SBIR/STTR Award attributes
To address the Army’s need for a platform-agnostic, low-SWaP-C fire control radar, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to advance the development of the Advanced Fire Control Radar for Group 1 and 2 Unmanned Surveillance (ARGUS) systems proven feasible in Phase I. This system is based on integration of patch antenna arrays for transmit and receive capabilities tied into low-power COTS processing modules harnessing algorithms for target detection and identification from a long range. These innovations bring advanced radar capabilities to small UAVs that can operate in degraded visual environments. In Phase I, POC successfully met all the objectives and conclusively demonstrated the feasibility of ARGUS. Key technical risks associated with the technology were reduced via designing, developing, and testing a limited-scale prototype in a controlled environment. As a result, Phase II development is now a straightforward process of engineering, optimization, and risk-reduction. In Phase II, POC plans to further mature this technology along with its partners by building a full prototype system that can be integrated with select platforms for preliminary flight testing. We anticipate that at the end of Phase II, ARGUS will reach technology readiness level (TRL)-6 and will be mature enough for further Army testing and pre-productization.
