL Human Effectiveness, Warfighter Interface Division: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070418-024.pdf
2. Reconnaissance System Wing: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061220-004.pdf
3. GIS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_system
4. Spaceborne SAR System (Foreign): http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946852.html
5. Spaceborne SAR System (Foreign): http://www.isprs.org/istanbul2004/comm3/papers/386.pdf
KEYWORDS: SAR, exploitation
AF083-015 TITLE: Binocular Multispectral Adaptive Imaging System (BMAIS)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform
OBJECTIVE: Develop a helmet-mounted display (HMD) system for pilots that adaptively integrates shortwave infrared (SWIR), visible, near-IR (VNIR), off-head thermal, and computer symbology/imagery into fused visualizations.
DESCRIPTION: Pilots need a visualization system that enables day/night/adverse weather operations. Currently fielded night vision and day vision technologies are not integrated and do not work as well as needed under many illumination conditions. The opportunity now exists to replace two separate helmet clip-ons now in use–-the night-vision goggles (NVGs) based on image intensifier vacuum tubes, and the day-target sighting systems based on high-voltage miniature cathode ray tubes (CRTs)—with a single integrated day/night/adverse weather visualization system based on low-voltage digital solid-state imagers, processors, and displays. The goal of this topic is to create and develop revolutionary pilot HMD visualization systems via a spiral development process leveraging recent advances in imaging sensors, fusion algorithms, and supercomputing processors. New focal plane array (FPA) sensors with substantially improved visualization potential are now becoming available in several bands, including the VNIR, SWIR, mid-wave infrared (MWIR), and long-wave infrared (LWIR, aka thermal, aka forward/downward-looking IR, FLIR/DLIR). Long-term efforts to develop scene-adaptive multiband image fusion algorithms have culminated in software available for implementation in a variety of warfighter visualization tasks to optimally combine two, three, or four different sensors of varying resolution. Supercomputing processors capable of 150 to 350 billion operations-per-second (GOPS) are becoming available to implement the advanced adaptive fusion algorithms in real time (30 to 60 Hz) in the form of either a) application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips or b) one to two small boards populated with the latest floating-point-gate-array (FPGA) packages. All designs sought under this topic should be a binocular for an aviation helmet providing a 40º field of view (FOV) with 100 percent overlap and 1:1 magnification. The minimum initial effort (threshold) capability demonstration sought is a binocular HMD-mounted SWIR-only system having a minimum resolution of 640 by 512 pixels with computer-input for either symbol overlay or synthetic/augmented image presentation to the eye. Mid-term performance sought is an increase of resolution to 1280 by 1024 pixels. Objective long-term performance sought is 2560- by 2048-pixel image resolution, which corresponds to 20:20 visual acuity in a 40º FOV, in the final BMAIS. Scene-adaptive fused imagery is desired in addition to the SWIR at all stages of BMAIS development, including the possible addition of HMD-mounted VNIR and LWIR sensors, or the use of aircraft-mounted imaging sensors in any portion of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum (including especially, LWIR) to generate the fused image displayed to the eyes. All designs and prototypes should meet the space, weight, ergonomic, and power (SWEP) requirements for pilot helmet-mounted systems.
PHASE I: Design binocular pilot HMD system sensitive in SWIR and VNIR with inputs for off-helmet symbology/imagery. Sensor may be a single FPA or multiple FPAs with electronic fusion. Display may be opaque or see-through. Processor must enable symbology overlay and fusion of a/c-mounted imaging sources.
PHASE II: Fabricate binocular SWIR-VNIR pilot HMD clip-on system suitable for evaluation in a representative environment. Prototype must be demonstrated in a laboratory environment to enable symbol overlay and fusion of simulated a/c imaging sensors such as FLIR, SAR and synthetic vision. Prototype should meet the SWEP requirements for engineering development into a product for use with current helmets.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Develop an engineering prototype of a SWIR-only helmet system and support a flight test. Develop SWIR/VNIR adaptive fusion helmet system and demonstrate in a relevant environment. Commercial application: Develop commercialization plan to include applications to Homeland Security operations (e.g., coastal and border patrol) and to commercial aircraft operations in adverse weather conditions.
REFERENCES:
1. Jeff Paul, "Exploit new spectral band (SWIR) & multi-spectral fusion: MANTIS Program Update,” Multispectral Adaptive Networked Tactical Imaging System (MANTIS), WBR Soldier Technology US 2008 Conference (Worldwide Business Research Ltd.,) Arlington, VA, 15 January 2008.
2. Goodrich, http://www.sensorsinc.com/whyswir.html for SWIR sensor data.
3. Peter J. Burt, “MANTIS Challenges: Image Enhancement and Fusion for the Soldier,” IDGA Image Fusion Conference, Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA), January 23, 2007.
4. Raytheon Vision Systems, http://www.raytheon.com .
5. Stu Horn, “Micro Imagers for Sensing (MISI),” stuart.horn@darpa.mil.
KEYWORDS: Pilot, HMD, SWIR, VNIR, adaptive image fusion, supercomputer ASICs, MANTIS, MISI
AF083-016 TITLE: Video and Image Enhancement for Assisting Sensor Operators in Multi-
Unmanned Aerial Systems
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop interface methods and procedures to support interpretability of sensor imagery for tasks involving the simultaneous monitoring of multiple live sensor feeds from unpiloted aerial assets.
DESCRIPTION: Sensor operators of UAVs are tasked with examining video imagery to support essential mission decisions. Surveillance is a common mission for UAVs where the quality of the imagery is critical. Small and micro UAVs are often employed for these missions and can provide ground forces with advantageous information about enemy capabilities and locations. Monitoring video imagery received from multiple UAVs is challenging in part because of the quality of the video received. Image quality/interpretability is affected by platform characteristics (e.g., stability, airspeed, altitude, and sensor resolution), target characteristics (e.g., size, speed, cooperativeness, and quantity), type of imagery (e.g., electro-optical (EO), infrared (IR), laser RADAR, synthetic aperture RADAR), and environmental characteristics (e.g., lighting, temperature, weather, and scene clutter). Due to these effects, targets and other important elements captured in the imagery are not always observable in the raw footage. However, there are video enhancement techniques that can extract additional information from the video to facilitate sound decision making. Examples of these techniques include, but are not limited to, image stabilization, contrast enhancement, high-definition cameras, super resolution, and auto-target detection and tracking. Application of such techniques may increase the likelihood that sensor operators will detect and identify targets and increase their confidence in the presence and type of targets.
This S&T effort will contribute to future warfighting needs in situation awareness, visual interface, intelligent aiding, and decision support. The benefit of effective video enhancement and interpretation to the warfighter comes from enabling a robust time-critical targeting capability: reduced cycle time through automated information fusion, precision location, identification, and tracking of agile and mobile targets, and timely indications and warnings of enemy force movement.
PHASE I: Develop and design a video enhancement breadboard-level toolset for human-in-the-loop evaluations in an AFRL testbed. Create a plan for testing the design in two scenarios provided by AFRL: 1) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and 2) close-air support troops in contact (CAS-TIC).
PHASE II: Implement a brassboard-level toolset in a research control station provided by AFRL and use video for operator-in-the-loop simulator evaluations. Metrics shall be developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the enhancement techniques in terms of video quality/interpretability in the context of the missions and scenarios identified in Phase I. Develop a plan for flight testing a prototype.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Application to a USAF system and installation and testing at a USAF test site will occur during Phase III. Military applications include UAS strike and ISR. Commercial application: Civil applications include law enforcement and security (e.g., border patrol, forestry, urban patrol).
REFERENCES:
1. Garside, J.R. and Harrison, C. (1999). “Real-time adaptive video image enhancement,” Proceedings of SPIE Conference on Enhanced and Synthetic Vision, Vol. 3891, Orlando, FL.
2. Liu, Y.S. and Huang, T.S. (2000). “Input/Output and Imaging Technologies II,” Proceedings of SPIE Conference, AOARD Technical Report ADA398459.
3. Rahman. Z., Jobson. D.J., and Woodell, G.A. (2004) “Retinex processing for automatic image enhancement,” Journal of Electronic Imaging, Vol. 13, pp. 100 - 110.
4. Repperger, D.W., Pinkus, A.R., et al. (2006). Stochastic Resonance Investigation of Object Detection in Images. U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Technical Report ADA472478.
5. http://labs.live.com/photosynth/default.html. Modeling a collection of high-resolution photographs of a place or an object and displays them in a reconstructed three-dimensional space.
KEYWORDS: video enhancement, multi-UAS, operator interfaces, supervisory control, cognitive workload reduction, digital image stabilization, target tracking, contrast enhancement, stochastic resonance, super resolution
AF083-017 TITLE: Smart Automatic Jettisoning Device for Helmet Mounted Display
System (HMDS)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop a smart, helmet-mounted, autonomous, lightweight system to automatically jettison a HMDS in a harsh environment prior to inducing injury to the crewmember.
DESCRIPTION: Current HMDS are mounted to aircrew members’ helmets to improve performance by providing night vision enhancement, by enabling look-and-shoot weapons cueing systems, and by providing continuous aircraft information to the crewmember. The added weight and resulting center of gravity shift of these systems can increase the probability of injury to the crewmember in the event of ejection or crash landing. The additional surface area of the HMDS can also increase aerodynamic loading during ejection which also results in an increase to the probability of injury. Creation of simple force/acceleration HMDS release systems have been developed and tested, but these systems have been unacceptable since helmet accelerations encountered during air combat maneuvers (ACM) can be near or can exceed the peak accelerations encountered during ejections. Although there are differences between the directions, rise times, and pulse shapes of accelerations encountered during ACM and ejection/crash, simple mechanical systems cannot differentiate between these. There are also concerns about the ability of simple mechanical systems to retain their designed release levels over time due to repetitive mounting and removal of the HMDS.
PHASE I: Analyze helmet motions/accelerations during ACM/ejections/crashes, differentiate between normal ACM helmet motions/accelerations and those during ejection or crash onset. Develop breadboard prototype that could be exposed to these environments and tested to see if environments can be differentiated.
PHASE II: Develop prototype smart HMDS release system that will remove the HMDS only during exposure to the ejection/crash environments. Demonstrate functionality in ACM and ejection/crash environments in tests provided by AFRL.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Potential military applications of this technology could benefit users of night vision goggles (including ANVIS-9, PNVG, and the developmental NVCD) and other modern display systems (i.e., JHMCS, JSF). Commercial application: This technology could be used for items like auto binder releases on skis/snowboards and possibly as a real-time warning system if an athlete is likely to suffer from concussions/injuries due to impact.
REFERENCES:
1. COMPARISON OF TIME-FREQUENCY CLASSIFICATION METHODS FOR INTELLIGENT AUTOMATIC JETTISONING DEVICE OF HELMET-MOUNTED DISPLAY SYSTEMS HATIM F. ALQADAH, H. HOWARD FAN, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH; and JOHN A. PLAGA, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/4301199/4301200/04301355.pdf
2. Biodynamics database -- https://biodyn1.wpafb.af.mil.
KEYWORDS: helmet, helmet-mounted display, helmet-mounted display system, HMD, HMDS, separation device
AF083-019 TITLE: Full Multiplex Holographic Display (FMHD)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop full-parallax digital three-dimensional (3-D) display with no moving parts, video rate imaging based on holograms or hogels, no special viewing apparatus, and using a gesture glove interface.
DESCRIPTION: Visualization of inherently 3-D situations—such as deconfliction, intervisibility, air operations, satellite constellations, terrain/building structures, and complex battlespace data—is significantly hampered when projected onto a two-dimensional (2-D) medium. Despite many attempts based on a variety of approaches, all currently available true 3-D displays have unacceptable levels of visual artifacts, are far too dim, require too much space and power, and have inadequate user interfaces for interacting with 3-D imagery. Stereoscopic approaches are common but require special headgear, which causes discomfort and nausea in many users, diminishes luminance for all viewers, and precludes accessibility for multiple and/or unexpected viewers. Autostereoscopic (no eyewear) 3-D systems based on the sequential placement of full 2-D perspective images into horizontal viewing zones (2 to 11 common) do not provide a simple walkaround capability have uncomfortably restricted viewing zones for even one person, cannot be updated fast enough to prevent image jitter, and cause nausea in most users for use longer than 15 min. Autostereoscopic systems based on volumetric approaches (e.g. spinning screen, laser-scanned cube, depth multiplex 2D) are too dim and too small to be useful. Autostereoscopic systems based on electronic holographic efforts have been too slow and too dim to be useful. Fortunately, recent advances in microprocessors, algorithms, communications, and gesture control technology have now made it possible to develop a compact full multiplex digital holographic display system with adequate performance for use in operational applications. Computational power to generate full multiplex holograms can be produced affordably by use of clusters of consumer personal computers and graphics rendering cards. The hologram pixel (sample of the 2-D hologram) should ideally be 500 nm or smaller in size and 14 bits in grayscale for adequate discrete representation. Alternatively, basis representations of holograms based on precompiled hologram element (hogel) basis sets require pixels of 20 µm or smaller compared to the 11-20 µm pitches now in production for MicroDisplays in a variety of MEMS, OLED, and LCD technologies. Nanoelectronic fabrication techniques now being matured by the integrated circuit industry at the 45-nm node, together with diffractive optics for pixel or hogel imaging, enable fabrication of hologram pixels (hpixel) across 100 sq inch of a 16-inch wafer. The resulting sampled hologram (70-giga-hpixels) might correspond to a true 3-D resolution of several megavoxels in a 30º field of view (FOV). The goal of this topic is to capitalize on this opportunity to begin to enable petabyte command and control databases to be visualized and controlled dynamically in 3-D with look-around in all directions with artifacts that are acceptable by long-term use operators. Gesture control of the imagery via a sensor-embedded glove is also envisioned to make user interaction with 3-D content intuitive. Solid state 3-D would enhance both ground and airborne displays, providing depth information in the cockpit and reducing ambiguity in ground based applications. The technology developed in this topic should be focused on comfortable long-term use by multiple simultaneous viewers in air, space, and cyberspace operations centers and be adaptable to airborne functions.
PHASE I: Design an FMHD capable of presenting, at a minimum, a full parallax monochrome image at any pupil position in a 30º FOV that is viewable in room illumination and controllable with a gesture (e.g. glove) interface. Develop a visual artifact reduction strategy and assess usability and comfort issues.
PHASE II: Fabricate and demonstrate a solid-state FMHD display system at video rate in a laboratory environment in a single color with a wearable dataglove interface. Define a pathway for integration into a tabletop multiperson team workstation form-factor that is scalable to wall size. Demonstrate pathways to full color, larger fields of view, and higher resolutions.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Complex system visualization for air, space, and cyberspace situational awareness, planning, execution of missions in command and control centers; battlespace visualization, and medical research. Commercial application: Commercial air traffic control, computer-aided design, real-time functional magnetic resonant brain activity imaging, scientific data visualization, teaching, entertainment, and medical research.
REFERENCES:
1 Darrel G. Hopper, “Reality and Surreality of 3-D Displays: Holodeck and Beyond,” Proceedings of Society for Information Display Electronic Information Display Conference, London, UK (2000).
2. Mark Lucente, “Computational holographic bandwidth compression,” IBM Systems Journal, Vol. 35, 349-365 (1996).
3. Douglas Kirkpatrick, “Urban Photonic Sandtable Display,” www.darpa.mil/sto/smallunitops/upsd.html.
4. Realistic 3-D Holographic Visualization Tool, www.zebraimaging.com.
5. Nasser Peyghambarian, “Erasable Holographic Display,” IEEE Spectrum (Feb 2008),” http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/feb08/599.
KEYWORDS: True 3-D, air operations center weapon system (AOC-WS), command and control (C2), full-parallax, video, solid-state, holographic, hogel basis set, display, gesture controls, warfighter-system interface, battlespace visualization
AF083-020 TITLE: Decision Support for Geospatial Intelligence Analysis
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Space Platforms, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: To develop and demonstrate innovative processes and products for the application of geospatial intelligence capabilities to Air Force requirements.
DESCRIPTION: Geospatial intelligence (GeoINT) is an intelligence discipline comprising the exploitation and analysis of sensor information to describe, assess, and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the Earth. It is comprised of imagery, imagery intelligence, and geospatial data. The essence of GeoINT is the recognition that useful data and new information, can be produced from the integration of imagery with spatial, temporal, and spectral information. Aligning with the mission of the National System for Geospatial Intelligence, the goal is for GeoINT products to provide “timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security.” While conventional geographic information systems (GIS) are essentially searchable databases, GeoINT is capable of producing actionable intelligence. The capabilities of GeoINT exploitation are in the early stages of development. The decision-making requirements of the warfighter are expected to drive the evolution of GeoINT capabilities. In addition, it is important to focus the development of GeoINT exploitation and analysis technologies on assisting analysts in data fusion and data assessment in an effort to avoid the inundation of excess information. Improved GEOINT data quality, data coverage, and automation are anticipated to have a significant increase in analyst efficiency and effectiveness. GeoINT may be derived from a variety of sensors: synthetic aperture radar (SAR), thermal infrared (IR), spectral, seismic, acoustic, electro-optical (EO), etc., which may be exploited individually or in combination. Further, GeoINT products may involve the integration of data obtained over geographic areas and/or time intervals. New GeoINT products, both stand-alone and integrated with other intelligence disciplines, are anticipated to be of immense value to current and future warfighters, as well as analysts, by providing immediate, precise, and actionable intelligence. Future applications of GeoINT products depend on a responsive information technology infrastructure to promote transparency and information sharing in a multi- intelligence environment across the Department of Defense and intelligence community, as well as, ensure discovery, access, dissemination, and management of all GeoINT data stores through a web-enabled, service-oriented architecture. This is especially necessary in the current and future conflicts which utilize smart weapons and demand rapid response and high precision. Operationally relevant metrics are required to support the ongoing assessment of both product value and process accuracy and repeatability.
PHASE I: Identify and conceptually a) develop unique, actionable GeoINT products, b) demonstrate innovative GeoINT exploitation and analysis methods required to generate these products, and c) define operationally relevant metrics linked with the GeoINT methods/products to be used in continuous improvement.
PHASE II: The GeoINT processes explored in Phase I will be demonstrated in a realistic architecture to produce the new products. The metrics will be applied to assess both the products and the generative processes.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Remote sensing (land use assessment, beach erosion measurement) and development planning (city zoning, traffic analysis) can be expected to benefit from enhanced GeoINT capabilities. Commercial application: Emergency preparedness and first responders can be expected to benefit from the increased accuracy and depth of GeoINT products.
REFERENCES:
1. Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Operations, Air Force Doctrine Document 2-9, 17 July 2007 (www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/service_pubs/afdd2_9.pdf)
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_system
3. http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-2-05/feature-sensor.htm
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrics
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEOINT
KEYWORDS: Geospatial, intelligence, metrics, visualization
AF083-021 TITLE: Visualization of disparate domain operations toward a single effect for
improved decision making
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems, Space Platforms, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop novel display techniques to ensure rapid comprehension of an integrated, goal-oriented picture for effects-based operations which includes fused network health and status information.
DESCRIPTION: In today’s netcentric warfighting environment, Air Operations Center (AOC) personnel have access to an abundance of information about the operational environment. The current AOC focuses on the air domain but will increasingly be required to integrate more expansive space and cyberspace domain information. Integrating the three domains will provide even more capabilities to the warfighter in an AOC, making effects-based planning even more complex by having even more information available. Planners in today’s AOCs must support shorter planning cycles while at the same time planning for an increasing variety of effects to be achieved on many types of targets.
Joint Vision 2020 (JV2020) emphasizes the importance of information superiority. JV2020 goes on to emphasize that information superiority provides the joint force a competitive advantage only when it is effectively translated into superior knowledge and decisions. Effective visualization can help alleviate data/information overload and can support information superiority because it is a natural way for a human to take in a lot of information. Care must be taken when forming visualizations to ensure uncluttered views, smooth work processes and the user’s ability to find significance in the data presented.
Effective operations in an integrated air, space and cyberspace command and control environment will require the development of novel display techniques to ensure rapid comprehension and coordination of disparate operational actions to address a single effects-based goal. Reaching the overall goal of the commander’s intent may be a complex process which involves planning to achieve a number of objectives and subobjectives in the various domains. This requires a fused visualization of kinetic and nonkinetic activities directed toward a shared effect. Planners want to achieve an effect upon a network (i.e., disable communications) or require use of a network to achieve an effect (i.e., psych ops, navigation, transmission of ISR data/images). A visualization to seamlessly integrate network effects with other activities across air, space and cyber domains would lay the groundwork for improved decision making response time and provide flexibility for novel attack profiles.
The purpose of this effort would be to identify and develop visualization techniques that incorporate externally fused network health and status data with more traditional operational data toward the rapid development of the most efficient courses of action to achieve desired effects. Examples of network data would include 1) visualization of red force and blue force network health and status to assess and perform cyber battle damage assessment and 2) visualization of health, status, and configuration status of disparately managed airborne networks (to include fused TDMA (Link16) and multiple IP-based airborne networks) to assess end-to-end network coverage, connectivity, and robustness. Current state of the art includes standard desktop computers and inferior large screen displays and does not support clear understanding of configuration status of disparately managed airborne networks. Thus, the impact of outages in any part of one or more networks cannot be assessed. Beyond being able to quickly identify network problems, operators need to be able to quickly understand the impact of outages within red or blue networks. It is the emphasis on impact that is necessary for effect-based operations. An emphasis should be placed on integrating the current AOC air domain with the space and cyberspace domains. These visualizations should significantly improve the speed and accuracy of operator performance in managing effects. The required parameters for the product should be scalable, for both differing display technologies (i.e., from desktop to large screen shared displays) and for the levels of warfare (e.g., tactical to operational to strategic views). The product must comply with the DoD Net-Centric Data Strategy, which states that information must be visible, accessible, understandable, trusted, interoperable, and responsive. One of the technical challenges with this product will be creating visualizations based on information from a variety of data sources which are not likely to be correlated in space and time. Some additional technical challenges for the visualizations include: failing to show secondary and tertiary effects, including any undesired effects; not covering the full range of potential adversary responses; and not having the necessary data to feed the visualizations.
PHASE I: Identify, define and assess visualization strategies that show integration in a cross-domain, goal-oriented effects picture, including fused network health and status data, to aid improved decision making response time and provide flexibility for course of action development. Record the results in a report.
PHASE II: Construct a working prototype that shows the cross-domain, goal-oriented effects picture. It must be demonstrated in an agreed upon operational scenario and have enough detail to support course of action development and evaluation. The model must show netcentric capability for the integration of data from disparate data sources. Deliverables include the working model and results documented in a report.
PHASE III Dual Use Applications: Military application: AOCs and other command and control environments where disparate data must be fused and understood to develop courses of action in support of specific goals. Commercial application: Any activity where disparate data must be fused and understood to develop courses of action in support of specific goals, i.e., crisis support, humanitarian support, industry and educational institutions.
REFERENCES:
1. ‘Air Force leaders to discuss new ‘Cyber Command’ http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123028524
2. Joint Vision 2020 (2000). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. http://www.dtic.mil/jointvision/jvpub2.htm
3. Joint Publication 1-02 (2000). Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. Directorate for Operational Plans and Joint Force Development, United States Joint Forces Command Joint Warfighting Center, Suffolk, Virigina. www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf
4. Smith, Edward A. (2002). Effects based operations: Applying network centric warfare in peace, crisis, and war. CCRP Publications.
KEYWORDS: network, airborne network, cyberspace, visualization, taxonomy, data fusion, effects-based operations
AF083-022 TITLE: Visualization for Command and Control of Cyberspace Operations
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems, Space Platforms, Human Systems
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop visualization techniques for planning and execution of Cyberspace operations.
DESCRIPTION: Fulfilling the Air Force mission “… to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace” requires effective C2 tools for the observation, planning and execution of cyberspace operations. Conventional battlespace visualization tools were developed for the physical world (i.e., geospatially oriented), where the battlespace, weapons and effects are concrete, often observable entities. Cyberspace and its critical electronic infrastructures are an artificial world that must be created, modified and sustained by the warfighter. This artificial world of cyberspace has concrete links back to the physical world that shape the information landscape, affect the decision-making process, and control the communication channels crucial to C2.
Standard, geospatially oriented C2 tools are not suitable for providing cyber combatants with comparable situation awareness to understand events, evaluate options, and make decisions in the electromagnetic domain. The combatants in the cyber domain needs to be able to quickly see and understand not just the physical relationships of the traditional battlespace, but also the logical relationships and information dependencies in the abstract landscape of cyberspace. Cyber C2 visualizations need to provide information for strategy, tactics and execution of effects that may, or may not, have physical correlates. Examples of these cyber events include network attack detection, attack identification, damage assessment, denial of service (DOS) warnings, and information warfare or cyber-attack operations.
For example, a commander may be planning to intentionally disrupt a portion of his network to investigate a cyber-attack. He will need to understand what ripple effects will occur across the functionally diverse and geographically distributed network. These ripple effects will have both a cyber component (e.g., locations that will lose connectivity or suffer degraded performance characteristics) and a real-world component (e.g., information about enemy forces may be unavailable or delayed, reducing blue force effectiveness) that must be visualized, explored and tasked from within his C2 tools.
Decision makers will greatly benefit from innovative visualization tools that can improve their understanding of all aspects of the Cyber domain. These aspects include 1) the current state of the information environment, the physical and virtual battlespace and enemy and friendly capabilities and vulnerabilities; 2) the scope and scale of courses of action that affect information or information networks; 3) the primary effects and ripple effects of an operation in both the physical and cyber battlespaces, and 4) the risks for collateral damage associated with cyber warfare activities.
PHASE I: Identify cyberspace characteristics relevant to C2 visualization. Identify correlation methods and visualization techniques to understand battlespace, operations, and effects. Define metrics to evaluate efficacy. Document results in a written report, including mockups of proposed visualizations.
PHASE II: Construct a working prototype to demonstrate integrated visualization of cyber data showing 1) the status of information environment, 2) its effect on the conventional battlespace, and 3) the status of information operations. Evaluate effectiveness using metrics defined in Phase I.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Additional military applications include command and control environments, like the Air Operations Centers (AOCs). Commercial application: Monitoring and defending infrastructures (e.g., financial and energy) against cyber-attacks. Visualization cyberspace is beneficial for security of commercial communication and information networks.
REFERENCES:
1. ‘Air Force leaders to discuss new ‘Cyber Command’ http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123028524
2. Laura S. Tinnel, O. Sami Saydjari, and Joshua W. Haines, An Integrated Cyber Panel System, IEEE Computer Society, .
3. Anita D’Amico and Stephen Salas, Visualization as an Aid for Assessing the Mission Impact of Information Security Breaches, IEEE 2003.
4. Tim Bass, “Cyberspace Situational Awareness Demands Mimic Traditional Command Requirements,” AFCEA Signal Magazine, February 2000.
KEYWORDS: visualization, cyber, human factors, planning, situation awareness, command and control, HCI
AF083-023 TITLE: Assessment Tools for Evaluating Dynamic Flight Simulation and Force
Cueing Fidelity to Improve Simulation Environment Effectiveness
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems, Human Systems
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop metrics/software to quantify the impact of nonmotion-based and dynamic flight simulation fidelity on combat mission performance in aircraft training simulation environments.
DESCRIPTION: Until recently, flight simulators have been used principally as procedural trainers for training tasks such as emergency procedures, instrument flight, takeoff/landing, and limited combat tasks. Since the late 1990s, the Air Force has been increasingly using simulators to support full combat mission training, and has initiated the Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) program to transform Air Force training capabilities by including high-fidelity simulation into flying training. It is widely believed that effective full combat mission training requires a more dynamic simulation of the environment than offered in the more limited flight procedures applications currently available. However, it has proven difficult in practice to measure the effect that differences in dynamic and force cueing environmental realism have on training effectiveness. Today, there are very few automated tools and methods that permit routine tracking of the impact of changes in environmental fidelity and varying levels of dynamic system behavior on pilot and team performance. A pilot in a live fly situation constantly experiences various dynamic forces resulting from pilot control inputs, the environment, and aircraft state, including aircraft damage/failures. While the pilot’s primary perception of the aircraft position, attitude, and acceleration is through out-the-window visual observation, these dynamic forces provide additional cues, consciously and subconsciously, about the acceleration of the aircraft. These cues are typically not found in static simulation environments. Dynamic cueing devices, such as centrifuges, motion platforms, moving seats, inflatable G-suits, etc., might be useful for increasing the realism of the environment. However, the contribution of this level of realism on pilot performance and training effectiveness has not been empirically established. As simulation fidelity improves, the contribution of including dynamic flight characteristics in the environment and their impact on training effectiveness and transfer needs to be established. Objective human performance constructs and metrics must be identified to address this issue. Additionally, a software system that permits these metrics to be instantiated, applied, and validated in systematic assessments of differing levels of fidelity must be developed and validated. This effort will develop, demonstrate, and validate human performance constructs and metrics as well as a software suite that instantiates the metrics for evaluating the impact of dynamic force cueing systems on pilot combat mission performance. The capability to quantify, in human performance terms, the trade space associated with different aspects of environmental fidelity, such as dynamic flight simulation and other cueing devices and feedback, has not been developed and is critical to training utility and return on investment assessments that must be in the U.S. and in coalition training acquisitions. Results obtained through these tools, methods, and processes should be usable to define the fidelity requirements for simulation of specific dynamic simulation characteristics and cues in new training simulators, and to identify the most effective compromises (when necessary) for engineering changes to operational training simulators. Finally, the capability developed in this effort can be used to determine the most appropriate level of fidelity necessary to supplement tactical in-flight pilot training as a means of off-loading flight time from aging in-service aircraft and to set aeromedical performance standards.
PHASE I: Conduct a comparative analysis of current methods of instrumentation and performance measurement (human physiological and task performance and environment performance). Identify gaps in existing measurement approaches and develop alternative metrics and instrumentation methods appropriate for both static and dynamic environments that address identified gaps. Demonstrate software that applies exemplar metrics in a static and a dynamic simulation environment. Technical report and Phase II plan.
PHASE II: Complete metrics and algorithm development. Demonstrate an integrated database that permits the isolation of human performance effects associated with dynamic flight and cueing in a dynamic flight simulation environment. Report recommendations for feedback regarding environment design and upgrades and for aeromedical certification and standards using such environments.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: The products can be applied to evaluating actual aircraft flight feedback and cueing systems using simulation during the design and subsystem testing phases prior to production. Commercial application: Significant potential to determine dynamic flight capabilities and other cueing impacts on training validity and transfer to commercial system effectiveness.
REFERENCES:
1. Operational Requirements Document. (CAF [USAF] 009-93-I-A). Washington, D.C.
2. Leland, R.A., Folescu, C., Mitchell, W.F., "Developing Rapid G-Onset and Sustained G Dynamic Flight Simulation (DFS) Capability In Next Generation Human Centrifuges," Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, 1999 70:358.
3. Szczepanski, C., Leland R.A., "To Move or Not to Move? A Continuous Question," Proceedings of the AIAA, 2000, 0161.
4. Flach, J., Riccio, G.E., McMillan, G., and Warren, R., “Psychophysical methods for evaluating performance between alternative motion simulators,” Ergonomics, Vol. 29, No. 11, 1986, pp. 1423 - 1438.
5. Lee, A.T. (2005). Flight simulation: Virtual environments in aviation, Ashgate Publishing, Burlington, VT.
6. Additional Information from TPOC in response to FAQs. (Word document includes 4 sets of Q&A uploaded to SITIS.)
KEYWORDS: motion-based simulation, dynamic flight cues, static (non-motion) simulation environments, physiological cueing and fidelity, force feedback and training transfer
AF083-024 TITLE: Advanced Visualization Methods for Mission Planning, Course of
Action (COA) Evaluation and After Action Review (AAR).
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Human Systems
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop a high fidelity visualization environment and toolset for mission planning, COA evaluation, execution and AAR.
DESCRIPTION: This effort will develop high-fidelity visualization technologies and tools for critical mission planning, execution evaluation, battle damage assessment, and AAR. Visualization methods, such as two- and three-dimensional (2-D and 3-D) displays and multidimensional representations such as virtual terrain boards, as examples, will be evaluated for their potential in increasing the fidelity and learning for planning, alternative evaluation, and AAR. We expect a successful effort to demonstrate a visualization capability in at least two areas of interest, one being tactical combat engagement and the other being in either a first responder/homeland security area or one dealing with cyber or information operations. At the present time, warfighters are severely limited in their ability to effectively evaluate alternative courses of action and to evaluate mission plans and scenarios in real time and with the level of fidelity necessary to visualize predictive outcomes for mission execution evaluation and after action review. Data from current ops indicate that operational personnel do not have an opportunity to preplan, evaluate and assess mission strategy and execution prior to their actual missions. Moreover, there was no capability for teams to adequately evaluate and debrief previous missions in a high-fidelity environment that facilitates learning and future mission preparedness. This effort will develop a next generation and generalizable visualization environment and toolset for planning COA evaluation and AAR.
PHASE I: Conduct a comparative analysis of planning, COA evaluation, and AAR requirements and alternative visualization method. Demonstrate a technology to support visualization for mission planning, training, and rehearsal.
PHASE II: Develop, refine, and evaluate visualization for relevant battlespace environment. Demonstrate preplanning, execution, evaluation and debriefing capabilities to provide high-fidelity mission analysis capabilities. Provide data on mission readiness and effectiveness and on improved mission visualization, planning, and analysis on combat exercise performance.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This effort provides a uniquely capable and cost-effective, deployable high fidelity, interactive planning and evaluation capability that does not exist today for any operational combat system. Commercial application: Integrated visualization tools for complex decision making tasks do not exist. Integrating key representation and visualization tools and COA modeling and simulation methods are needed.
REFERENCES:
1. Burgeson, J.C., et al., “Natural effects in military models and simulations: Part III – Analysis of requirements versus capabilities,” Report No. STC-TR-2970, PL-TR-96-2039, (AD-A317 289), p. 48, August 1996.
2. Defense Modeling and Simulation Office homepage: www.dmso.mil
3. “Distributed interactive simulation systems for simulation and training in the aerospace environment,” Proceedings of the Conference, Orlando, FL, Apr 19-20, 1995. Clarke, T. L., ED. Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (Critical Reviews of Optical Science and Technology, vol. CR 58) 338p.
4. Brown, B., Wilkinson, S., Nordyke, J., Riede, D., and Huysson, S. (1997). Developing an automated training analysis and feedback system for tank platoons (RR-1708; ADA328445). Army Research Institute.
5. Goldsberry, B.S. (1984). The Effects of Feedback and Predictability of Human Judgment. (TR-84-3; ADA145744). Office of Naval Research.
6. Additional Information from TPOC in response to FAQs. (Word document includes 13 sets of Q&A uploaded to SITIS.)
KEYWORDS: COA development and evaluation, after action review and visualization, mission planning
AF083-025 TITLE: Gaming for Training and Rehearsal for Fifth Generation Fighter Tactics,
Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Use game-based approaches to develop a high-fidelity tactical training for fifth-generation tactical aircraft and missions.
DESCRIPTION: This effort will explore and develop a high-fidelity mission training and rehearsal environment for fifth-generation fighters. For our purposes, fifth generation refers to weapon systems such as the Air Force F22 and the multi-Service, multi-national F35. These aircraft represent a substantial advance in both tactical capability and in terms of the demands they place on their human operators. Although these aircraft synthesize data from more sources than any previous weapon systems, they also increase the human information processing demands as well. To develop a detailed understanding of the mission performance parameters of these aircraft, operators must spend significant time learning the systems and operating the aircraft in a variety of realistic operational contexts. One of the most difficult and critical activities associated with air combat today and tomorrow is related to realistically training and rehearsing TTPs related to these systems and their capabilities. With flying hours being reduced to save wear and tear on systems and to reduce fuel costs, a broader range of more learning- and cost-effective options for understanding complex systems must be explored. Given the proficiency and performance demands being placed on operators of fifth generation aircraft, there is potentially a gap between the mission performance proficiency desired and the availability of realistic training and rehearsal environments that can support gaining and maintaining proficiency, not only at the individual operator level, but also as part of a larger tactical team. Game-based environments are a target of opportunity for research and development as supplemental and complementary tactical training to live fly and high-fidelity simulator training. The growing breadth and depth of game-based environments makes them plausible potential players in routinely accessible training rehearsal and exercise to support seasoning of operational crews. As an example, tactical employment activities such as time-sensitive targeting are becoming the standard as opposed to the exception in tactical execution in the 21st century. The infrequent, but extremely critical nature of this kind of complex execution, and the variety of information available to and managed by operators, makes it one of the central training and rehearsal targets of need for future warfighting. Given these issues, this effort will develop a high-fidelity, game-based environment for individual and team training that permits operators to learning and gain proficiency on critical tasks and to manage the tactical employment activities of these systems. To facilitate the integration of learning from the proposed environment, the technologies developed in this SBIR should integrate virtual and constructive entities for realistic support for a variety of tactical scenarios and missions. Further, the developed environment should be able to interface with more full fidelity environments used for training, rehearsal, and exercise.
PHASE I: Conduct detailed mission analysis of fifth-generation missions, common and unique to specific AF aircraft. Identify core areas for Phase I exemplar development. Develop exemplar concept. Complete final report and plan for Phase II.
PHASE II: Convert identified missions into scenarios and content. Develop, refine, test, and evaluate exemplar for relevance for TTP training and rehearsal for specific Af aircraft. Quantify training effectiveness and mission readiness enhancement resulting from the environment. Assess training transfer potential to live fly exercises.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Unique, cost-effective capability that can be included as part of a broader continuum of live and virtual training and rehearsal that does not exist today for any operational air combat system. Commercial application: Currently no game-based approach to fifth-generation aircraft combat training that integrates the features of this effort. Potential baseline for other combat mission areas is substantial.
REFERENCES:
1. Allen, J.A., Hays, R.T., and Buffardi, L.C., “Maintenance training simulator fidelity and individual differences in transfer of training,” Human Factors, Vol. 28, No. 5, 1986, pp. 497-509.
2. Bradley, D.R., and Abelson, S.B., “Desktop flight simulators: Simulation fidelity and pilot performance,” Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1995, pp. 152 - 159.
3. Burgeson, J.C., et al., “Natural effects in military models and simulations: Part III – Analysis of requirements versus capabilities,” Report No. STC-TR-2970, PL-TR-96-2039, (AD-A317 289), August 1996, p. 48.
4. Defense Modeling and Simulation Office homepage: www.dmso.mil
5. “Distributed interactive simulation systems for simulation and training in the aerospace environment,” Proceedings of the Conference, Orlando, FL, 1995. Clarke, T. L., ED. Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (Critical Reviews of Optical Science and Technology, vol. CR 58) 338p.
6. Additional Information from TPOC in response to FAQs. (Word document includes 21 sets of Q&A uploaded to SITIS.)
KEYWORDS: game-based tactical training, gaming and learning integration, fifth-generation combat tactical training, training, rehearsal, assessment
AF083-026 TITLE: Collaboration for Space Situational Awareness
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Space Platforms, Human Systems
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop collaborative technologies to synergize human knowledge for space situation awareness and space superiority.
DESCRIPTION: Space is a relatively new domain. Unlike air, sea, and ground domains, space assets are mostly persistent requiring 24-hour operations. The assets are controlled by different agencies within the government as well as by research organizations and private companies, all of which can be leveraged with proper collaboration. Those who operate in the other domains have come to rely heavily on the services provided by space assets.
Today space situational awareness (SSA) is far from real-time. By the time information is collected, processed and presented to decision makers it could be too late to react. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that information must come from many organizations all over the world. Unfortunately people that should be collaborating often are not due to a lack of enterprise awareness or a hesitation to call on someone they have never met.
SSA is a human activity. Sensors generate data and computers process data, but humans are still a critical link in applying knowledge and wisdom needed for SSA. However, there are many humans involved in space operations who hold various pieces of the SSA puzzle. This concept of collaboration, information sharing, and integration among agencies and departments is highlighted in guidelines of the U.S. National Space Policy, 31 Aug 2006. A goal of this research is to determine how to link those with the knowledge with those who need the knowledge. We envision three key aspects to this research:
Human knowledge index - This capability will provide a way to locate:
Witnesses - for example, a satellite operator that first recorded an anomaly.
Analysts - for example, an engineer who came up with possible causes of an anomaly.
Experts - for example, an expert in sensor vulnerabilities.
Methods to collaborate - The contractor needs to determine the best method or methods to link those who have the knowledge with those who need the knowledge. Some communication options could be verbal, video, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, shared virtual spaces, chat, e-mail, and messaging. For space analysts, the method may differ depending on the complexity, urgency, and number of people involved.
Workflow integration - In keeping with the work-centered support concept[1], the collaboration capability needs to conform to or enhance workflow. Our customers have been clear that they don't want more tools, so this needs to be as unobtrusive as possible. Typically, this has required integration into a work environment rather than a separate computer application. There are also issues with information security that will need to be considered.
There are significant challenges to this research. The first challenge will be to understand the cognitive dynamics of the enterprise. For example, what knowledge is needed or exists at the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), Space Operations Squadrons (SOPS), intelligence agencies, U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), and industry? Furthermore, how do the organizational dynamics change as critical events unfold? To bound the problem, it may be necessary to focus on a few organizations such as the SOPS, JSpOC, and intelligence agencies. The second challenge will be to break down the bureaucratic barriers that exist between agencies. Each agency has its own organizational structure and protocols. A collaborative system must be versatile enough to allow for effective inter-agency collaboration while still maintaining the standard practices of each.
PHASE I: Evaluate the collaboration issues within and between space units. Develop a research plan to address these issues including a preliminary design of the collaboration system selected based on alternative concepts. Assess feasibility of selected system.
PHASE II: Develop a prototype of the collaboration system working as much in conjunction with the space user as possible. Demonstrate the system in an environment that realistically mimics real operations.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Build a system that the Air Force can test at operational or test facilities. Other military applications could include the collaboration of cross service and allied cyberspace commands and units. Commercial application: Some of the concepts may apply to any enterprise requiring improved collaboration (e.g., commercial flight operations, NASA operations, Homeland Security, and the medical community).
REFERENCES:
1. Scott, R., Roth, E.M., Deutsch, S.E., Malchiodi, E., Kazmierczak, T.E., Eggleston, R.G., Kuper, S.R., and Whitaker, R.D., “Work-Centered Support Systems: A Human-Centered Approach to Intelligent System Design,” IEEE Intelligent Systems, Vol. 20, No. 2, March 2005, pp. 73 - 81.
2. Preece, J., Scheiderman, B., & Plaisant, C., (2005). Collaboration. In Scheiderman, B., & Plaisant, C (Eds.) Designing the User Interface (pp. 409-450). Boston: Pearson, Addison Wesley.
3. Perry, M.; Agarwal, D., "Collaborative Editing within the Pervasive Collaborative Computing Environment," The 5th International Workshop on Collaborative Editing, ECSCW 2003, Helsinki, Finland, September 15, 2003. LBNL-53769.
4. Peggs, S.; Satogata, T.; Agarwal, D.; and Rice, D., "Remote Operations in a Global Accelerator Network," Proceedings of the Particle Accelerator Conference, Portland, OR, May 12-16, 2003. LBNL-52947.
5. Joint Doctrine for Space Operations, Joint Publication 3-14, 9 Aug 2002.
KEYWORDS: space situational awareness, SSA, collaboration, human factors, shared awareness, space superiority
AF083-027 TITLE: C2 Assessment of Joint Air Operation Center Cyber Operations
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Space Platforms, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop C2 assessment capability to improve Joint Air Operation Center (JAOC) effectiveness in functionality in near real-time during exercises and operations.
DESCRIPTION: The Air Operations Center (AOC), in addition to being the senior element of the Theater Air Control System, is the operational facility and human-technology system in which the Air Component Commander (ACC) has centralized the functions of planning, direction, and control over all deployed air resources, regardless of service. Today’s conflict environment requires the detailed coordination among all the military services and many federal agencies. As such, most AOCs are Joint AOCs (JAOCs) commanded by the Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC). Combined Joint AOCs (i.e., when others nations are involved) are not the focus of this effort. Effective coordination among the various services and agencies at a JAOC requires continuous and rapid information sharing, group problem solving, error-checking and progress monitoring to support the independence and interdependence of functional elements responsible for plans, operations, intelligence, logistics, communications-computers, and (to a lesser extent) combat service support. Existing C2 assessment tools require an extended time period to complete. Examples include Modular Command and Control Evaluation System (MCES; focus on prescribing a process of measurement while not describing a set of measures), Headquarters Effectiveness Assessment Tool (HEAT; theatre-level combat operations and operations other than war), and Army Command and Control Evaluation System (ACCES; joint theatre-level operations). The proposed innovative tool should provide a multi-dimensional assessment capability of effectiveness in a JOAC that can be accomplished in near real-time during exercises and real-world operations, to include Cyber and Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction operations. The tool will not only provide multiple process feedback loops to allow Commanders to address, for example only, human, task, or organizational inefficiencies at various levels in the assessment process before they negatively impact a mission but will also provide a training component to improve effectiveness of a JAOC in the long-term.
PHASE I: Develop initial concept design and model key elements of a JAOC C2 assessment tool that includes, but is not limited to, a determination of assessment criteria and an exhaustive search for and review of existing military or commercial products and identification of their capability gaps.
PHASE II: Develop, demonstrate, and validiate a JAOC C2 assessment tool that addresses capability gaps identified in Phase 1 and provides near real-time process and performance feedback to JAOC Commander during exercises and operations.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This tool could be adapted and rapidly fielded to Combined Joint Air Operations Centers (CJAOC).
Commercial application: This tool will have broad application in Industry for assessment of conditions, processes, and outcomes associated with organizational effectiveness.
REFERENCES:
1. Air Operations Center (AOC) Standard Operating Procedure (SOP); Twelfth Air Force (12A) Air Force Forces (AFFOR). http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/usaf/docs/aoc12af/part12.htm
2. Hayes, R.E., & Wheatley, S. (2001). The evolution of the Headquarters Effectiveness Assessment Tool (HEAT) and its application to joint experimentation. Proceedings of the 6th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium. http://www.dodccrp.org/events/6th_ICCRTS/Tracks/Papers/Track6/120_tr6.pdf
3. Wells, II, L., & Alberts, D.S. (2002). NATO Code of Best Practice for C2 Assessment (Rev. ed). www.dodccrp.org
4. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base - Human Effectiveness Directorate http://www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl/rh/
KEYWORDS: Joint AOC, JAOC, Command and Control,C2 Assessment, Cyber Command, Cyber Operations, AOC
AF083-028 TITLE: Training Simulations for Accelerated Acquisition of Cyber Forensic
Investigation Skills
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop a training capability for acquisition of computer forensic skills that optimally integrates didactic instruction with visualization and simulation technology.
DESCRIPTION: Attacks on computers and computer networks have been recognized for years (Schwartau, 1994) and are currently understood as a growing threat to operations in diverse fields. A key deterrent to unauthorized activity, malicious manipulation, and attacks against computers and computer networks is the capability to quickly and accurately identify the offender. Enablers for prompt identification include anti-tamper software, data tagging, sensors, boundary management, intrusion detection, and digital forensics. The goal of this innovation research is rapid acquisition of skills necessary for very fast online forensics. Cyber forensic investigations consist of applying computer investigation and analysis techniques to determining the legal evidence for connecting an attack with an offender. It includes systematic inspection of the computer system and its contents for evidence of a criminal act. Computer forensics requires specialized expertise and tools that exceed those for normal data collection and preservation techniques available to computer system end-users or system support personnel. It is a process of determining and documenting digital states and events (Computer forensics, 2007). Computer forensics experts investigate data storage devices including hard drives and portable data devices (USB Drives, External drives, Micro Drives, etc). The process involves examination of the computer system(s) and the data that resides on media within the computer. Effective forensic decision making depends on understanding suspected offender(s), preserving evidence at the workstation of the offender, the server accessed by the offender, and the network that connects the two. Based upon examination of recovered material, the forensic examiner renders an opinion as to whether the system has been used for criminal or unauthorized activities. Advanced training technology can be exploited to accelerate acquisition of cyber forensic skills. Effective training depends on acquisition of didactic procedural knowledge and learning-by-doing through realistic, simulated exercises. Computer-driven, simulations represent a sound approach to training decision making in complex domains (Pleban, R.J., Eakin, D.E., Salter, M.S., and Matthews, M.D., 2001). A web-enabled training capability would provide important economies by allowing access to training services from remote sites 24, 7, and 365. Because of the complexity of forensic decision making, visualization technology could be exploited to facilitate learning and accelerate skill acquisition; particularly by showing temporal relationships among origination and destination points for the attack, accessed services, and system degradation. The key technology obstacle for this topic problem is to optimally integrate didactic instruction, visualizations, and simulation technology in one platform for a web-enabled training capability for rapid acquisition of cyber forensic skills. The training capability should have a modular design to allow training on any forensic tool set. Although, team training is an important goal, for economy of effort the topic problem focuses on individual training. Sharable Content Object Reference Model standards should be considered for development of didactic instruction. High Level Architecture standards should be considered for development of computer-driven simulations. Learning-centered design should be considered as a guide for developing user interfaces. Innovative and creative approaches to addressing technical goals are invited.
PHASE I: Assess risks and feasibility associated with the advanced technology development effort, generate a top-level design, and develop a proof-of-concept training environment exemplar.
PHASE II: Develop, demonstrate, and field test a training capability that optimally integrates didactic instruction with visualization and simulation technology for rapid acquisition of cyber forensic investigation skills.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Acquisition of digital assessment skills supporting cyberspace operations. Commercial application: Aquisition of digital forensics skills for homeland defense and banking, medical, commercial, transportation industries.
REFERENCES:
1. Arquilla, J. and Ronfeldt, D., Eds (1997). In Athena’s Camp: Preparing for Conflict in the Information Age. (Book call no. 355.343 135). RAND, Santa, Monica, CA.
2. Casey, E. (2004). Digital Evidence and Computer Crime, Second Edition, Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
3. Computer forensics (30 Oct 2007) [On-line]. Available at< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Computer_forensics >
4. Pleban, R.J., Eakin, D.E., Salter, M.S., and Matthews, M.D. (2001). Training and Assessment of Decision-Making Skills in Virtual Environments (Research Report 1767). U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Infantry Forces Research Unit, Fort Benning, GA.
5. Schwartau, W. (1994). Information Warfare: Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway, Thunder’s Mouth Press, New York.
KEYWORDS: computer network attack, computer forensic investigation training, digital forensic training simulations, visualization technology
AF083-029 TITLE: Hyperspectral Retinal Imaging for Assessment of Retinal Laser
Damage
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Biomedical, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Investigate changes in the spectral reflectance signature of the retina associated with laser exposure and develop an optimized imaging modality to improve detectability of minimum levels of damage
DESCRIPTION: Laser damage observed in the retina of non-human primates (NHP) have a mechanism-dependent characteristic appearance when viewed through a standard funduscopic imager with lesions formed through photothermal processes having distinct visual properties from either photomechanical or photochemical lesions. It is likely that a marked improvement in lesion contrast and therefore lesion detectability can be obtained by employing spectrally selective imaging techniques. Furthermore, pigmentation levels across the retina of a single subject and from subject to subject are known to vary. To understand basic principals of laser tissue interaction in the retina it is important to compare damage thresholds for select wavelengths to pigmentations levels that can be ascertained through spectral imaging.
PHASE I: Develop a conceptual design for characterizing the spectral reflectance of the NHP retina leading to an optimized funduscopic imaging device for measuring the damage threshold of mechanism-dependent laser irradiation.
PHASE II: Finalize the design established in Phase I and manufacture a prototype hyperspectral imaging system for accessing damage in the NHP retina.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: The technology developed will be useful in transition to optical augmentation technology. Detailed knowledge of retinal reflectance will enable optimal sensor design utilized in the detection of ocular reflex signals. Furthermore, discrimination of reflections from human versus non-human retinas will be enabled by this technology, therefore reducing the number of false-positive identifications. Commercial application: The technology developed will be widely useful for biometric identification systems and assessment and tracking of various retinal diseases which affect the spectral reflectance of the retina.
REFERENCES:
1. Zuclich, J.A., D.J. Lund, and B.E. Stuck, Wavelength dependence of ocular damage thresholds in the near-ir to far-ir transition region: proposed revisions to MPES. Health physics(1958), 2007. 92(1): p. 15-23.
2. Gilberto Zamora; Paul W. Truitt; Sheila C. Nemeth; Balaji Raman; Peter Soliz, “Hyperspectral imaging analysis for ophthalmic applications,” Proceedings Vol. 5314 Ophthalmic Technologies XIV, 13 July 2004. pp.138-149.
3. Soliz, P., Truitt, P.W., Nemeth, S.C, "Spectrally-based fundus imaging: implications for image enhancement and diagnosis of retinal diseases," Conference Record of the Thirty-Fifth Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers, 2001. Volume: 2, 7 Nov. 200, pp 1268-1272.
KEYWORDS: Laser Safety, Retinal Reflectance, Hyperspectral Imaging
AF083-030 TITLE: Dynamic 3D Human Shape Modeling for Intention Prediction from
Video Imagery
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: To develop a 3D anthropometry- and biomechanics-based digital human shape model from video imagery for the identification, anticipation, and prediction of hostile human behavior or intent.
DESCRIPTION: The advancement of imaging technologies has enhanced the capability for conducting multi-modal (laser, 2D and 3D video, radar, infrared, terahertz, etc.) and multi-platform (stationary, mobile, and airborne) surveillance. Parallel development is also underway for image processing technologies to extract and identify objects from these data. A majority of these image processing technologies have been developed for graphics-based point cloud datasets. Though adequate for target acquisition, tracking, and identification, these technologies have not been sufficiently developed for the detection and identification of hostile human behavior. Rather, to do so, requires a novel cutting-edge dynamic 3D human shape model that can model, simulate, and analyze anthropometry and biomechanics characteristics from real time feeds from a variety of imaging streams. A three dimensional (3D) human shape model provides anthropometric information of a subject. A dynamic 3D human shape model describes human body shape changes due to motion and tracks human motion, thus providing information of shape, poses, and gait. The model will enable the identification of abnormalities in the individual body shape variance, rigid body motion and gait, postures, facial expressions, and other biometric features. These abnormalities in turn will be used to depict a person’s activity which will enable the prediction of intentions and the discovery of disguises and concealed objects. The integration of this model into the surveillance network will eventually enable an intelligent surveillance system that fuses multi-layer information to identify hostile human behavior.
Upon completion, the product should be able to: 1) automatically generate a high fidelity dynamic 3D human shape model from markerless video imagery, 2) model human shape changes due to both rigid body motion and muscle deformation, 3) generate virtual anthropometric landmarks over the human body and automatically segment the body based on these landmarks, 4) perform anthropometry-based surface morphing to understand human shape variance, and 5) integrate biomechanical parameters and constraints such as center of gravity and joint restrictions for the analysis of abnormal gait and posture.
The development of this dynamic 3D human shape model will provide the critical link to enhance current surveillance methods into an intelligent surveillance system and will enable the anticipation of human-borne threat and intention.
PHASE I: Develop key technology concepts for extracting human shape changes, tracking human motion, automatically generating anthropometric landmarks and body segments from video data, and perform anthropometry-based surface morphing; analyze the current state of dynamic 3D human shape modeling and intention prediction from video data; identify key techniques and methodologies for dynamic 3D human shape modeling from video data; and initially prove the concept.
PHASE II: Develop key modeling techniques, methodologies, and algorithms; expand the model to integrate biomechanical parameters and constraints, to be robust in varied environments containing complex scenes, and to construct the entire system structure; prove the concept to demonstrate the capability of the technology; validate the model; develop a graphical user interface for the model that is user-friendly for end users.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Advanced development of the model may allow for rapid location of possible concealed human-borne threats in a crowd from near-by and standoff surveillance assets. The threat targets situated in complex (multi-object, partially obscured, etc) environments can be further tracked or interrogated by security personnel. Commercial application: Homeland security operations such as screening, monitoring, search and rescue missions, human figure creation/ animation for entertainment, and virtual design and fitting for the apparel industry.
REFERENCES:
1. Ning, H., Wang, L., Hu, W., Tan, T, Articulated model based people tracking using motion models, Proc. Int. Conf. Multi-Modal Interface, 383-388, 2002.
2. Anguelov, Dragomir, Srinivasan, Praveen, Koller, Daphne, Thrun, Sebastian, Rodgers, Jim, and Davis, James. “SCAPE: Shape Completion and Animation of People,” ACM Transactions on Graphics (SIGGRAPH), 24(3), 2005.
3. Seo, H., Cordier, F., and Thalmann, N.M., Synthesizing Animatable Body Models with Parameterized Shape Modifications, Eurographics/SIGGRAPH Symposium on Computer Animation, 2003.
4. Barron, Carlos, and Kakadiaris, Ioannis A., “Estimating Anthropometry and Pose from a Single Image,” Proceedings, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and pattern Recognition, Vol. 1, 669-676, 2000.
5. Lee, Dah-Jye, Zhan, Pengcheng, Thomas, Aaron, and Schoenberger, Robert, “Shape-based Human Detection for Threat Assessment,” Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 5438, Visual Information Processing XIII, 2004.
KEYWORDS: Human shape, 3D shape modeling, morphing, human identification, threat identification, video imagery, human-borne threat
AF083-031 TITLE: Highly Novel Detection Approaches to Human Volatile Organic
Compound Signature Identification
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors
OBJECTIVE: Develop compact and portable instrumentation that can decisively differentiate volatile organic compound (VOC) signatures from a component library.
DESCRIPTION: The need to identify threats from individuals and groups using different sensing techniques is ever increasing for both identification of known individuals and persons of interest within the Department of Defense. Based on the advancement in differential sensing techniques, it has now become feasible to define sensing platforms that include the ability to respond specifically to individual volatile organic compounds (VOC) and complex volatile organic compound profiles. These sensing concepts typically consist of arrays of sensing elements and include, but are not limited to, piezoelectronic sensing devices, field-effect-transistors, colorimetric polymer thin-film arrays, micro-cantilever based sensing, and serial-monitoring spectroscopic techniques that have differential responses to specific and complex VOC inputs. These concepts, when coupled specifically with pattern recognition algorithms, should enable the positive or negative identification of a VOC signature based on correlation and response to control VOC libraries. This SBIR is looking for highly novel approaches for VOC identification in an integrated device architecture. Topics will be selected for implementation that focus on maintaining a small overall footprint (able to be handheld or incorporated into a smaller package), and most effectively combine device sensitivity with signal processing approaches that distinguish between learned and experimental VOC signatures. Meaningful and specific state-of-the-art metrics will be determined to measure sensitivity, specificity, and provide input for the rational incorporation of surface functionalities onto sensing elements to improve these two aspects. Phase II milestones will be inherently linked to stand-off detection of known and unknown samples and will typically consist of complex VOC mixtures in the parts-per-million to parts-per-billion range.
PHASE I: Develop approaches for the generation of a sensor array that can detect the ratio of a minimum of five delivered VOCs. Sensor arrays will be designed with tailored surface chemistries to provide greater specificity for VOCs and internal references included to account for environmental conditions.
PHASE II: The offer shall build a prototype device that provides an optical or electrical read-out comparing a VOC signature to previously stored control signatures. Device architectures will test and monitor specific locations for changes in a VOC signature. Sensing devices will be self-inclusive, containing internal references, pre-separation and pre-concentration devices, and intake devices to increase sample load. Milestones will be linked to stand-off detection.
PHASE III / DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Military application: Follow-on activities are expected to be pursued by the offeror, including civilian application and use, e.g., law enforcement and first responders. Commercial application: Commercial benefits include a revolutionary point-of-care diagnostic instrument with high sensitivity and specificity for determining level of human performance in a hand-held form-factor.
REFERENCES:
1. Shekhawat, G., Tark, S-H., Dravid, V. P. MOSFET-Embedded Microcantilevers for Measuring Deflection in Biomolecular Sensors. Science, 311(5767): 1592-1595, 2006.
2. He, J.H., Zhang, Y.Y., Liu, Z.J., Moore, D., Bao, G., Wang, Z.L., ZnS/Silica Nanocable Field Effect Transistors as Biological and Chemical Nanosensors. J. Phys. Chem. C, 111: 12152-12156, 2007.
3. Lao, C.S., Kuang, Q., Wang, Z.L., Polymer Functionalized Piezoelectric-FET as Humidity/Chemical Nanosensors. App. Phys. Letters, 90: 262107-262110, 2007.
4. Tao, Z., Tehan, E. C., Bukowski, R. M., Tang, Y., Shughart, E. L., Holthoff, W. G., Cartwright, A. N., Titus, A. N., Bright, F. V., Templated Xerogels as Platforms for Biomolecule-less Biomolecule Sensors. Anal. Chim. Acta. 564: 59-65, 2006.
5. Miekisch, W., Schubert, J. K., From Highly Sophisticated Analystical Techniques to Life-Saving Diagnostics: Technical Developments in Breath Analysis. Trends in Anal. Chem., 25: 665-674, 2006.
6. Lamagna, A., Reich, S., Negri, M., Boselli, A., Cocco, M., Di Natale, C., Characterization of Different Brands Used in a Typical Argentinean Beverage – mate – by Means of an Electronic Nose. Thin Solid Films. 418: 42-44 (2002).
KEYWORDS: Biomolecular sensors, volatile organic compounds, biometrics, differential sensing, surface-modification
AF083-032 TITLE: Micro Games for Cyber Threat Awareness
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Human Systems
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To use casual gaming technology to promote warfighter knowledge and awareness of cyber threats and malicious exploits.
DESCRIPTION: Cyber attacks and malicious manipulation of computers and computer networks have been recognized for years and are currently understood as a growing threat to operations in diverse fields. However, the majority of computer and Internet users do not fully understand the vulnerabilities of and threats to computers and networks. The fact that 409 people clicked on an ad that offered infection for those with virus-free personal computers proves people will click on just about anything (Vaas, 2007). Yet computer users are still individually held responsible for the operational security of their systems. While current information assurance training is practical and informative, the application of training is often mundane and ineffective (Irvine, Thompson & Allen, 2005). Enhancing the way we train the critical factors of information assurance and cyber threat awareness could help increase retention of key safety measures and help protect our computers and networks. Casual games can be very effective in engaging the learner, imparting important information in a timely manner, and aiding in retention of information. Casual games are immersive learning simulations that are easy to access, are typically based on Adobe Flash, and last from five to 20 minutes. Mini-games include appealing music and stimulating graphics, but they also are educational and are perfect when students need to learn skills that can be taught through repetition (Aldrich 2007). Current information assurance training employs a “tell-and-test” instructional method, and although it is educational, many users are overloaded and do not retain the information relevant to current security conditions. Retention of critical information concerning frequently used exploits (phishing, viruses, worms, spyware, key loggers, etc.), information assurance tools (patches, digital signatures, Common Access Cards, boundary management, firewalls, password protector), and how they affect computers and networks is more likely to occur if the user is engaged and training goals are clearly stated (Oblinger, 2006). The simplicity of micro games gives the user the ability to focus on content, rather than learning the intricacies of the game. Casual games can easily be downloaded from the Internet and run from a variety of systems (computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants) allowing mobile E-learning anywhere / anytime. A web-enabled, training platform that provides didactic instruction on cyber threats integrated with entertaining micro games for practicing knowledge acquisitions would provide enormous training economy through remote access 24, 7, and 365 from multiple remote sites. The technology challenge is to integrate didactic instructional materials with knowledge acquisition practice through micro games on a single web-enabled training platform. In order for the micro games to keep students up to date on the latest cyber threats and exploits, a micro game authoring system would add training agility and flexibility. With an authoring capability, mini-games could be updated efficiently, both as templates and as final content (Aldrich, 2007). Learning-centered design should also be considered as a guide for developing user interfaces. Innovative and creative approaches to addressing technical goals are invited.
PHASE I: Research risks and feasibility associated with the development of casual gaming environment, generate a top-level design, and develop a proof-of-concept exemplar.
PHASE II: Develop, demonstrate, and field test an awareness training capability that optimally integrates Information Assurance and exploits within a casual gaming environment.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Prepare detailed plans for implementing demonstrated IA and exploit awareness training capabilities for Air Force wide distribution on initial training and awareness of cyber threats.
Commercial application: Prepare detailed plans for implementing demonstrated IA and exploit awareness training capabilities for applications in the domains of homeland defense, large corporations, educational institutions, online industries, general population.
REFERENCES:
1. Aldrich, C. (2007). Engaging Mini-Games Find Niche in Training: Quick, interactive simulations are meeting the training needs of businesses. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://www.learningcircuits.org/2007/0707aldrich.html
2. Evans, M.K. (2007). Jump Hurdles and Gain Support: 10 “must haves for everyday security”. The Remediator Security Digest.
3. Irvine, C.E., Thompson, M.F., & Allen, K. (2005). CyberCIEGE: An information assurance teaching tool for training and awareness. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://cisr.nps.navy.mil/cyberciege/downloads/FISSEA_CyberCIEGE_PreConf.pdf
4. Oblinger, D. (2006). Simulations, Games, and Learning. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3004.pdf
5. Vaas, Lisa (2007). “Hundreds Click on 'Click Here to Get Infected Ad”. EWeek.com. Retrieved November 1, 2007, from http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2132447,00.asp
KEYWORDS: Information Assurance, computer exploits, web-based, casual games, awareness training
AF083-034 TITLE: Data access and security in a need-to-share environment
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop technology that supports “need-to-share” access for browse-up cross-domain solutions by managing the visibility to resources.
DESCRIPTION: Current techniques for access, or visibility, to web resources in the military domain is based on a “need-to-know” paradigm, where access to data is based on a priori knowledge of security classification and data location, and where access is specified, restricted, and controlled through security procedures, based on either policy (PBAC), role (RBAC), or attribute (ABAC) based access controls. By convention, these controls have limited access in one direction, which in the cross-domain context are referred to as “”browse-down” solutions. An example is DIA’s Multi-Domain Dissemination System (MDDS), used to help share information within the DoD Intelligence Information Systems (DoDIIS) community. MDDS utilizes commercially available high assurance capabilities (e.g., “high-to-low” bulk data transfer guard, “high-to-low” web browsing, and multilevel consolidated web-based repository) to enable secure information sharing. Consequently, there is a large body of existing research focusing on concepts for using metadata for access decisions in “browse-down” cross-domain solutions, however, research on “browse-up” cross-domain solutions is still needed.
As the DoD implements the directive to move toward net-centricity, the concept of “need-to-share” becomes the new paradigm, where users publish multi-level information through web services, enabling consuming users to discover information that is currently available on the web, and what information can be retrieved. The concept can be problematic in determining appropriate authorization to even view what information is available. An example use of this concept might be individual users finding information by perusing and viewing a “catalog” of information that describes what is currently available through web services in the net centric environment.
Browse-up capabilities can create situations where retrieval of information from multiple sources could result in an information combination that is at a higher security level than the individual component parts, or that is inappropriate for the user’s security credentials. Using the catalog example above, the aggregate of the information topics displayed in the catalog could potentially “leak” sensitive information, such as reveal ongoing planning activities; Organization A and Organization B are collecting information about a specific area in Country X. The information may be inappropriate for some set of user’s.
The focus of this topic is to investigate and understand the complexities and issues inherent in this new paradigm shift. The topic seeks to develop innovative techniques that address need-to-share and “browse-up” cross-domain capabilities. The research should include examining and identifying existing metadata related to access authorization and determine the usage gaps between browse-down and browse-up capabilities. The research should define approaches for handling the release of metadata attributes in a Service Oriented Architecture. Understanding these issues is essential, as the DoD transitions from need-to-know to need-to-share.
PHASE I: Perform research to identify and understand the issues involved in the new need-to-share paradigm and develop solutions for browse-up capabilities and viewing information in a Service Oriented Architecture.
PHASE II: Extend Phase I research and develop a prototype system for browsing info from multiple web sources, based on the Phase I research. Show how it would be used within and outside a target environment for immediate application.
PHASE III / DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Military application: The ability to manage visibility of information from multiple sources for Homeland Defense and Law Enforcement, who need to be apprised of potentially relevant information from dynamic data sources. Commercial application: Law enforcement.
REFERENCES:
1. DoD Net Centric Data Strategy, May 2003 http://www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/docs/Net-Centric-Data-Strategy-2003-05-092.pdf
2. Guidance for Implementing Net-Centric Data Sharing, April 2006 http://afei.org/documents/DoDD83202_april2006.pdf
3. Dr. Nancy Reed, “Security Guards for the Future Web”, MITRE Technical Report: MTR 04W0000092, Sep 2004.
KEYWORDS: Security, Classification, Information, Assurance, Interoperability, Aggregation, Security, Fusion, Guards
AF083-036 TITLE: Automated Data Transformations for Net-Centric Operations
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: To develop a system that can easily be configured to support the automatic transformation of data exchanged among a dynamic set of NCO systems and components, particularly in cross-domain operations.
DESCRIPTION: A key aspect of any data integration endeavor is determining the relationships between the source data and the target data. This schema integration task must be tackled regardless of the integration architecture or mapping formalism. Information is transferred between systems and software components in a number of formats and with varying fidelities, pedigrees, etc. Technologies are needed for management and transformation of data between standards and across domain boundaries. Under NCO, whether an independently developed component system accepts incoming queries (pull mode) or generates messages (push mode), it is expected to interoperate with other independently developed systems. In either case, the data generated by a particular system, organized according to its schema, needs to be transformed to ascribe to the schemata of the other component systems. Note that the term “schema” can refer to any organized set of information such as structured databases, XML documents and results of service invocations that return XML documents. Having an integration engineer manually generate transformations is not feasible; therefore tools are needed to speed this process. Tools have been developed to aid in parts of the process (there are research-developed tools that are good at finding correspondences and several commercial tools exist for developing transformation code). Researchers have built many systems to semi-automatically perform schema matching. Schema mapping tools generally provide the user with a graphical interface in which lines connecting related entities and attributes can be annotated with functions or code to perform any necessary transformations. From these mappings, they synthesize transformations for entire databases or documents. These tools have been developed by commercial vendors (including Altova’s MapForce, BEA’s AquaLogic, and Stylus Studio’s XQuery Mapper) and research projects (such as Clio, COMA++ and the wrapper toolkit in TSIMMIS). However technologies are needed that can perform automated and human assisted transformations between data representations using both isomorphic and inferential techniques. These technologies need to be robust enough to 1) demonstrate the ability to identify an appropriate set of minimal mapping relations and formalisms to capture the relationships, which should be sufficient for not only representational transformation, but also support derivation of the fidelity, uncertainty, etc. of the resulting transformed data, and 2) provide actionable results even when faced with widely disparate schema formats/contents and incomplete information due to cross-domain restrictions.
PHASE I: Assess multiple technical approaches demonstrating how, using military data standards, data (structured databases, XML docs, etc) from multiple systems can automatically be transformed to improve NCO. Develop a proof of concept capturing the mappings and exploits them for automated transformation.
PHASE II: Develop a prototype based on the proof of concept to support a dynamic set of component systems. It can be based on a single mediated schema or a point-to-point mapping, but it shouldn’t require an exhaustive set of transformations. Demonstrate new systems can be added without disrupting operations and notifications will occur when data transformations reduce the fidelity of the source data.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: The automatic transformation of data exchanged among Air Operations Center (AOC) diverse systems will help the warfighter achieve Network Centric Ops. Commercial application: This will improve the integration of schema in commercial systems such as banking and health.
REFERENCES:
1. D. Aumueller, H. H. Do, S. Massmann, and E. Rahm, "Schema and ontology matching with COMA++," presented at Proceedings of the ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, Baltimore, MD, 2005.
2. P. A. Bernstein, S. Melnik, M. Petropoulos, and C. Quix, "Industrial-Strength Schema Matching," SIGMOD Record, vol. 33, pp. 38–43, 2004.
3. E. Rahm and P. A. Bernstein, "A Survey of Approaches to Automatic Schema Matching," The VDLB Journal, vol. 10, pp. 334–350, 2001.
4. R. Miller, M. A. Hernández, L. M. Haas, L. Yan, C. T. H. Ho, R. Fagin, and L. Popa, "The Clio Project: Managing Heterogeneity," SIGMOD Record, vol. 30, pp. 78–83, 2001.
5. J. Hammer, H. Garcia-Molina, S. Nestorov, R. Yerneni, M. M. Bruenig, and V. Vassalos, "Template-Based Wrappers in the TSIMMIS System," presented at Proceedings ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, Tucson, AZ, 1997.
KEYWORDS: Net-Centric, Cross-Domain, Ontologies, Data Standards, Schema
AF083-037 TITLE: Automate Ontological Representation of security classification guides
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop technology for ontology-based software interfaces to facilitate multi-level security aiding tools and data to ensure information assurance and data dissemination.
DESCRIPTION: Security Classification planning and execution is an essential part of any operation, program, research and development project, or procurement action that involves classified information. A clear, comprehensive security classification guide (SCG) is the principal avenue by which a project leader or action officer can ensure adherence to classification determinations. Critical to the classification decision process is the interpretation and application of the SCG. With the development of the Global Information Grid comes an increase in available information and a demand for vital pieces of information in timely order. There are many efforts in the DoD to develop ontologies for operational domains. With metadata defined for these operational domains, incorporation of ontology-based systems will facilitate use of emerging semantic technologies, however, this also creates a need for compatible ontology based solutions in Information Assurance.
Current security classification processes and systems are constrained by issues with multi-level security and level-appropriate application of SCG instructions to dynamically classify information. Misinterpretation could cause exceptional grave damage, as well as over-interpretation could deprive users of vital information. Ontology-based software systems are maturing and security ontologies are being developed to capture knowledge-rich models and express the complex relationships between information pieces in different systems; however, aspects of the security domain are often overlooked, and additionally, many SCG pre-exist in textual document form. Ontology mapping or merging of information between operational domains does not address the complex nature of many security classification decisions. Use of ontological approaches in conjunction with semantic-logic rule engines can however reveal improper or inconsistent application of security rules. Using this type of solution allows dynamic and inter-domain (SCG-with-SCG) information assurance. This topic aims to advance the underlying elements for developing ontology-compatible information assurance solutions in-step with emerging ontology-based operational domain solutions. This would create an opportunity to minimize various human interpretations and application of the SCG to sets of information, thus, improving the quality of information assurance processes.
This topic focuses on developing an approach and tools to facilitate and automate creation of SCG and the inherent security classification rules. The research should develop a formal ontology for security parameters and rules for classification that can extend and apply to many operational domains. A tool or tools based on this ontology could then be developed to demonstrate assisted creation of SCG in a formal ontological form. The tools should also include an approach to automate the transformation of textual forms of SCG into an ontological form.
PHASE I: Analyze data exchange requirements of prospective tools within the Air & Space Operations Center for developing machine to machine interfaces. Develop an approach comprised of the most promising approaches and assess its feasibility. Demonstrate the initial design for a prototype application.
PHASE II: Research and develop the required technologies and prototype, per Phase 1 design. Develop and demonstrate a prototype system that automates SCG transformation for broad ontology-based tools integration and use. Demonstrate that the information can be used to support other applications.
PHASE III / DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Military application: The ability to automate security and privacy policies through semantic markup would enable broader integration of information from domain to domain. Commercial application: (continued from above) This would be of benefit to Homeland Defense, eCommerce businesses, and medical record transfer.
REFERENCES:
1. GAO-06-706, “Managing Sensitive Information: DOD Can More Effectively Reduce the Risk of Classification Errors”, www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-706.
2. Conference Paper: “Building Problem Domain Ontology from Security Requirements in Regulatory Documents”, 2006 international Workshop on Software Engineering For Secure Systems, 20-21 May 2006, SESS’06 Proceedings.
3. Dr. Nancy Reed, “Security Guards for the Future Web”, MITRE Technical Report: MTR 04W0000092, Sep 2004.
KEYWORDS: Security Classification, Information Assurance, Interoperability, Information Exchange, Security Ontology Fusion, Security Guards
AF083-038 TITLE: Information Fusion and Prediction for Space Situational Awareness
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Space Platforms
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop automated, predictive algorithms to amass space asset threat picture from all intelligence data available to recognize and anticipate hostile space actions.
DESCRIPTION: Currently there are no automated intelligence data fusion and predictive intelligence algorithms for accurate and timely Space Situation Awareness, and no innovative research focused in this area is being conducted at this time. The Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) has an urgent need for these automated tools/algorithms to provide intelligence analysts with the capability to assess and determine the likelihood a hostile space threat action is in progress and/or will likely happen in the future. The AFRL JSpOC Situational Awareness Response System (JSARS) prototype and the neuro-networking techniques developed under SBIR AF05-086 provide improved automated ability to detect environmental and potential space object collision threats to space assets but this technology does not provide timely insight into potential adversary hostile actions against commercial and military space assets. Current limitations include an inability to detect intentional threats, the inability to unambiguously identify anomalous behavior as environmental or man-made unintentional or hostile, and the inability to collect and rapidly analyze relevant threat intelligence information to support timely and effective response options throughout the range of military operations. These automated intelligence data fusion and predictive intelligence algorithms should be developed such that they could easily be applied within a net-centric, service-oriented architecture (SOA) and easily inserted into processors to support end-to-end integrated Space Control system assessments and operations, and provide the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) with improved capabilities. The novel algorithms, tools, methods achieved from this innovative research will provide JSpOC and National Air and Space Center (NASIC) all-source intelligence analysts with the ability to obtain current status of adversarial space forces; to acquire timely, relevant, aggregate, anticipatory threat assessments and confidence levels; and to recognize and understand the impacts of hostile space events. The algorithms developed under this effort will be directly applicable for transition to current and future Space Command and Control (C2) systems and will support NASIC and JSpOC analysts with dynamically updating the Enemy Space Order of Battle and will provide Space Predictive Battlespace Awareness for current and future space threat assessments and operations necessary for maintaining Space Superiority and exercising successful Space C2 operations.
PHASE I: Develop automated intelligence data fusion and predictive intelligence algorithms to determine the likelihood a hostile space threat event is in progress and/or will likely happen in the future. Conduct feasibility demo. Document automation functions. Provide validated set of performance measures, tools for utility assessment.
PHASE II: Evaluate, mature INTEL data fusion and predictive INTEL algorithm prototype modules within a real-world space operational scenario that includes realistic adversary counterspace threats. Incorporate applications to support testing (eg. displays). Conduct tests to characterize algorithm performance/utility. Validate algorithm(s) effectiveness. Deliver algorithm description, test results, Phase III plan.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Algorithms will optimize aggregation of military space asset (including terrestrial node) threat pictures from all data available to determine if hostile event is in progress or likely to happen. Commercial application: Algorithms can be used in commercial space control facilities to provide operators with timely, dynamic, accurate threat assessment & prediction capability for commercial space asset protection.
REFERENCES:
1. J.W. Guan, and D.A. Bell, Evidence Theory and It's Applications, vol 1. Studies in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, 1991.
2. R.P.S. Mahler, Statistical Multisource-Multitarget: Information Fusion, Artech House, Massachusetts, 2007.
3. David L. Hall and James Llinas, Handbook of Multisensor Data Fusion, 2001.
4. A.N. Steinberg, C. L. Bowman, and F. E. White, "Revisions to the JDL Data Fusion model", NSSDF, 1999.
5. Simon Banbury and Sebastien Tremblay, Situation Awareness: Theory and Application, 2004.
KEYWORDS: space, situation, awareness, command, control, operational, picture, fusion, prediction, anomalous, behavior, threat, hostile, algorithm
AF083-039 TITLE: Data Association and Filtering for Robust Space Control Decision
Support
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Space Platforms
OBJECTIVE: Develop prototype that demonstrates operator-tunable data association and filtering techniques to identify pertinent, high-valued, actionable information in support of Space Situation Awareness
DESCRIPTION: Effective Space Control functions require immediate and continuous access to intelligence information concerning threats to US and coalition space resources. Multiple stove-piped systems produce a massive volume of real-time, near real-time, and non real-time data for analysis. Operators can effectively interact with a finite volume of data. Innovative association techniques are needed that can reduce the deluge of data to a manageable volume of primarily pertinent information and provide the necessary context in which to interpret the information. This would enable operators to focus the human decision process over salient pieces of information and more effectively configure the techniques. Novel techniques are needed that will improve upon technology that can associate disparate pieces of information in a multi-source data stream that, in actuality, are related to the same event. Key technical challenges include but are not limited to the optimization, control, filtering, and ingestion of massive amounts of real-time, near real-time, or non real-time data for further situational analysis as well as data visualization to support enhanced understanding and situation awareness of Space.
A primary interest is in algorithms that present data relationships to operators, effectively creating a “case file” that includes a “chain of evidence” (pedigree). Innovative solutions are sought for: (a) calculation of scores for associations and how those scores are evaluated and combined; and (b) mechanisms for operators to remove or reweight association scores as needed. The resultant technology needs to include information pedigree to sustain an accurate confidence assessment. The pedigree should at least include: (a) why a data item was included in the associated group and data item source; (b) its calculated score; (c) what scoring mechanism was used (in the case where multiple scoring techniques are used to handle the disparate data types); (d) what (if any) operator intervention was made to this association (including a list of excluded data items); and (e) indication of the sensitivity of the score to scoring mechanism.
Example data sources to support Space Control Decision Support include traditional multi-INT sources such as imagery (radar, infrared, electro-optical), surface moving target tracking, electronic emissions, textual, unattended ground sensors (ground based motion acoustic sensors), media sources, and human sources. Additional space oriented sources could include space weather, terrestrial weather, satellite sensor telemetry and health monitoring activity.
Algorithms should be developed such that they could easily be applied within a net-centric, service-oriented architecture (SOA) or inserted into the Net-Enabled Command Capability (NECC). NECC is the DOD’s new principal command and control program providing C2 capabilities to support the National Military Command Center, Joint Force Commanders, and Service/Functional Components to unit level commanders. NECC is to replace the current Global Command and Control Systems. Likewise, these same SOA-based algorithmic services should be compatible with Space Situational Awareness and/or Space C2 processors to support end-to-end integrated Space Control system assessments and operations. The novel algorithms, methods, and new technology paradigms achieved from this innovative research will contribute to Electronic System Center’s ability to support Space Command, Joint Space Operation Center, and STRATCOM, among others.
PHASE I: Develop algorithms & techniques for operator-tunable data association & filtering to reduce operator load to pertinent, high-valued, actionable information. Conduct feasibility demo. Document data association & filtering functions. Provide validated set of performance measures for utility assessment
PHASE II: Evaluate mature phase-I services. Build prototype interoperable with Gov’t-sponsored platform such as Predictive Awareness & Net-centric Analysis for Collaborative Intel Assessment (PANACIA). Use realistic data sets & scenario, conduct tests to characterize algorithm performance/utility. Validate algorithm effectiveness. Deliver algorithm description, test results, Phase III transition plan
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Algorithms can primarily support Space Situational Awareness, IED Forensics, Cyber Situational Awareness and Facility Monitoring domains. Commercial application: Algorithms can support related civilian domains such as Homeland Security & Counter Terrorism, Disaster Response & Recovery, Environmental Monitoring, Border Crossing & Smuggling Detection
REFERENCES:
1. David L. Hall and James Llinas, Handbook of Multisensor Data Fusion, 2001.
2. A.N. Steinberg, C. L. Bowman, and F. E. White, "Revisions to the JDL Data Fusion model", NSSDF, 1999.
KEYWORDS: Multi-INT, Data Association, Data Filtering, Data Mining, and Decision Support, Information Fusion, Ontology, IED Forensics, Multisensor Data Fusion
AF083-040 TITLE: Maintaining appropriate classification of data for data agregated through
federated searches
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Create and develop a web service to ensure all data passing through it is either appropriately labeled or route it to another service to gather appropriate labeling, in an assured manner.
DESCRIPTION: Current federated search activities within the Air Force, such as that within the AF Initial Service Oriented Architecture Initial Infrastructure Build (IIB), will retrieve information based on keyword searches. These capabilities will potentially be extended to pull electronic information together from multiple sources to fulfill one information request. When the information retrieved was originally classified there was no idea that it would be combined with other seemingly information. This creates a possible situation where the aggregate classification of the electronic information will exceed the classification of the individual electronic information. This could potentially deliver an aggregate exchange of electronic information that would exceed the clearance of the individual requesting the electronic information.
There are a large number of activities and programs within the Air Force that may possibly (or are explicitly intended to) generate results spread across multiple security classifications, caveats, releasable countries, and other limitations. To appropriately share this information, these activities need to assure that there are correct labels on all data and metadata returned, that the recipient has appropriate clearance and need-to-know for this information, and that the system(s) involved in the transmission are certified & accredited to handle the final, aggregate classification.
Rather than continue to re-implement this capability with each cross
domain solution, it would be more cost effective to create a single capability to share between future cross domain solutions. This capability would need to be adaptable to multiple data types and multiple access paradigms, typically indicating in modern technologies a web service approach. This web service should be implemented to be applied across multiple different web service portals, at a minimum to follow applicable OASIS and W3C standards.
The web service would need to accept information on personnel clearance and need to know from one or more sources, potentially in different formats. It would need access to certification & accreditation (C&A) data for the system(s) involved, also potentially in multiple formats. It would need to be able to determine validity of XML against appropriate schema, specifically including non-repudiation and classification labeling. If data or metadata were found to be missing appropriate labeling or other security-required fields, the capability would need to forward the data to previously identified labeling authorities, either human and/or automated, for appropriate resolution.
Initial capabilities would comprise of a fully SOA compliant service capable of scaling into an enterprise environment to generate a high-watermark classification – At a minimum, the service must be capable of assuring the most restrictive classifications, caveats, and release-ability generated from all data inputs. Other capabilities may also be identified and implemented. External data sources for clearance, C&A, XML Schemas, and relabeling are to be assumed available in multiple formats.
Service capabilities must also address data aggregation issues across multiple labeled inputs (such as: sources and methods). The developed service must also be “enterprise ready” and provide scalability metrics that will identify how the service can stand up to enterprise traffic.
PHASE I: Develop a method for a secure web service as described above that is capable of taking in XML based data and metadata about that data, the user(s), and the system(s) involved and create assured watermark capability. Assume no aggregation issues across the data. Give a feasibility demonstration.
PHASE II: Extend techniques developed in Phase I to address classification aggregation issues across multiple data inputs in a timely and secure and manner including metrics for service scalability into an SOA enterprise environment. Develop and demonstrate a prototype system.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: aggregate classification of documents within government community are needed. They include: Joint Ops and FBI/CIA information sharing needs for defense and DHS first responder info sharing needs. Commercial application: aggregate classification needs within industry include HIPAA and financial regulations who require the special handling of aggregate information before sharing it with others.
REFERENCES:
1. Oasis Standards: www.oasis-open.org
2. W3C Enterprise SOA standards: www.w3c.org
3. CIPSO Labeling:
http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/OLD/cipso-charter.htm
http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-cipso-ipsecurity-01
4. Probabilistic Measure on Aggregations; T. Y. Lin, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA; dtd 1990, retrieved 12/24/2007 from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel2/319/3856/00143787.pdf?arnumber=143787
5. 554th Electronics System Wing; http://www.hanscom.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5568
KEYWORDS: Federated Search, Aggregation, Security Classification
AF083-041 TITLE: Assurance Validation of Commercial Products Containing IPv6
Transition and Tunneling Mechanisms on the Air Force Network
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative solutions to validate that IPv6 transition and tunneling mechanisms are only utilized by authentic and authorized users.
DESCRIPTION: Many, if not most Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, including varied operating systems, applications, transition protocols and routing software as well as hardware appliances like firewalls and intrusion detection systems, are capable of communicating via native Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and/or by means of built-in mechanisms to tunnel IPv6 traffic over existing Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) networks. These capabilities could be introduced without authorization or knowledge of DoD/Air Force network managers and introduce addtional risks and security vulnerabilities. While effective configuration management can reduce these risks, enhanced monitoring and detection may be the necessary step to validate as well maintain assurance, especially as the move to a dual stack environment per DoD direction will generate authorized users of IPv6 tunnels at a slow but steady pace. A dual stack enviroment is defined in this case as a network with both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic communicating simultaneously. When both IPv4 and IPv6 are being used, as in a transition environment between IPv4 and IPv6, the depth of security security defenses is reduced significantly, allowing unsolicited incoming messages and bypassing certain network controls.
Research activities might include looking into the feasibility of an expert system to approach both the network and configuration management issues, determining which specific Air Force products containing tunneling capabilities and their vulnerabilities, exploring the various approaches for mitigating these risks, and assessing how these vulnerabilities can be reliably detected and reported. Research into IPv6 transition technologies like the Teredo Protocol (RFC 4380) that provides enhanced connectivity for IPv6 enabled applications by providing globally unique IPv6 addressing and by allowing IPv6 to traverse Network Address Translation (NAT), effectively providing host to host automatic tunneling for unicast IPv6 traffic. Additional research over the complete Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model, like worms that target layer 3 or 4, e.g. blind IP address scanning worms, may benefit from increased connectivity, reaching hosts behind NAT'd networks and circumventing firewalls, even providing a means of remote code execution. These tunneling mechanisms may also be more susceptible to brute force denial of service attacks as well, with more widespread impact than native IPv4, giving rise to "bot" networks, which, if exploited, bypasses firewall and perimeter defenses, and could increase the population of bot infected computers more rapidly.
PHASE I: Develop potential mechanisms, processes and systems to provide visibility into transition and tunneling mechanisms. Analyze the reliability and performance of the solutions and present pros and cons of the candidate solutions. Develop system architecture and provide limited prototypes.
PHASE II: Design, develop and demonstrate a prototype tool set in an experimental environment.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Such a tool set will have wide application in monitoring and maintaining DoD/Air Force networks in the future. Commercial application: Such a tool set will have wide application in monitoring and maintaining networks worldwide in the future.
REFERENCES:
1. Spence, John. “IPv6 Security and Security Update.” NAv6TF/ARIN XV IPv6 Conference, April 2005:
http://www.nav6tf.org/documents/arin-nav6tf-apr05/6.IPv6_Security_Update_JS.pdf
2. Jennings, Cullen. “NAT Classification Results using STUN.” Internet Draft draft-jennings-midcomstun-results-00.txt (work in progress). February 2004: http://www.employees.org/~fluffy/ietf/draft-jennings-midcom-stun-results-00.html
3. Davies, E., S. Krishnan, and P. Savola. IPv6 Transition/Co-existence Security Considerations. Internet Draft draft-savola-v6ops-security-overview-04.txt (work in progress). March 2006:
http://ietfreport.isoc.org/idref/draft-ietf-v6ops-security-overview/
4. Symantec. Symantec Internet Security Threat Report: Trends for January 06–June 06. Symantec white paper, Volume X, Sept 2006: http://www.symantec.com/specprog/threatreport/ent-whitepaper_
symantec_internet_security_threat_report_x_09_2006.en-us.pdf
5. Hallahan, J. and J. Sanders, "Anomalous Channel Identification Internet Protocol V.6 (ACID-IPV6)," AFRL-IF-RS-TR-2006-181, contract #FA8750-04-C-0122 final technical report, May 23, 2006 (Distribution authorized to US Government Agencies and their contractors; Critical Technology: May 06.
Other requests for this document shall be referred to AFRL/IFGB, Rome NY 13441-4505).
KEYWORDS: Security, IPv6 transition, 6to4, tunnel, Teredo, information assurance
AF083-043 TITLE: Rate-Adaptive High-Availability RF Links
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems, Sensors
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Design and assess innovative methods to provide reliable, robust high-data-rate wireless links in harsh, rapidly-changing RF environments; maintaining link stability without sacrificing capacity.
DESCRIPTION: Modern communication methods use digital signals to achieve high data rates; a critical feature to support sharing today’s massive amounts of data (video, high-resolution imagery), especially during time-sensitive, limited “windows of opportunity” for connectivity. However, digital data communication suffers from the “cliff effect” where if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) falls below the designed threshold, then the link is completely lost; resulting in the communication nodes having to repeat the complex task of re-acquiring and establishing the link. To avoid this link instability and to ease upper layer networking functions, network developers often design these digital links with ample SNR margins to cover the worst case scenario. In practice, however, the actual SNR tends to be many dBs better than the designed threshold during much of the connection time. This resultant loss of capacity is further amplified in highly dynamic settings, as seen in radio frequency (RF) highly mobile wireless environments such as airborne networks, where connectivity time is limited. Novel transmission (modulation and coding) adaptation techniques maximizing spectral efficiency are necessary to achieve link stability/robustness, especially under extreme channel dynamics; i.e. optimizing the modulation level and the code type/rate to fit the SNR/channel statistics. Potential solutions may include variable data rate transmission, multi-type selective coding, multi-level encoding, unequal error protection, rateless codes, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and advanced multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) coding & antenna transmission schemes with minimal and/or no feedback mechanisms to enable long delay applications such as satellite-to-ground links. We seek scalable techniques for both line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) links that cover a large (practical) SNR dynamic range, tolerate high frequency of SNR fluctuations, and provide stability under potentially long feedback delays. Solutions that require minimal change to existing waveforms are preferred.
PHASE I: Design candidate solution(s) that provide robust high-data-rate wireless links, operate in highly dynamic environments, and tolerate long feedback delays. Demonstrate, compare, & assess feasibility of the candidate(s) via RF wireless network simulation in terms of scalability and system constraints.
PHASE II: Complete design and development of prototype systems that implement candidate solutions. Demo