Advanced RF Mapping
Abstract
One of the key advantages on the battlefield is the ability to actively sense and manipulate the radio frequency (RF) environment, enabling reliable and assured communications, as well as effectively mapping and manipulating the adversary's communications in ways that defy their situational awareness, understanding, or response. Current approaches are emitter-based, with the signal processing techniques focused on array and time-based processing for each emitter. As the RF environment becomes more complex and cluttered, the number of collection assets and the required level of signal processing inhibits our capability to pervasively sense and manipulate at the precision (time, frequency, and space) required for effective action. To address these Radio Frequency and Spectral Sensing (RF/SS) challenges, the Advanced RF Mapping program will develop and demonstrate new concepts for sensing and manipulating the RF environment based on distributed rather than centralized collection. This approach will take advantage of the proliferation of RF devices, such as radios and cell phones, on the battlefield. To leverage these existing devices effectively, the program will develop new algorithms that can map the RF environment with minimal communication load between devices. It will also develop approaches to exploit our precise knowledge of the RF environment and the distributed proximity of RF devices to provide reliable and assured communications for our warfighter as well as to infiltrate or negate our adversaries' communications networks. Building upon technologies investigated within other programs within this project, the Advanced RF Mapping program will enable both offensive and defensive operations in complex RF environments. Advanced RF Mapping technology is planned to transition to the Services.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2016
- Source ID
- aa0dca0fcdbf9fb6dece873f56d2195d