All Terrain Combat Identification

Spectra Research and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are proposing to develop, demonstrate, and deliver compact ultra-broadband omni-directional non-transponder RF Tags employing both current (Spectra Research) design topologies (with separate dielectric antennas for each radar interrogation band) and the latest designs employing an innovative fragmented aperture antenna to cover all bands (Ka-, X-, Ku-) from 9-36 GHz. The proposed work will leverage GTRI's research in the areas of fragmented aperture antennas and frequency selective backplanes to achieve broad bandwidth high gain antennas in minimum volumetric space. Combining these technologies, the program objective will be to design an RF Tag with an optimal volume meeting pre-specified Tag cross-section, data exfiltration rates, and power efficiency requirements. Many fielded RF sensors are operational in the X-, Ku-, and Ka-band frequency ranges. An RFCID tag compatible with all three of these commonly used military bands offers tremendous flexibility in maintaining the battlefield awareness of troop and resource location. Consolidating a tri-band tag into a single package conserves size, weight, and power consumption. Additionally, this results in a reduction of cost when compared to manufacturing three individual systems for the three bands.