Presented to: MPAR Working Group By: William Benner, Weather Processors Team Manager (AJP-1820), FAA Technical Center Date: 20 March 2007 Federal Aviation Administration Multi-function Phased Array Radar (MPAR) System Cost Evaluation and Cost Risk Reduction

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 2 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 MPAR Cost Evolution Concept of Operations (CONOPS) Operational Requirements (User Needs) Performance Requirements (Characteristics) Drives Radar System Architecture & Design Drives MPAR Cost Drives Scale

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 3 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 MPAR Requirements Assertions –MPAR Operational Requirements can not be fully developed without a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for Radar –Mission Gaps can not be sufficiently identified without operational requirements –Operational Requirements will drive Architecture/Design which will drive Cost –The MPAR-WG must avoid the pitfall of a bottom-up approach Starting with technical requirements for existing radar will lead to ill-formed requirements for MPAR Require a fundamental change in requirements thinking –e.g., 4.8 sec track update –What does the user need? What’s capable?

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 4 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 Example Fundamental change in the way radar will scan objects –No longer dependant on rotation rate of radar but rather on the update rate required to detect/track objects by the operational user Will determine radar resource requirement Will drive architecture cost

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 5 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 Numbers Of Array Faces Transmitting Simultaneously Numbers of Simultaneous Radar Beams per Array Face Number Of Radar Signal Processors Horizon Search Scan Time2 sec sec.1 sec. Volume Search Scan Time25 sec sec. Air Track rate Air Track rate Clutter tracks100 Total % Time for search and track99%50%25% 45%30% Weather Scan Standard Update Rate-180 sec.120 sec.6060 sec. Weather Scan Fast Update Rate--20 sec.2020 sec. Weather Scan Fast Update Search Sector Size - -90° Azimuth 18° Elevation 90° Azimuth 18° Elevation 90° Azimuth 18° Elevation 180° Azimuth 18° Elevation Total % Time for Wx Scan0%50%75%53% 34 % Total Radar Time %99%100% 78%98%64% Radar Utilization v. Architecture Study (Worst Case example)

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 6 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 MPAR Cost Influences Antenna Signal Processor Receiver/Exciter 79% 12% 8% Technology –Maturity –Economy of Scale –Packaging (commercial vs. military) User Needs (Operational Requirements) Antenna Characteristics (beamwidth, power, size) Scan Strategies Desired Performance

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 7 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 MPAR Cost Influences What can we do to affect cost? –Scan Strategy Study What are the resource needed to accomplish what must be scanned? How often does it need to be scanned? Can we do it cheaper (simplified beamforming network)? –Beamwidth Study Increasing beamwidth decreases the number of T/R Modules decreasing cost What is acceptable to the weather community? –Technology Investigation Semi-conductor materials Commercial Parts

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 8 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 T/R Module Cost Study

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 9 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 T/R Module Cost Study Focused on: –Transmit/Receive module and its components Performance/cost –Emphasis on High Power Amplifier (HPA) and Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) for T/R Module –T/R Module design for active arrays –Major providers Cree, TRIQUINT, MA-COM Other companies are entering the market (e.g., Nitronix)

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 10 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 T/R Module Model Example CLC Tx/Rx CHANNEL COMBINER HPA LNA DIVIDER LIMITERS CIRCULATOR TX OUT / RX IN to RADIATING ELEMENT PRE- DRIVER DRIVER DIVIDER COMBINE R TX IN / RX OUT BEAMFORMER Typical T/R Module Block Diagram Example of T/R Module

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 11 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 T/R Module Cost Considerations Past paradigms are being changed –Infusion of COTs –Move toward digital designs Original objective to estimate cost of T/R module –What is a T/R module ? –How many functions are included in its design? – End objective: Calculate total system cost? Trends and tradeoffs can be identified at this point Commercial vs. Militarized

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 12 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 High Power RF Amplifier Technologies Investigated Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT) - (Si) Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MESFETs) - GaAs Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (PHEMT)--- GaAs Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT)--- GaAs MESFET PHEMT– HV GaAs Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MESFET) ---SiC High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT)--- GaN

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 13 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 Major Attributes Being Investigated Power Density (w/mm 2 ) Efficiency (%) Yield (current) Wafer size (diameter, mm) Reliability (H,M,L) Thermal Conductivity (w/ 0 C) Maturity (years)

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 14 Federal Aviation Administration March GaN HEMT SiC SIT SiC MESFET SiC HBT 2005 HV GaAs GaAs HEMT Si BJT A 58% 60% 45%50% 43% 45% 41% 40% 45%40% 37% Radar Thrust – Increased Power Increasing Output Power (watts) UHF LSCX Frequency Band SiC Si GaN SiC Si BJT SiC Si BJT GaAs GaN GaAs GaN GaAs SiC GaN Technologies And Frequency Band Support

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 15 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 High Power RF Amplifier Technologies S-Band Normalized Power Density (w/mm^2) Efficiency (%) YieldHHM-HLMLL Wafer Size Diameter(mm) ReliabilityHHM-HL-MMTBD Thermal Conductivity 0.2 Poor 0.33 Fair Good 1.33 Best Maturity (years) > 30>20<

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 16 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 Promising Wideband Gap Technologies GaN Status (S-Band and above) –May be technology of choice for high frequency high power –Higher gain and efficiency –Emerging technology which is 2-4 years away Significant DoD funding (DARPA, ONR, AFRL, ARL) allows development Reliability, thermal management need assessment SiC Status (S-Band and below) –High-Power performance demonstrated for small quantities –Manufacturability/Reliability needs to be verified –High-Power microwave component maturity 1-3 Years away –Thermal management needs to be assessed Other Technologies to Monitor –Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and its derivatives –Emerging Technologies as they appear (e.g., SiC SIT)

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 17 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 System Cost Initiatives Detailed radar cost model –Based on Lincoln Laboratory strawman architecture Pre-Prototype Prototype Projected radar cost model –Production for 300 systems Scan Strategy Analysis Conventional radar O&M cost investigation

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 18 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 Recommendations Develop high priority products (e.g., CONOPS) –Employ system engineering process –Form working groups Continue to explore T/R Module technologies

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 19 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 BACK-UP SLIDES

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 20 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 Radar System Diagram Phased Array Radar System Four Face Phased Array Antenna RF Receiver, Analog and Digital Signal Processor Radar Displays Radar Control Computer Radar Facility Structure

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 21 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 Active and Passive Antennas Cost models not equivalent

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 22 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 MMIC Cost Drivers (e.g., HPA, LNA) Starting Material costs Demand Preparation of material costs Effective use of wafer “real estate” Processing yield Testing Visual inspection Packaging  Design tools & tool integration  Models  Databases  Materials  Style, e.g., Brick(2D), Tile(3D)  Device Placement Final test & QA  Die attach approach  Feed throughs  Wafer/device coatings  Assembly  Test

Multi Function Phased Array Radar 23 Federal Aviation Administration March 2007 MPAR Prototype System Cost ITEM COST T/R Module (using RFIC Technology)$ Overlapped Sub-Array Beamformer$ Digital Beamformer (ASIC)$ AC/DC Converters$ Radiating Aperture$ Structure$ Coldplates$ RF Combiners$ Power/Logic Distribution$ Cables$ Assembly and Test$ Miscellaneous$ Total Cost$