Barone Consulting’s, RF communications systems expertise called on by DARPA I2O to provide systems engineering support and technical assistance to the BLADE cognitive electronics warfare program.
Washington, DC (September 26, 2012) – The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through the Information Innovation Office (I2O), has awarded Barone Consulting, a $635K task order for the Behavioral Learning for Adaptive Electronic Warfare (BLADE) Phase 2 Program, systems engineering, and technical assistance (SETA) support effort.
“Barone Consulting is proud to continue its longstanding support of truly innovative research and development efforts on behalf of DARPA and their DoD clients,” said Kevin Barone, President and CEO of Barone Consulting. “With the DARPA BLADE program, our expertise in RF communications systems and military electronics warfare made us the right choice to advance BLADE from a Phase 1 proof-of-concept to a Phase 2 hardware-in-the-loop simulation.”
The BLADE Program is developing the capability to counter new and dynamic wireless communication threats in tactical environments; enabling a shift from today’s manual-intensive lab-based countermeasure approach to an adaptive, in-the-field systems approach. The program is achieving this by developing novel machine learning algorithms and techniques that can rapidly detect and characterize new radio threats, dynamically synthesize new countermeasures, and provide accurate battle damage assessment based on over-the-air observable changes in the threat.Under this task order Barone Consulting will provide subject matter experts responsible for overseeing the technical development of machine learning algorithms, development of supporting hardware testbeds, and execution of the Phase 2 final testing and evaluation activity. Lockheed Martin Advanced Technologies Laboratories in Cherry Hill, NJ, and BAE Systems in Nashua, NH, have been selected as the BLADE Phase 2 performers.
Additionally, Barone Consulting will play a key role in developing the performance metrics used by DARPA to assess the successful completion of Phase 2 objectives and guide the selection of a Phase 3 performer in early 2014.
The work for the BLADE Program was awarded under a task order to Shafer Corporation’s DARPA/I2O contract vehicle. All work will be completed onsite at DARPA’s new headquarters in Arlington, VA, over the next 18-24 months.
Founded in 2009, Barone Consulting provides system engineering and technical assistance services to the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. They provide a cadre of elite subject matter experts to the government in support of game-changing, cutting edge technologies that help performers bridge the “valley of death” between R&D and fielded tactically relevant products. To find out more, please visit www.baronedc.com.