WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio – U.S. Air Force researchers needed a company to push the bounds of infrared search and track (IRST) technology to enable U.S. and allied aircraft to search for airborne targets without giving away their presence by emitting RF and microwave energy. They found their solution from SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif.
Officials of the Multispectral Sensing & Detection Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced a $299,868 contract to SRI International last week as part of the Multi-Spectral Sensing Technologies R&D (MuSTeR) program.
MuSTeR seeks to enhance the state-of-the-art in U.S. military sensor system research by using the entire electromagnetic spectrum to deliver next-generation capabilities for global persistent awareness. SRI International is a nonprofit research institute.
For this contract SRI International experts will look into low-cost infrared search and track (LC-IRST) system design tradeoffs, cloud clutter suppression algorithms and processing, and machine learning techniques with the potential to improve overall IRST detection performance.
SRI International's work revolves around electro-optical target detection and surveillance. SRI experts will develop an advanced long-range and wide-field-of-view staring IRST system that provides state-of-the-art performance.
Currently fielded IRST systems are based on longwave scanning sensor technology in which the scan dwell time and revisit rate dictates typical performance. Instead, SRI International will try to develop an IRST sensor that operates at video rates to quicken track initiation.
This research area potentially leverages the latest in large infrared focal plane array technology with high operating temperatures and uncooled thermal detectors to eliminate a large cooler to reduce system size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP).
Company experts also will focus on small pixel pitch to provide better image resolution, and digital readout integrated circuits versus analog. The challenge is to provide range resolution to aid in a robust, precise weapons quality track, Air force researchers say.
Related: Air Force looking into advanced staring infrared search and track for fighter aircraft
The overall goal is to develop an IRST design that generates fire-control solutions at range along clear atmospheric paths and in cluttered air-to-air and air-to-ground environments with a low false alarm rate while staring over the entire system field of regard.
SRI International also will look into current and future advancements in large format focal plane arrays, read-out architectures, sensor chip assembly designs, wide-field-of-view optical designs, and advanced processing methods for target detection and tracking at range and in clutter that exploits the high frame rate advantages of a staring system.
Company experts will consider total system life cycle costs and identify alternatives to high cost, high failure rates, and high maintenance items such as thermal infrared transparent conformal window materials.
Related: Boeing to install infrared search and track systems on Navy carrier-based jet fighters
Additionally, SRI International will investigate basic algorithms and supporting processing architectures that could validate the system and its target detection, such as tracking and clutter rejection algorithms.
Other focus areas of the MuSTeR program are multiband multifunction radio frequency sensing; laser radar technology; passive radio frequency sensing; and distributed radio frequency sensing.
On this contract SRI International will do the work in Menlo Park, Calif. For more information contact SRI International online at www.sri.com, or the Air Force Research Laboratory at www.afrl.af.mil.
