Distributed Aperture Resilient Terminal System (DARTS)

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Request For Information (RFI) – Distributed Aperture Resilient Terminal System (DARTS) 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 ORGANIZATION This Request for Information (RFI) is sponsored by Project Manager Integrated Enterprise Network (PM IEN) Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS) with support from the DEVCOM Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center. PdM WESS is a U.S. Army office that acquires, fields, and modernizes strategic satellite communications (SATCOM) for the Department of War (DoW). Located at Fort Belvoir, VA, it provides secure, high-speed global connectivity for the military. 1.2 BACKGROUND & SCOPE Current enterprise satellite communication (SATCOM) terminals rely on large, single-aperture antennas. These large antennas require significant infrastructure, have long timelines for installation, are easily targeted, and often present a single point of failure for the Army SATCOM network. The Army is researching a Distributed Aperture Resilient Terminal System (DARTS) to provide a resilient means to augment enterprise communications with a quickly deployable array of multiple smaller SATCOM antennas. Advances in digital signal processing technology and digital radio frequency (RF) transport have created an emerging commercial market of components with the ability to efficiently divide, combine and transport RF signals to and from multiple antennas. On receive, signal processing technology can enable the coherent combination of signals from multiple distant antennas to form an antenna array that replicates a large antenna’s performance. On transmit, where regulatory challenges don’t make coherent combining practical, commercial components that divide and route RF signals in the digital domain present the opportunity to dynamically assign transmit carriers to constituent apertures and replicate the carrier Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of a large antenna. While the DARTS capability to augment enterprise antenna performance are key metrics of the system, modern warfare has taught us that system resiliency, redundancy and cost asymmetry will also be distinguishing characteristics of a successful system. Key system metrics in these categories will include: The ability to quickly deploy and easily install at a low replacement cost (i.e. system cost, installation cost, and maintenance cost). Key performance metrics include equivalent RF performance, along with redundancy and graceful degradation resulting from kinetic and electronic attacks. It is encouraged that these architectural trade-offs are explored as part of the white paper response to justify the chosen architecture and systems components within this context. 1.3 OBJECTIVE The Government is seeking information from industry providers capable of developing a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 prototype DARTS using existing commercially available components, technologies, and mature solutions. It is requested that this information includes discussion on the chosen system architecture, components, capabilities and system cost. An overall rough order of magnitude (ROM) of the costs to build and demonstrate a TRL 7 prototype system is also requested. 2.0 REQUIREMENTS 2.1 System Architecture and Key Components Describe your proposed solution and key components including function, capabilities, metrics and, if applicable, limitations. Provide/Describe the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of system and key components. Describe the trades that led proposed solution, including the reasoning and assumptions of these trades. 2.1.1 Terminals and Antennas Operational RF frequencies of X-band and Military Ka-band are required. WGS certified terminals are a recommended component of the system. Discuss the terminals and antennas selected for the proposed solution. 2.1.2 Digital Conversion, Signal Processing and IF Connectivity DARTS will be installed at various enterprise sites, the…

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