N101-017 TITLE: Miniature Laser Designator for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Electronics, Weapons

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-263, Navy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Program; PMA-266

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is "ITAR Restricted." The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120 - 130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign Citizens may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign citizen who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal will be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: Design and develop a high performance compact infrared laser designator system to be integrated with small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

DESCRIPTION: Innovative compact and low weight illuminator concepts are required to provide small UAS targeting capabilities. To accommodate the limited volume in either the nose or expansion bays of prospective UAV platforms, compact electronics, a miniature solid state IR laser operating at 1064 nm, and compact light weight precision optics are needed to be designed, developed and packaged with a micro-gimbal to provide an environmentally robust illuminator which will meet size, weight, performance and cost requirements. Proposed concepts should include a micro-gimbal and be inertially stabilized to track and paint moving targets without having to reorient the aircraft. The high brightness illuminator should be capable of meeting or exceeding all environmental requirements. The laser designator system should be optimized for low weight, (less than one kg including the gimbal), and low volume. The weight should be apportioned such that the gimbal is approximately 0.4 kg and the remainder is for the laser, electronics and optics. The complete package should be designed to fit in a payload bay with a 7" diameter and a length not exceeding 9". The use of novel methods such as light weight environmentally robust polymer optics, micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and other technological innovations will likely be required to meet size and weight requirements. The system should operate at 1064 nm and provide output pulse energy of 30mJoule using pulse width modulation (PWM) methods to generate operationally relevant laser codes. The beam should have a range of 1-3km in clear weather conditions with a divergence of less than 0.5 mradians. The power consumption for the complete system should be under 25 watts. Low cost and high performance may be attainable by using a combination of commercially available components, cutting edge materials and technology, and innovative techniques.

PHASE I: Demonstrate the technical feasibility of developing a high performance compact infrared laser designator system that can be integrated with small UAVs. Develop an initial concept design capable of meeting UAV system and operational requirements.

PHASE II: Develop, construct, and demonstrate the operation of a high performance compact infrared laser designator prototype system. Complete the system design and if possible utilize commercially available components which meet military standard requirements.

PHASE III: Produce a suitable miniature laser designator for small UAVs. Install and perform validation and certification testing on the ScanEagle platform or other available similar UAV systems. Transition the technology to the fleet and provide a detailed supportability plan.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The proposed low cost miniature illuminator has numerous potential commercial applications. This includes law enforcement, homeland security, surveillance, and search and rescue and any other application that requires low cost and compact IR illumination.

REFERENCES:
1. Adamy, David L., "A Second Course in Electronic Warfare", Horizon House Publications, 2004.

2. Dickey, Fred M., Holswade, Scott C., "Laser Beam Shaping", Marcel Dekker, 2000.

3. Winston, Roland, Minano, Juan C., Benitez, Pablo, "Nonimaging Optics", Elsevier, 2005.

4. Schubert, Fred, "Light Emitting Diodes", Carmbridge University Press, 2003.

KEYWORDS: unmanned aerial vehicles; laser designators; laser illumination; laser guided munitions; precision optics; solid-state IR laser

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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