Raytheon to design comm-jamming technology for DARPA

Raytheon Co. has won a $3.8 million contract to design a program for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that will allow military forces to conduct jamming operations against enemy forces but with little interference to friendly forces.

Under the two-year DARPA contract, Raytheon aims to produce a technology demonstration showcasing the ability to efficiently generate high-power, rapidly tunable, linear microwave signals across a broad range of frequencies, according to Raytheon’s March 1 news release.

The High-Power Efficient Rf Digital-to-Analog Converter program, or HiPERDAC, would enable maritime craft, ground vehicles, tactical aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles as well as individual soldiers to conduct battlefield-jamming operations while minimizing frequency interference with friendly forces.

HiPERDAC allows jamming across the frequency spectrum while providing precise gaps for communication frequencies used by friendly forces, the announcement explained.

“Being able to maintain combat effectiveness while simultaneously disrupting enemy sensors and communication systems represents one of the greatest challenges in asymmetric warfare,” said Joe Biondi, vice president of Advanced Technology for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business, in the statement.

Raytheon Co., of Waltham, Mass., ranks No. 4 on Washington Technology’s 2011 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.