Topside Signatures Program

What Is It?

The Topside Signatures Program develops low observables (LO) technologies for the surface fleet including small combatant craft that enable affordable stealth solutions for future naval platforms that are required to operate in increasingly hostile littoral environments. Examples include advanced computational ship design tools, signature prediction and detection models, advanced multi-spectral /multi-function LO materials, LO antennas and integration schemes (Aperstructures), as well as advanced measurement systems.

How Does It Work?

The Topside Signatures program consists of four primary thrust areas with their respective goals: develop efficient, high fidelity computational signature prediction tools; develop affordable stealth technologies; develop improved antenna, EM and structural/materials technologies; and develop advanced scientific instrumentation and signature measurement systems.

What Will It Accomplish?

  • With these new products, small boat and ship designers and developers will be able to produce intelligent designs that use an optimized combination of shaping, materials, and structural integration schemes to achieve the maximum stealth possible with minimal impact on acquisition cost.

The Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Topside Signatures Program consists of four primary thrust areas with their respective goals:

  • Ship Signature Modeling: Develop efficient, high fidelity computational signature prediction tools precise enough to meet increasingly  stringent platform signature requirements.
  • Advanced Materials and Mitigation: Develop affordable stealth technologies appropriate to small and large naval combatants, including electromagnetic (EM) solvers efficient enough to enable novel material designs
  • Aperstructures: Develop antenna, EM and structural/materials technologies that enable smarter integration, lower cost, and improved operational performance of topside electromagnetic systems.
  • Advanced Instrumentation: Develop advanced scientific instrumentation and signature measurement systems with the fidelity to verify the performance of advanced LO technologies.

Topside stealth is a vital component of “dominating the EM spectrum” by allowing operators to control not just their emissions, but their susceptibility to threat sensors by breaking the detect-to-engage sequence at every link in the kill chain.

Research Opportunities:

Scattering from rough ocean surfaces

  • Infrared marine background and sky modeling
  • Detection of LO vehicles
  • Unsteady ship motion effects

Advanced Materials & Mitigation

  • Multispectral / multifunction materials
  • Material design computational tools
  • Cost reduction (production, integration, and maintenance) of LO

Aperstructures

  • Antenna miniaturization / optimization / integration
  • In-situ / dynamic calibration
  • RF performance modeling
  • Structural – RF optimization tools
  • Sensor /processor integration

Steven Russell
(703) 696-4714
steven.j.russell@navy.mil

* Some pages on this website provide links which require Adobe Reader to view.