BAE Systems has been awarded an $11 million contract by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop Full-Spectrum Staring Receiver (FSSR) technology, the company announced on 29 February.
The next-generation electronic warfare (EW) technology will be designed to detect, locate, and identify sources of radio frequency signals, enabling threat warning, emitter tracking, battlespace situational awareness and countermeasure cueing.
The goal of the FSSR is to give US Navy ships constant awareness of threat emitters over a very broad span of the electromagnetic spectrum. The system is being developed as part the ONR’s EW Discovery and Invention Program, which seeks to develop and demonstrate a broad range of next-generation EW systems that exploit, deceive, or deny enemy use of the electromagnetic spectrum while ensuring its unfettered use by friendly forces.
Steve Hedges, principal investigator, FSSR, BAE Systems, said: ‘The programme integrates a complementary array of innovative technologies into a comprehensive capability that addresses a critical need for full spectrum awareness, ensuring the navy's ships and aircraft are best prepared for future missions.
‘By subjecting the receiver to realistic, complex electromagnetic environments, we can demonstrate how these discrete innovations combine to enable an effective EW system capability.’
BAE Systems’ FSSR team includes the Naval Research Laboratory, HRL Laboratories, Purdue University, Montana State University, University of Colorado Boulder, and S2 Corporation.
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