Hydra, currently being funded under
AST's internal research and development (IRAD) program, is
an adaptive beamforming and direction finding (DF) system
with small size, weight, and power (SWAP), primarily intended
for use in airborne environments. Hydra's low SWAP makes
it ideal for SIGINT applications such as small manned and
unmanned airborne vehicles. Hydra can also be used in ground-based
applications, wherever a multi-element beamformed solution
is required. Hydra utilizes a flexible software-defined radio
architecture capable of hosting a variety of signal-specific
applications. The prototype Hydra system consists of eight
channels, provides frequency coverage from 20-3000 MHz with
25 MHz IF bandwidth, and is packaged in a half-rack ATR-style
chassis weighing 30 lbs and consuming 180 watts. |
