Development of Wideband Conformal IED Jammer Antenna Navy SBIR FY2008.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2008.2 Topic No.: N08-175 Topic Title: Development of Wideband Conformal IED Jammer Antenna Proposal No.: N082-175-0519 Firm: Luna Innovations Incorporated 1 Riverside Circle Suite 400 Roanoke, Virginia 24016 Contact: Christy Vestal Phone: (434) 220-2503 Web Site: www.lunainnovations.com Abstract: Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have become a common part of the arsenal used by the enemy against US forces. Current military vehicles use a monopole or whip antenna to radiate jamming signals to mitigate these threats. These antennas have a high profile, which can extend from 2.5 ft to over 5 ft in height, and are easily visible and prone to being damaged or destroyed while on patrol. New technology is needed to reduce the profile of these antennas while maintaining or possibly increasing the operations effectiveness. To address this critical military need, Luna Innovations will leverage its cross disciplinary knowledge in electromagnetics and materials engineering to design a compact broadband antenna capable of omni-directional coverage in azimuth while maintaining a low profile. Luna's proposed approach features a traditional antenna design and specially engineered materials as the antenna substrate which enables antenna size miniaturization and prevents shorting of the antenna near a metal surface. Benefits: The Luna Innovations novel wideband conformal antenna for IED jamming will find application in many different systems and platform environments. The light weight, small footprint, and versatile design will permit adapting the antenna to be used by foot soldiers and a variety of vehicle platforms .The proposed antenna technology would have application in communication and navigation. The antenna properties make it useful for wideband communication, tracking, and direction finding. The multimode nature of the antenna will allow it to function in multiple roles at once and reduce the number of antennas required to perform these different tasks. The low profile of the antenna will provide a versatility that will allow it to be used in many new applications. Return