30 April 2008 1

Professor Keith LewisEMRS DTC Research Director

Defence Technology Centres: Industry and the Science Baseworking in partnership with UK MoD to develop innovative

Defence Technologywww.emrsdtc.com

30 April 2008 2

Agenda

• UK Defence Science Landscape

• Specifying the Military Research Portfolio

– The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS)

– The Defence Technology Strategy (DTS)

– The Defence Technology Plan (DTP)

• MoD key technology drivers

• EMRS DTC - Science & Technology Activities

– Relationship to the cross-cutting themes of the DTS

• Radio Frequency (RF) sensor systems

• Electro-optic (EO) sensor systems

• Transduction materials and devices (TDM)

• Transducer embedded processing (TEP)

– Special themes

• Counter-IED

• Counter suicide bomber

• Technology trials

• UAV sensor payloads

• Technology trials

• Exemplars

30 April 2008 3

UK Defence Science Landscape

Defence Technology Centres

Counter Terrorism

Competition of Ideas

Grand Challenge

Seed Corn Research

International Research

Collaboration

Challenge Workshops

Single Source

Research

Advice / Assessments

Enterprise Growth

Consortia Based

Research &

Technology

Joint Funded

Research &

Technology

Single Source

Research &

Technology

Rapid Development of

Solutions in Operations

High Risk

High Impact

Demonstrators

Risk Reduction

Demonstrators

Equipment &

Support for

Operations

“Ideas” “Growth” “Demonstration” “Application”

30 April 2008 4

Opening up more routes to market

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9TRL

DTC

Main Programme

EPSRC/NERC/STFC Research Councils

DBERR Technology Strategy Board

Regional Development Agencies

Challenge Workshops

Seed Corn

Equipment Programme

DTC

Precursor

DTC Research

Exploitation Plan

Industry – PV/Product Development

High risk

demonstrator

Risk reduction

demonstrator

Counter Terrorism Centre

30 April 2008 5

Specifying the Military Research Portfolio

Previous

Operational

Experience

Likely Future

Operations

Capability

Shortfall

System Solutions

Shared Vision of Technology

Shortfalls

Shared Vision of Research

Priorities

Agreed Priorities for DTC Call for

Proposals

Systems Analysis

Refine

Technology Push

Refine

DTC consortium view on

technology opportunities, future

equipment needs of UK and

overseas markets

UK Defence Industrial

& Technology Strategy

(DIS/DTS) & Defence

Technology Plan (DTP)

Shared, Collaborative R&D

Programme

Guidance on

implementation

30 April 2008 6

MoD Key Drivers

• MoD has identified the following key military

capabilities needed from future sensor systems:

• Day and night, all weather capability

• Long range operation

• Rapid, large area search capability

• Detection of low signature targets

• Detection of camouflaged/concealed targets

• Affordable, robust systems for military platforms

• Covert operation

• Multi-function, detection/ID capability

30 April 2008 7

EMRS DTC Programme

• The EMRS DTC has chosen to tackle the key requirements through aggressive

programmes in four technology-driven areas, reflecting the cross-cutting themes in

section B2 of the Defence Technology Strategy

– Radio Frequency (RF) sensor systems

– Electro-optic (EO) sensor systems

– Transduction materials and devices (TDM)

– Transducer embedded processing (TEP)

• Supplemented by special themes

– Counter-IED

– Counter suicide bomber

– Technology trials

– UAV sensor payloads

30 April 2008 8

Radio Frequency (RF) Systems

• Networked RF Sensors

– Establish potential value of RF sensor networks (eg Ground Manoeuvre, Urban Operations)

• Target Recognition

– Range profiling and 2D imaging, with particular reference to long range operation

• Millimetre wave/sub-THz Sensing

– Improve viability of remote sensing in this area of spectrum (resolution, range)

– Body scanning (concealed weapons) & helicopter operations (brown-out, obstacle avoidance)

• Microwave Photonics

• Novel component technologies for future Radar/EW/ESM systems

• ESM and Passive RF Sensing

– Improved emitter detection and localisation

– Covert radar using transmitters of opportunity

• Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) Technology

– Compact antenna arrays for multifunctional RF systems on UAVs and aircraft

• Radar System and Sub-system Studies

– New classes of radar systems to provide added capability and to improve radar performance

30 April 2008 9

Transduction Devices and Materials (TDM)

• Seek reductions in through-life cost, size, weight and power of

future microwave modules in Radar, UAV and EW systems.

Emphasis on the use of cross-cutting and emerging technologies

• Advanced electronic component and circuit concepts for use in

complex future systems such as adaptive array radars and next

generation EW systems

• Demonstrate substantial improvements in base technologies of

materials, devices & circuits in forms that are fully exploitable

• Ensure UK defence base has access to new and emerging

electronic device technologies – reduce effects of governmental

export restrictions (ITAR)

DecoysReplacing TWT / GaAs with GaN module

Naval EW3-12 GHz > 100W amplifierInstant “on” cf TWT’s

Helicopter ESM

RadarLower mass(more mobile)Increased range

SkynetSatellite powers amplifiersMobile Satcomm base stations20-100W @ 8GHz (tube replacement)

30 April 2008 10

False colour SWIR image demonstrating clear distinction

between natural scene and man-made objects at 1.4km

R - 1600nm, G - 1250nm B - 1000nm

Electro-optic (EO) Systems

• Technologies for Active Sensing exploiting laser illumination

– Improve the detection and identification of difficult targets especially at long range and/or in

cluttered environments

• Hyperspectral/Polarimetric (Discriminative) Sensing

– Provide covert discrimination between military targets and their environment, so defeating

camouflage, concealment and deception. Includes IEDs, mines, gas emissions etc

• Detector Technologies

– Enhance detector capabilities in relation to resolution, sensitivity and broader waveband

coverage at lower cost and reduced through-life logistic support

• Novel Concepts for Military EO Sensing

– Novel techniques eg for enhanced resolution, stand-off range, longer range target acquisition

– Provision of enhanced surveillance capability eg by imaging through turbulence/haze/mist

SWIR VIS

30 April 2008 11

Transducer Embedded Processing

Multi-

Gigabit Multi-

Megabit

Megabit

High Speed

Digital Signal

Processing

Complex

Data Processing

• Scene Processing

– Enhanced ISTAR capability - surveillance imagery from moving platforms

• Embedded Processing Algorithms

– Day/night autonomous capability for ground based unmanned systems

• Rapid Development Methods

– Reduce development costs of advanced electronic systems (eg FPGAs) by reducing

design cycle times

• Hardware Architectures

– Improve radar detection performance through focussed technology insertion

30 April 2008 12

Counter IED

• Discriminative imaging techniques are key

• LWIR polarimetric and multi-band imagery provide a

signficant step forward over existing techniques for

discriminating targets of interest (eg mines, disturbed

earth) within the natural scene

• Polarimetry distinguishes man-made objects

• MWIR/LWIR image fusion separates contributions of

temperature and emissivity

• Both techniques detect recently disturbed earth or surface soil

and can locate buried IEDs

• On-going programme of trials at Fort Halstead, Copehill

Down and Porton Down

• Novel radar techniques for the detection of IEDs

30 April 2008 13

Counter-suicide bomber

• Compact mm-wave Imagers for Urban Operations

• Long-term joint project in collaboration with the Home Office

Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB)

• Realisation of a fully integrated 32 x32 element focal plane array

imager operating at 220GHz, capable of crowd screening

• Microwave stand-off body scanner using MIMO techniques

• Array-based technique for concealed weapon detection exploiting

COTS components

• 16x16 element demonstrator operating at 35GHz assembled,

capable of resolving 1cm targets at 7m range

• Image synthesis showing resolution achievable at 10m

220GHz 500GHz

Simulated

passive sub-

THz images

illustrating

improved

resolution at

higher

frequency

Images of gun on optical table (left) and under

thick coat (right)

Our goal - concealed

weapons and IED

detection at range

125 x 125element

array

Waveform

generator

Control unit

and DSPUp to 20m

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500-20

0

20

40

60

80

100PSF for point 2001,2001,10001, at y = 2001, z = 10001

x axis

Amplitude (dB)

3dB cutoff at 2011.8567

3dB to 3dB width = 10.8567mm.

30 April 2008 14

Technology trials

• Series of trials, Porton Down, March 2008

• Demonstrate & evaluate DTC technologies

– Militarily-significant target set

– Some unclassified targets

• Aim to enhance pull-through and provide

military context

• Range of competing technologies, including

reference, bench-mark sensors

• Assessment of target detection algorithms,

data fusion

• Range of targets sets at 1.4km and 4.2km

– IEDs, decoys, targets in the open, behind tree

lines and camouflaged

– Different weather conditions

30 April 2008 15

LWIR Polarimetric Imaging

• Compact lightweight discriminative imaging technique, ready for fielding on land vehicles

• Exploits on-chip diffraction gratings and micro-scanning to allow four registered

polarisation images to be generated for anomaly detection

• Processing tailored for anomalies of interest eg vehicles behind tree lines

Standard TI Image

False Colour

Polarised Image

Automatic Target Detection

Cold vehicle in tree line is not

apparent

Target is polarised

Target detection algorithms automatically drawoperators attention to threat

• Disturbed earth

• Concealed man-made objects in sand and top-soil

• Other polarisation anomalies at road side

IED detection

30 April 2008 16

Imaging through turbulent atmospheres

• Highly relevant to operations in the desert and littoral

environments, enhancing situational awareness, providing

greater scene detail

• When suitably corrected, can read 40mm high characters at

1.4km range

• QinetiQ’s “lucky” imaging approach exploits phase diversity,

enabling real-time image presentation

– Compensation of the degrading effects of atmospheric

turbulence - relies on the probability that very

occasionally the atmosphere ‘behaves’ and a good

“lucky” image is captured

– Benefits of exploiting a phase diversity metric emerge in

fast computational speed and efficiency, insensitivity to

noise, scene content and distortion

Conventional image Processed Lucky Image

Comparison of conventional and processed ‘lucky’ images

recorded at Porton Down over a 4.3km atmospheric path

Resolution of 0.5 x 0.5m scene at 1.4km

30 April 2008 17

Target ID and camouflage discrimination

• Technique developed to improve target

identification and enable camouflage

discrimination

– Suitable for airborne, ground based or

littoral operations

– Multi-spectral/VNIR hyperspectral

systems require real-time atmospheric

correction

• Technique provides suitable imagery

requiring little operator training

• Real-time processing

– Example showing soldiers emerging

from tree-line

30 April 2008 18

Long range target ID using eye-safe active imaging

• Broadband laser developed at St Andrews University to minimise the effects of speckle arising

from atmospheric effects

• The Selex system exploits range-gating to image the region of interest

– Improved stand-off range, higher resolution imagery, more robust to EOCM

– Elimination of speckle improves performance of target trackers or automatic target recognition

algorithms

• Novel optical parametric oscillator shown to be capable of providing desired bandwidth

characteristics, at sufficient output energies

• Selex continues to work with St Andrews to exploit the technology

• Opportunity for exploitation in support of MoD Gen 4 targeting strategyThreat at 1.4km range

30 April 2008 19

UAV Sensor Payloads

• Multifunctional architectures provide opportunity for more capability

on UAV platforms over federated approaches

• Reduced mass and volume to increase endurance

• Greater flexibility to reduce military utility and to enable small UAVs to

operate with militarily useful payloads such as SAR/GMTI

• System concept study considered a tactical UAV (~50kg payload)

and a small UAV (~5kg payload)

• Integrated team of SELEX and Thales domain experts (UAV, CNI,

EW, ESM and Radar), with Dstl support on CONOPS

– Identified three representative operational concepts for deployment

– Identified required RF functions to meet operational concepts (SAR etc)

– Identified candidate ‘generic’ integrated RF architectures

• Each RF function mapped to generic architecture to identify areas of

technical commonality, hence addressing potential of sharing

– For most promising sharing combinations

• Identified military capability provided and key technology capability

gaps & risks in acquiring this technology, with research topics

necessary to achieve desired system level technology

demonstrators in 5-7 years

• Strong input to SIMCLAIRS (UK/FR/SW EDA programme)

• Analysis shows significant benefit in

module count

• Federated approach - 136 modules

• Multifunctional approach - 35 modules

• Impact on NRE costs

30 April 2008 20

Exemplar Projects

Defence Technology Centres: Industry and the Science Baseworking in partnership with UK MoD to develop innovative

Defence Technologywww.emrsdtc.com

30 April 2008 21

Chip-scale fast scanning mirrors

• Exploitation of laser systems on UAVs requires compact beam steering

devices

– Active imaging systems etc

• Unique 2-axis MEMS based technology developed to meet challenging goals

– Major step forward for use in compact scanners where weight and power

consumption are critical eg small UAVs

– Exploits COTS foundry processes

– High precision mirrors with low loss dielectric coatings

– Performance levels achieved through detailed studies of stress to understand role of

substrate and interfacial films

• Demonstrated handling 4W CW laser power at 1550nm

• Very low scan power requirement (<1mW) compared with conventional

devices (50W)

• Capable of addressing 50˚ x 30˚ field of view

1st tilting mode:

11.0 kHz FEA

10.2 kHz expt

2nd tilting mode:

42.9 kHz FEA

41.7 kHz expt

30 April 2008 22

Affordable high performance IR cameras

• Infra-red camera systems underpin a wide range of key

military capabilities including high resolution surveillance,

target detection, identification and aim point selection, and

day/night war fighting

• Performance levels of IR cameras set by design and

processing of detector arrays

• EMRS DTC activity has provided the way forward for the

manufacture of smaller arrays, requiring less cooling, hence

reducing power requirements

• Research project achieved 320 x 256 element arrays with 16

micron pixels in using a combination of dry etching and a final

wet etch to remove surface damage.

• NETD levels <15mK for all elements of array

• Technology exploited by SELEX in the Albion programme to

realise the 640 x 512 pixel Hawk detector

SEM image of mesas on a 16!m pitch

30 April 2008 23

Ultra-wide band RF antennas

• Enabler for light-weight multi-functional RF systems• 4:1 bandwidth antenna will support a wide range of RF

system functions

• Radar• SAR/GMTI/Fire control/Surveillance

• Frequency diversity allows

• Adaptation to processing/ integration

• Environmental frequency optimisation

• Electronic warfare• Radar and Comms ESM/ECM

• Engineered frequency coverage

• Communications

• Wideband directional data/radar data link (CDL)

• Reversionary command & control datalinks

• SATCOM

• Navigation• Transponders

• What is the widest bandwidth that can be achieved

in an antenna array?

– What range of angles can be addressed?

– To what degree can polarisation diversity be addressed

to enable discrimination of targets?

The very wide bandwidth response of Selex’s array is directly

related to the extent to which power is coupled betweenindividual elements

This highly coupled array can be used to propagate EM fields

over a very wide bandwidth and thus transmit/receivewaveforms into/from free space over a very wide range of

frequencies and angles

Cross-dipole array from BAE Systems

1

1

Stripline Zo

30 April 2008 24

Real SAR data

Original uninterrupted

image

Interrupted image

Unusable

Restored interrupted image

Operationally usable, now

with 20% time free for other

tasking

Interrupted synthetic aperture radar

• Several EMRS DTC programmes are aimed at directly improving the military capabilities

of the UK’s fighter aircraft fleet

• SAR-based targeting from tactical aircraft (Typhoon, Tornado)

– DTC programme on “Interrupted SAR” (TW Research) has demonstrated how platforms can

carry out high-resolution SAR imaging interleaved with other tasks (such as air-to-air

surveillance for self-protection). Ready for exploitation - now

30 April 2008 25

FIAC detection in the littoral environment

• Small, fast vessels are difficult to detect by radar amongst

sea-clutter, especially in shallow water near the coast

– CONOPS required for radar systems requires them to be used

in littoral environments

• DTC project at TW Research has developed a physics-

based sea clutter model

• Simulates clutter expected in scenarios defined by detailed

coastal geography and weather

• Includes modelling of wave refraction and wave breaking

criterion applicable to directional spectra in shallow water

• Exploits techniques developed for the entertainment

industry to produce realistic computer graphic simulations of

the sea surface, which are also soundly based on the

underlying physics

• Elements of work have already been adopted to support the

MoD FASGW programme

Tessendorf transform for superimposition

of waves of different power spectra

Detection performance display

Open ocean, linear addition of sinusoids,

random in amplitude and phase

Shallow water - superimposition of

directional ‘choppy’ waves

30 April 2008 26

Target location under tree canopy

• eOsphere, DLR Germany, Edinburgh University

• Ref DTS Section B table 3

• Tomographic analysis of L-band data sets measured

in flight trials in Germany has clearly shown the

position and location of vehicles hidden under foliage

• Target set included military vehicles, containers and

corner cubes for calibration

• Novel algorithms and data processing techniques

used to extract images and tomographic sections

• Related project at Edinburgh University has made

good progress with simulation of foliage penetration

• Model corresponds with observed experimental effects

in low density foliage conditions

SAR image of part of trials site - dotted line locates

approximate section used to produce tomographic image

30 April 2008 27

Easily Deployable Micro-Radar Network

FSR Network concept and applications

• Novel forward scattering micro-radar unmanned sensor

network for:

• Detection of targets moving behind hills and personnel

inside buildings

• Penetration through walls, 2m total wall thickness

• Targets detected through steel-reinforced floors

• Automatic target detection and classification in ground

operations (enemy vehicle movements)

• Situational awareness, reconnaissance in remote

areas, perimeter protection of logistic routes,

operational support

• Ability to resolve vehicles (tanks etc), and personnel on

foot moving in convoys

• Compact, cost-effective and disposable sensors

• Deployable from UAVs or ground vehicles

• Global data transfer via satellite messaging or regional

via terrestrial channels

• Day/night, all-weather operation

• Penetration through dense foliage and smoke

screening

• Long detection range (300m for personnel on foot)Radar display

Human targets

detectionMultiple targets resolution

Vehicle detection and automatic

classification

Through-wall

vision

Radar

sensor

Sensors can be

dropped from a

UAV

Satellite link

Control centre

30 April 2008 28

High power, high frequency electronic devices

• Future generations of electronic power devices, crucial for evolving

radar and EW systems are likely to be based on wide band-gap

materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and diamond (DTS paras

B2.50, 2.51, 2.52)

– Existing microwave technology (TWT vacuum-tubes) large, heavy, costly

– Conventional semiconductors unable to meet high power/frequency

requirement. GaN device operation demonstrated at 600˚C

• Exploitation addressed by aligning research to an existing foundry

– Critical for fast pull-through

– Silicon substrates present a key bridge

– Programme addresses key technical challenges

• Major breakthrough achieved at Element Six in providing stable GHz

performance from a diamond MESFET structure

• New UK-based microwave company Diamond Microwave Devices

Ltd (DMD) established to develop and market diamond-based,

microwave products such as MESFETs

• Will exploit in military (radar, electronic warfare, missile and UAV

seekers) and commercial applications (mainly wireless infrastructure

and satellite communications)

Conventional

GaAs 20W10GHz module.

GaN based

module about 4

times smaller

Pt-gate onGaN written

by e-beam

30 April 2008 29

Temporal resolution enhancement

• Camera systems are degraded by movement (eg jitter), sensor noise,

atmospheric turbulence etc

• Technique developed to achieve super-resolution in video imagery,

exploiting these effects

• Applicable to any camera system through software upgrade

• Applied to IRST data taken within the DEC AWE AIMMS programme

• Potential exploitation through L3 Wescam turrets

• ASRAAM seeker data has also been analysed using dataset

collected at 2006 Farnborough International

• Provides 50% range improvement depending on target signal

30 April 2008 30

Tracking moving ground targets with low-cost sensors

• Surveillance of urban theatre

• Simultaneous multiple target tracking

• Visual detection of moving targets from a moving

platform (eg UAV or helicopter)

• Applicable to any camera system

• Compensates for platform motion whilst tracking targets

• Opportunity for exploitation via L3 Wescam and Police

• Integration of moving target imdicator data into biggerpicture using image mosaicing techniques

• Provides global map alignment with

superimposed movers encompassing multiple

fields of view

• Visual detection of moving targets over extended areas and times for the

analysis of patterns of behaviour

30 April 2008 31

Day/night vision for ground based

autonomous vehicles