ROME, N.Y. – U.S. Air Force researchers are approaching industry for enabling technologies in real-time processing for cyber and signals intelligence to improve tactical information collection, geolocation, extraction, identification, analysis, simulation, and reporting for intelligence applications.
Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., released a broad agency announcement (FA875023S7005) in September for the Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Solutions For Evolving Scenarios (SESS) project.
SESS seeks technologies for situational awareness for worldwide signals and network intelligence sources; sensor data collection and processing with a network-centric approach; enhance blue coalition warfighting capabilities; and understand the adversarial battlespace.
A key objective is to provide the warfighter with real-time tools to pinpoint the right decision quickly. The Air Force wants solutions focused on versatile multi-agency systems that rely on an open architectures with scalable technologies.
Information for decision-makers
For SIGINT, researchers want methods and processing techniques to provide decision-makers with command, control, and intelligence information in as near real-time as possible.
SIGINT technologies process communications information; operate in low-signal-to-noise ratio areas; and operate against uncooperative targets with different noise types and channel conditions. Automating SIGINT collection, processing, and exploitation in tasking and training is a major goal.
SIGINT divides into three technology areas: information extraction, signal processing, and automation. Information extraction takes information from RF signals to identify signals of interest. Signal processing seeks to improve signal processor performance. Automation seeks to automate manual processes or create entirely new automated processes.
Tell me more about blending cyber and SIGINT technologies ...
- Blending cyber and signals intelligence (SIGINT) technologies creates a powerful fusion for modern intelligence operations. SIGINT traditionally focuses on intercepting and analyzing electronic communications, while cyber operations penetrate, defend, and exploit digital networks. When combined, they enhance each other’s capabilities: SIGINT can identify and map digital targets to provide data for precise cyber actions, while cyber tools can access encrypted or hidden communications that SIGINT alone might miss. This integration enables real-time situational awareness, improved threat attribution, and proactive defense against adversaries. By merging these domains, agencies can uncover deeper insights into hostile networks, detect emerging threats faster, and conduct more targeted operations across both physical and digital battlefields.
Also of interest are techniques and algorithms to identify, collect, process, and exploit communication signals in a co-channel environment with potentially significant Doppler effects. The Air Force wants new ways to detect and identify low-power signals; new software and hardware architectures for standoff collection systems; and ways to characterize cognitive software-defined air and ground radios operating in dense signal environments. Researchers want to capitalize on existing digital signal processing and cyber technologies.
Companies interested should email three-to-five-page white papers no later than 13 Aug. 2027 to the Air Force's Todd Howlett at [email protected].
Email technical questions or concerns to Todd Howlett at [email protected], and business questions to Amber Buckley at [email protected]. More information is online at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/d6a64c34df5440d98f513c296f4b7f6e/view.
