RF Systems Research, Development, Test, & Evaluation (RDT&E)

Radio Frequency (RF) systems RDT&E, has been a principal focus of Dynetics since our company’s inception. From concept development to integrating a system of netted and distributed RF sensors, to design and testing of sensor components and algorithms, our efforts continue to advance the state–of–the–art in RF systems. Dynetics has the technical expertise in the technologies and components critical to development of RF systems, including:

• Radar and seeker design,
• Antenna design and evaluation,
• Receivers and exciters,
• Signal and data processing,
• Threat and environment modeling, and
• Test systems including RF and digital signal injectors.

Dynetics’ efforts extend to hardware components that compose RF systems and subsystems. In support of the Government, we analyze and assess prime contractor microwave hardware designs for antennas, receivers, and exciters. Typical efforts include:

• Modeling and assessing antenna error effects on pattern characteristics,
• Monitoring receive chain input/output consistency,
• Verifying gain-bandwidth allocation,
• Determining critical signal levels,
• Validating gain and noise figure budgets,
• Verifying oscillator phase noise is within specification, and
• Ensuring spurious signal levels and inter–modulation products are suppressed.

Dynetics supports extensive efforts in the simulation, modeling, and analysis of RF seekers. We developed and currently maintain several RF seeker simulation tools, to include the Generic Seeker Simulation (GENSS). GENSS is a physics–based, fully closed–loop seeker simulation tool that models active, semi–active, and passive RF seekers. GENSS contains a suite of models that simulates the entire RF seeker engagement including:

• Fire–control handover,
• Missile and gimbal dynamics,
• Target maneuvers,
• Waveforms,
• Seeker mode logic,
• RF propagation effects, and
• Guidance laws.

RF system testing is another critical area supported by Dynetics. These efforts include the development and integration of RF and digital signal injectors for testing RF hardware performance and signal and data processing algorithm fidelity. These tools provide a cost–effective, robust set of conditions for proving RF system and subsystem performance, including performance under off–nominal conditions. Hence, potential problems are identified and mitigated before costly flight tests are impacted.

The Army is transitioning from an architecture of "stove-piped" interoperable systems to a system of netted and distributed components, i.e., "Plug and Fight" sensors, weapons, and command posts. As this transition takes place, a common air picture is required that will be resident at all nodes for situational awareness and to conduct engagements. This air picture will be formed at each node via a distributed track management system that utilizes fusion of tracking data from multiple sensors within the task force. Dynetics develops the necessary tools to evaluate candidate track management approaches and to set air picture requirements. An example of this type of tool is Dynetics’ Composite Tracking and Data Fusion Experiment (CoDEx). CoDEx models track management in the distributed Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) architecture.

With over 30 years of experience supporting RF systems RDT&E, Dynetics commits to providing innovative solutions that enhance the efficiency of defense systems and meet and surpass our customers’ current and future needs.