Dollars Returned to Government Account

The objective of the project is to expand rotorcraft operational capabilities by improving pilot situational awareness. The improvements in situational awareness will be derived through the development of advanced airborne systems that will provide knowledge of desired flight path, relationship to other aircraft, and proximity to terrain. The project includes three technical elements:

- Development and Evaluation of Precision Pathway Terminal Guidance (PPTG) and Synthetic Vision (SynVis) Systems: The Boeing Company (Boeing) will refine the design of Precision Pathway Terminal Guidance (PPTG) symbology and a Synthetic Vision (SynVis) system and will evaluate these concepts using simulation and flight testing in cooperation with Bell Helicopter (Bell).

- Definition and Evaluation of a Mid-air Collision Avoidance Automation System (MCAA): Boeing will define the requirements for a Mid-air Collision Avoidance Automation (MCAA) system and will evaluate an MCAA concept using piloted simulation.

- Development and Evaluation of a Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) Avoidance System: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) will develop and flight test a Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) Avoidance System for helicopters and will develop the certification guidelines for such a system.
Extent to which the cooperative agreement or other transaction has contributed to a broadening of the technology and industrial base available for meeting Department of Defense needs:

The company may not have pursued this technology research effort to the extent they have without the flexibility this CA offers. The helicopter industry, including other manufacturers, would not otherwise share their technologies. The project performs research efforts to expand rotorcraft operational capabilities by improving pilot situational awareness. The product of this effort is equally applicable to both military and commercial rotorcraft and will have strong potential for near term retrofit for sustainment of aging aircraft, and for implementation on future rotorcraft including the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Joint Technology Rotorcraft (JTR), Army After Next (AAN), and new commercial helicopter and tiltrotors.

All three helicopter manufacturers provide a synergy of expertise that would not have been possible under a conventional contract due to competition among them. Successful implementation of the PPTG/SynVis , MCAA, and helicopter EGPWS systems will:

1) Enhance military operations by enabling rotorcraft flight into more degraded visual environments and lower altitudes with less pilot workload and more situational awareness.

2) Reduce the impact of weather and reduced visibility on aircraft operators and all more utilization of the aircraft with greater economic return.

3) Make the U. S. rotorcraft industry more competitive in the global marketplace leading to broader benefits such as: passenger and Community Acceptance, expanded Civil Rotorcraft Operations, and increased Aviation System Throughput and Congestion Reduction.
Agreement Number: N00014-00-3-0001
Type of Agreement: Other Transaction for Research
Title: Research and Development of Affordable Modular Digital Receiver
Awarding Office: Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Awardee: Raytheon Company, Electronic Systems
Effective Date: 1 Aug 1999
Estimated Completion or Expiration Date: 30 Jun 2002
U. S. Government Dollars: $ 1,161,279
Non Government Dollars: $ 1,161,292
Dollars Returned to Government Account: $ 0
Technical objectives of this effort including the technology areas in which the project was conducted:

The objective is to develop a 100 W, 4-20 GHz, solid state power amplifier based on AlGaN/GaN modulation doped field effect transistors (MODFETs). The amplifier design goals are a gain of greater than 12 dB and efficiency of greater than 50% across the band. The goal is to demonstrate that affordable digital receivers in the UHF band can be designed, fabricated, tested, and support the overall system requirements for UHF Airborne Early Warning (AEW) applications, specifically UHF surveillance radars. This effort is being conducted in response to ONR BAA 99-007.

Raytheon is working with several commercial firms that have interest in low cost digital receivers, and is exploring strategic alliances. Applications under consideration for possible alliance efforts include a cancellation system to remove unwanted signal interference in the GPS frequency band and application for use on satellite ground stations. Although, strategic alliances are being explored, Raytheon Company is the sole entity responsible for conducting this research and development effort.

Raytheon is employing a modular approach to leverage available commercial and military hardware components to the maximum extent possible, and allows evolutionary improvements toward the ultimate single chip solution as digital technology continues to be developed. Commercial and military uses of GPS are being jammed,, so interference cancellers are needed. Digital Beamforming radars are becoming the norm, rather than the exception for high performance radar applications. This effort represents the genesis of the building blocks for many of these applications. A broad production base together with continued cost reductions as more functions are performed digitally, act as enablers for even wider commercial and military applications.

The technical objective of this program is to reduce the cost of fiber placement fabrication by 50-80% with improved quality. Boeing's approach to meeting this objective attacks two key areas of the fiber placement process: collation rate and post-layup inspection. Boeings plans to increase collation rate, the rate at which composite material is layed down on the structure, by substituting an advanced laser diode heating system with feedback control for the current industry standard hot gas-based convection heating system. Using a radiant energy-based heating system, a much faster layup process is possible because of the improved level of heat absorption, ply adhesion, and greatly improved process control. Boeing's approach to reducing or eliminating post-layup manual inspection is to implement an advanced vision system for automatic ply inspection and on-line defect identification/classification. The system consists of a digital camera, an illumination array of infrared light-emitting diodes and system software for automatic flaw identification/classification.

This other transaction contributes to a broadening of the technology base due to Boeing’s application of its advanced High Rate Fiber Placement (HRFP) technologies. Under this program, Boeing will develop and demonstrate a prototype HRFP process for the fabrication of affordable composite structures. Through actual production component demonstrations and development of a focused production implementation plan, the HRFP technology will be available for military and commercial use.

All components of the HRFP process will be developed using advanced Boeing technologies combined with the strategic efforts of small business partners under existing cooperative working relationships.

By implementing the HRFP process in production, the military will benefit directly from reduced acquisition cost and shorter production cycle.

The objectives are to design, develop and demonstrate a biologically-inspired legged system called IIS Bio-Bots. This is a legged robot with 2 legs and 2 arms that can be transformed to function as a bipedal or quadrapedal robot. Hybrid bipedal-quadrapedal robots will be designed and developed that can be configured based on mission, and will use muscle-like actuators and a hybrid rule-based and neural controller architecture with machine vision input.

The use of an other transaction has broadened the technological and industrial base because it brings to DoD the opportunity to benefit from the development of a unique and innovative biologically inspired legged robot technology which will function as an intelligent agent. Additionally it brings a small business as a neophyte DoD-performer to our industrial base with the potential of revolutionizing current robotic design and implementation.

The robots have potential application in urban warfare operations as a means of reducing civilian causalities and are envisioned to be used as a fleet of expendable IIS Bio-Bot™ for search and identification of target of interest within a building, isolate and await disarming/detonation signals. These agents might also be used to collect intelligence data and assist in amphibious assault operations. Another potential use is mine detection. Incorporated in 1993, IIS has been able to attract a group of very talented scientists involved in the design of intelligent systems, which now provide a source of talent for the pursuit of national security goals and objectives. IIS charter in information technology is consistent with governmental national investment policies in supporting state of the art research and development in the field.

The objective is to investigate the synthesis and stabilization of alane and develop it into an industrially scaleable process. Other outcomes of this effort will be to produce a military grade material having the necessary properties for use in a solid propellant, and produce a grade of alane that is practical for commercial use as a reducing agent. The intent is to expand alane’s use as a replacement for existing water- and air-sensitive chemical reducing agents and demonstrate its use in solid rocket motors with emphasis on IHPRPT, and BMDO needs. This effort is being conducted in response to BAA 98-023 under the Dual Use Science and Technology Program.

Under this effort Albermarle Corporation, the Space Propulsion Organization – Chemical Systems Division (CSD) of Pratt and Whitney, and SRI International have teamed for this effort. Although this teaming arrangement broadens the technological base, it represents no broadening of the industrial base since all have successfully teamed in the past.

Albermarle is a successful and well-organized manufacturer of metal hydrides, flame retardants, and other commercially successfully products. The incorporation of alane into Albermarle’s product mix fits strategically, and Albermarle has the experience to commercialize this technology as well as a history of success in this area. CSD is known for its innovative work on solid rocket motors and has all the necessary components for commercializing a new rocket motor based on alane. SRI provides the initial technology developments as well as a strength in both developing new materials and bringing them to the marketplace.

A new paradigm or vision may be established changing the way commercial chemistry is practiced within the synthesis community here and abroad. The materialization of such change may have a marked affect to include creating, demonstrating, and producing a new class of solid rocket motors which have a significant gain in performance efficiency. None of the individual members would be able to accomplish these goals and objectives on their own, but it is achievable as a team. None of the individuals entities possess the complete range of skills required for such an endeavor to bring alane to commercial and military fruition, but it is possible through this team collaboration.

The objective of this effort is to investigate and acquire the fundamental process understanding of friction stir welding and develop technology needed to commercialize friction stir welding for a wide range of commercial and military applications which require the joining of high strength structural alloys such as steels, stainless steels, and titanium alloys at load levels consistent with shipyard fabrication.

None. There is already an existing relationship between DoD and other interested industry partners (MTS Systems Corporation, Bath Iron Works, and General Dynamics Electric Boat Division).

The objectives are to develop two significant technologies for the next generation of marine propellers: a magnetostrictive-actuated, continuously variable pitch control mechanism and magnetostrictively-actuated flow control surfaces for the blades. As a result of being able to tailor the blade surface profile to suite operating conditions, there will be benefits in propulsive efficiency, stealth and operational life. The magnetostrictive material to be used, Terfenol-D, is less complex, more compact and environmentally friendlier than current hydraulic systems. A more uniform loading of the blades will result in a reduction in cavitation noise and erosion, and in fatigue failure. Hydraulic fluid leaks, which are a current problem, will be eliminated.

None. There is already an existing relationship between DoD and other interested industry partners – Aerotech Engineering and Research Cooperation, Bird-Johnson Company member of the Vickers Ulstein Marine Division (Ulstein), and QorTek, Inc.

This DUS&T project team consists of three strong groups who each have a vested interest in seeing the marine propeller technology developed to its fullest potential. Core technology providers are (Aerotech and Quotek), a military/commercial industry leader (Bird-Johnson) and the Carderock Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Magnetics Engineering Group. Such a collaborative effort lays a strong foundation for an accelerated technology development process and the ensuing commercialization.

The technical objectives of this effort are to provide higher power surveillance systems in smaller, lighter packages. For example, improvements to the E-2C radar and the Common Support Aircraft (CSA) require higher power density systems using less prime power, and in a volume that is reduced from that of existing transmitters. Higher power density transmitters provide the increased power aperture needed to detect and track low observable targets. These transmitters must not exceed the weight or volume of existing radars and must be compatible with existing aircraft electronics and cooling. SiC, with its high power density capability, will contribute substantially to meeting this need. In addition, SiC will initiate paths to lightweight, flexible, high power, transmitters for future surveillance, Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and other radar systems. The effort is for the design, manufacture, test and delivery of a compliant Multi-Channel High Power SiC transmitter (including power supplies/conditioning equipment).

This other transaction agreement has contributed to a broadening of the technology base because Northrop Grumman has fabricated and demonstrated 900 watt, UHF transistors that exceed the power density available in silicon transistors. Northrop is pursuing the development of ESSS silicon carbide (SiC) transistor technology to achieve a lighter weight, higher power modules with improved power added efficiency. This program will leverage Northrop Grumman’s investment in the development of a 1.5kW UHF transistor for high power transmitter applications. This technology provides unprecedented advantages for RF power applications. Its superior carrier speed, thermal conductivity, and breakdown voltage capability provides higher power, higher efficiency, and manageable higher power densities.