Air Force set to kick-off Unicorn Blue project for digital signal processing and geolocation in SIGINT

Jan. 9, 2020
Focus is on real-time processing to extract the contents of RF transmissions automatically, and provide time-critical alerts on signals collected.

ROME, N.Y. – U.S. Air Force researchers are ready to kick-off a potential $50 million project to develop digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities to scan through the RF spectrum quickly to detect high priority emissions.

Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., issued a presolicitation last week (FA8750-20-R-1001) for the Unicorn Blue project for signals intelligence (SIGINT) and RF geolocation.

The project also will develop technologies to collect, detect, and geo-locate emerging signals of interest to various SIGINT collection systems.

Related: Black River to pursue SIGINT enabling technologies in software-defined radio

The work will include real-time processing to extract the contents of RF transmissions automatically, and provide time-critical alerts and information on the signals collected.

Companies selected will develop prototypes that quickly can be fielded, upgraded, and adapted to emerging requirements. Air Force officials say they expect to award several contracts. Participants must have top-secret security clearances at the prime level.

A draft request for proposal for the Unicorn Blue project is expected in February 2020, and a formal solicitation should follow in March 2020.

Related: Electronic warfare on the ground

Email technical questions or concerns to the Air Force's Daniel Robbins, the Unicorn Blue program manager, at [email protected].

Email contracting questions to Contract Specialist Andrey Selyuzhitskiy at [email protected], or Contracting Officer Andrew Clark at [email protected].

More information is online at https://beta.sam.gov/opp/9973adcdfeda4790997d6bec81276ac1/view.

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