Jane Edwards
The U.S. Air Force has asked industry to submit white papers for a potential four-year, $24.8 million program that seeks to develop airborne-based, software-defined radio frequency platforms designed to support the service branch’s radio communications missions.
The service branch said in a broad agency announcement posted May 19 the SDRF++ platforms that will result from the program will also be used to support detection of electromagnetic signals as well as help protect systems from EM, radar and cyber threats.
Work under the Advanced Waveform Development Environment Ecosystem phase will run between fiscal year 2016 and FY 2017 and covers the development of waveforms, software, reference designs and modular components to facilitate design flow and waveform visualization.
The Multi-mission Agile RF Capability phase will be carried out from FY 2017 through FY 2019 and calls for the creation of open, cyber-secure SDRF hardware systems that will work to support commercial off-the-shelf universal software radio peripherals and other hardware equipment.
The military branch will implement Better Buying Power guidelines for the Next Generation Software Defined Radio Frequency (SDRF++) Capability program, according to the notice.
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s information directorate will accept white papers for the program until Jan. 19, 2019.
The BAA will run through Aug. 15, 2019, the notice said.
