The Air Force Research Lab has queried industry to see if there are companies capable of maturing technology for a conformal load-bearing antenna structure (CLAS) that long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft could carry to detect and track dismounted individuals. AFRL officials envision CLAS as “extremely large active-phased-array apertures” integrated into the wing or fuselage skin of relatively small RPA, according to the lab’s solicitation. “It is anticipated that the extraordinary size of these arrays will provide sensitivity beyond what can be achieved with conventional apertures in order to detect and discriminate dismounts,” states the document. AFRL seeks to identify CLAS concepts and the research needed to enable an aerial demonstration of an experimental dismount moving target indication (DMTI) radar system within the next four years. AFRL wants industry feedback by Sept. 22.
JADC2 Spurring Changes to Fighter Jets, Ops Centers
Dec. 2, 2020
Aerospace experts offered a peek into how joint all-domain command and control might begin changing the Air Force over the next few years, during RAND Corp.’s West Coast Aerospace Forum on Dec. 2. Expect the upcoming fiscal 2022 and 2023 budgets to majorly accelerate combat networking demonstrations and related technology…