Aerospace Sensors

Mission — Electronic Warfare Technology source

This project develops and assesses affordable, reliable, all weather radio frequency countermeasure concepts for aerospace applications covering the range of radio frequency sensors including communications, navigation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and radar, both active and passive, across the air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. It develops and evaluates technology for electronic warfare, integrated radar and electronic warfare systems, and electro-optical/infrared seeker defeat. This project develops the radio frequency warning and countermeasure technology for advanced electronic warfare and information operations applications. The project also explores technologies to maintain a military advantage in positioning, navigation and timing integrity, accuracy, and resiliency as well as on aircraft mission assurance - the protection of airborne platforms, manned and unmanned, in contested environments. The ultimate goal of the project is to ensure unrestricted access to the airspace and the electromagnetic spectrum in contested and congested environments.

Mission — RF Sensors and Countermeasures Tech source

This project develops and assesses affordable, reliable all weather radio frequency sensing and countermeasure concepts for aerospace applications covering the range of radio frequency sensors including communications, navigation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and radar, both active and passive, across multiple domains. This project also develops and evaluates technology for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors, fire control radars, electromagnetic warfare, integrated radar and electromagnetic warfare systems, and offensive information operations systems. It emphasizes the detection and tracking of surface and airborne targets with radio frequency signatures that are difficult to detect due to reduced radar cross sections, concealment and camouflage measures, severe clutter, or heavy jamming. Techniques exploited include the use of multiple radio frequency phenomenologies, multi-dimensional adaptive processing, advanced waveforms and knowledge-aided processing techniques. It also develops advanced electro-optical aerospace sensor technologies for a variety of offensive and defensive applications. The sensor technologies under development cover the ultraviolet through the infrared portion of the spectrum. Technical efforts include improvements in system integration, digital processing, analysis tools, and sensor architectures. One of the project's goals is to improve electro-optical and related technologies for the detection, tracking, and identification of noncooperative and difficult targets, such as those obscured by camouflage or operating at significant range. This project also develops the passive and active sensors and algorithms needed to enable precision targeting in challenging operating environments as well as advanced electro-optical threat warning and countermeasures technologies. The project also explores technologies to maintain a military advantage in positioning, navigation and timing integrity, accuracy, and resiliency. This project also develops concepts to counter threats to our aerospace systems. It develops and evaluates technology for electromagnetic warfare, integrated radar and electromagnetic warfare systems, and electro-optical/infrared seeker defeat.

Mission — Sensor Fusion Technology source

This project develops foundational and applied technologies required for closed-loop autonomous sensing employing multiple information domains, diverse sensor phenomena, and multiple platform types to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, target recognition, situational awareness and battlespace visualization, fire control, and battle damage assessment capabilities against a wide variety of air and ground based targets engaged in multitudes of behaviors in a broad range of operational environments. This project conducts exploratory and applied investigations to determine technology feasibility and estimate operational capability constraints associated with missions in future contested and highly contested operating environments, using cooperative and non-cooperative sensing sources. This project develops techniques to automate multi-sensor exploitation and information processing which leverage data fusion, adaptive signal processing, sensor and platform orchestration, and by leveraging artificial intelligence / machine learning research communities. This project develops concepts and algorithms for efficient processing at the edge, parallel processing, distributed processing, and high-performance computing in sensor data processing and synthetic data generation.

Mission — Cyber Technology source

This project focuses on technologies for enabling agile and resilient Air Force mission systems. This project improves our understanding of cyber vulnerabilities of mission systems by investigating the fundamental nature of those vulnerabilities including: how they come about, how they can be discovered, how they can be quantified and categorized, how they can be exploited, and how they can be removed or mitigated to secure the system. This project develops adaptable and resilient hardware/software for real-time avionics cyber-attack pattern recognition and develops a protection system with the capability for autonomous learning, adaptation, and self-protection. This project investigates open architecture concepts and technologies to deliver capability flexibility to Department of the Air Force mission systems. These technologies are matured via integrated capability demonstrations.

Mission — EO Sensors & Countermeasures Tech source

This project develops advanced electro-optical aerospace sensor technologies for a variety of offensive and defensive applications. The sensor technologies under development cover the ultraviolet through the infrared portion of the spectrum. Technical efforts include improvements in system integration, digital processing, analysis tools, and sensor architectures. One of the project's goals is to improve electro-optical and related technologies for the detection, tracking, and identification of non-cooperative and difficult targets, such as those obscured by camouflage or operating at significant range. This project also develops the passive and active sensors and algorithms needed to enable precision targeting in challenging operating environments as well as advanced electro-optical threat warning and countermeasures technologies. These technologies are critical to future aerospace surveillance and targeting.

Mission — Electronic Component Technology source

This project focuses on electronics and optoelectronics technologies that generate, control, receive, and process electromagnetic spectrum for aerospace sensor and electronic warfare applications. The enabling technologies developed under this project will be used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, electromagnetic warfare, battlespace access, and precision engagement capabilities. The technologies developed include exploratory electronic and optoelectronic devices, components, microsystems, and subsystems. This project also assesses designs, develops, fabricates, and demonstrates the associated technologies for integrating combinations of these component technologies. The project develops and demonstrates significantly smaller size, lower weight, lower cost, lower power dissipation, higher reliability, trustworthiness, and improved performance components. The device and subsystem technology developments under this project are military unique; they are based on Department of the Air Force and other Department of Defense weapon systems requirements in the areas of radar, communications, electromagnetic warfare, positioning, navigation, timing, and smart weapons.

Mission — Aerospace Sensors source

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is focused on high-impact, multi-domain science & technology (S&T) solutions that drive innovation now while laying the groundwork for the Air and Space Force to win the future fight. AFRL effectively synchronizes the Department of the Air Force (DAF) S&T enterprise and workforce to align towards the most consequential DAF priorities and accelerate the delivery of game-changing S&T. This program develops the technology base for Air Force aerospace sensors and electromagnetic combat. Advances in aerospace sensors are required to increase combat effectiveness by providing anytime, anywhere surveillance, reconnaissance, precision targeting, and electromagnetic warfare capabilities. To achieve this progress, this program pursues simultaneous advances in: 1) generating, controlling, receiving, and processing electronic and photonic signals for radio frequency sensor aerospace applications; 2) affordable, reliable, all weather radio frequency and electro-optical/infrared countermeasure concepts; 3) positioning, navigation and timing integrity, accuracy, and resiliency; 4)electro-optical and infrared aerospace sensor technologies for a variety of offensive and defensive uses; 5) radio frequency antennas and associated electronics for airborne and space surveillance, together with active and passive electro-optical/infrared sensors; 6) technologies to manage and fuse on-board sensor information for timely, comprehensive situational awareness; 7) technology for affordable, trusted, resilient, and reliable, all-weather surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike radio frequency sensors and electronic combat systems; and 8) technologies that aid in the development of agile and resilient mission systems. This program has been coordinated through the Department of Defense Science and Technology Executive Committee process to harmonize efforts and eliminate duplication. Funds in this program element may be used to investigate specified technology advancements in multiple domains. This program element may include necessary expenses to support the operation and maintenance of facilities to manage, execute, and deliver science and technology capabilities. This program includes funding for the requisite DAF Science & Engineering and mission enabling civilian workforce with the necessary technical competencies to develop, manage, and deliver science & technology capabilities. The use of program funds in this program element is in conjunction with the civilian pay expenses budgeted in the following program elements: 1206601SF, 0601102F, 0602020F, 0602102F, 0602202F, 0602203F, 0602298F, 0602336F, 0602602F, 0602605F, 0602788F, and 0603680F. In FY 2026, $106.756 million is budgeted in this program for 535 direct Full-Time Equivalent civilians. The Air Force Research Laboratory utilizes 10 USC 4091, "Authorities for certain positions at science and technology reinvention laboratories” to manage the workforce strength, structure, positions, and compensation. This program is in Budget Activity 2, Applied Research because this budget activity includes studies, investigations, and non-system specific technology efforts directed toward general military needs with a view toward developing and evaluating the feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions and determining their parameters.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (21)