DRFM Technology and Design for Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare

Course Length:  24 hours total - delivered across 8 sessions of 3-hours each.

• Mondays & Wednesdays, 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC), June 3rd – June 26th
• PLEASE NOTE: This course will be delivered through Adobe Connect. To ensure your computer system has access to Adobe Connect, please test your system HERE. Each session will be recorded and made available to all registrants for 30 days after the course. If you miss a session or two, you can catch up by viewing the recording!

Description:

Digital RF memories (DRFMs), are arguably, the most important technology and a driving force in electromagnetic maneuver warfare (EMW). This course examines both the design of the DRFM as well as the technologies and strategies used to create superior false target decoys. In addition, machine learning and the capability to autonomously detect and classify in real-time, enemy systems that use waveforms and frequencies not previously encountered or anticipated is emphasized.

Agenda for topics covered in each 3-hour session:

• Session 1 – Monday June 3rd, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – Historical significance, spectrum focus in EMW, design concepts, identifying both amplitude- and phase-sampling DRFM architectures and their characteristics, digital design trade-offs, noise components and sampling, quantify the phase and  amplitude spurious signals generated, linearity, dynamic performance prediction;

• Session 2 – Wed. June 5th, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – Technical considerations, necessary bandwidth, networks of comparators, problems using wideband vs. narrowband for EA, recent wideband System-on-a-Chip DRFM results, methods to predict and reduce the spurious frequencies;

• Session 3 – Monday June 10rd, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – Nonuniform sampling, oversampling, undersampling, analysis/synthesis channelizer technique, trade-offs in resolution; symmetrical number system and wideband DFT EW receivers, Nyquist folding receiver;

• Session 4 – Wed. June 12th, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – DRFM integrated photonics, HTS/LTS, Brief tutorial concerning optical link components including: laser, Mach-Zehnder interferometer, detector and advantages; integration of p-downconverter into RF section of DRFM; significance of photonic ADC preprocessing architecture;  engineering of photonic direction finding (DF) array; photonic Nyquist folding receiver; SQUID transducers;

• Session 5 – Mon. June 17th, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – EA algorithms, different DRFM uses in EW, popular applications, deception, EA coherent repeater methods; mathematical model performance, functional requirements for both range and velocity deception;
• Session 6 – Wed. June 19th, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – Augmentation GPU/FPGAs for superior RF decoys, examine the role of new generation of firmware to enable deception algorithms in hard-kill engagement; signal processing methods in a coherent seeker (ISAR), DRFM decoy processor advantages, digital image synthesizers, creating multiple structured false targets;
• Session 7 – Mon. June 24th, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – ES algorithms for cognitive spectrum sensing, signal detection and emitter classification, important emitter modulations, machine learning & convolutional neural networks (CNN), deep learning, big data issues;
• Session 8 – Wed. June 26th, 2019 13:00 – 16:00 EDT (17:00 – 20:00 UTC);
  – Counter-DRFM techniques, pulse diversity methods e.g., phase modulation and orthogonal coding; signal processing techniques such as polarization discrimination, range glint, frequency diversity, statistical signal processing methods

Who should attend:

This course is intended primarily for engineers and scientists interested in the technology and design of digital RF memories and electronic warfare receivers including the techniques used in electromagnetic maneuver warfare (EMW). Attendees should have a good knowledge of radar systems and signal processing. Example problems are worked out to demonstrate the concepts and further the understanding of the material being presented. Some MATLAB programs are used to help students clarify difficult concepts.

Required Materials:

Computer running recent version of MATLAB