This is a program description for the Integrated Sensor is Structure (ISIS), a airship carrying massive sensors for the US military. DARPA, which is sponsoring the project, provided this overview briefing on ISIS to contractors, with it updated for the last time on 5 March 2009.

1. Integrated Sensor Is the Structure
(ISIS)
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2. Integrated Sensor Is the Structure (ISIS)
Simultaneous AMTI/GMTI Operation via Dual Band (UHF/X-Band) Aperture
Cruise Missile Defense
Long-range AMTI/GMTI/COMM
Detect/Track Dismounts
FOPEN GMTI
To Scale
1.0 Relative Search Capability (PA)
Global Hawk 1.0 Relative Track Capability (PA2/λ2)
140
X
Platform carries
X 1,800
Joint STARS the antenna
S 1,500
S 3,000
AWACS
Platform is
Extremely High Capacity Comms the antenna
UHF 160,000
VHF
X 330,000,000
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100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109
Release, Distribution Unlimited) ISIS
Global Relocation <10 days – 600km Sensor Radius – No In-Theater Ground Support
10+ year Operational Lifetime – 99% Availability for 1 year 2

3. Integrated Airship-Radar
Conventional ISIS New Paradigm
Payload: >30% of system mass
Payload: 2-3% of system mass
MDA Airship
89,000kg
Integrated
Payload bay
Payload
Enabling Technologies DARPA ISIS Accomplishments
Hull Material • Improved lifetime by 10x while reducing fabric mass 4x over state-of-the-art
Active-Array Antenna • Performance from size, not power
• Removed heavy high power electronics, cooling
• Removed structure: Flexible panels bonded onto pressure vessel
• Low-power Transmit/Receive modules based on low-cost “cell phone” technology
Power System • Solar-regenerative power with fuel cells instead of batteries
• Airspeed: 60 knot sustained, 100 knot sprint
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13
FY08 FY09
FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07
System Study Scaled Prototype System Demonstration SDD…
Technology Development
TRL 5 TRL 7
MRL 2 MRL 6
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4. ISIS Critical Technologies
Addressing critical hardware technology needs Achieved
• Low areal-density advanced hull material
– Areal density ≤100 g/m2 90.6 g/m2
– Matrix glass transition temperature (TG) ≤ -90°C -101°C
– Fiber strength-to-weight ≥ 1000 kN·m/kg 1274 kN-m/kg
– Fiber retains >85% strength at 5 years >85% at 22 years
Mass
• Lightweight, low-power density AESA
– Areal density ≤ 2 kg/m2 1.8 kg/m2
– Power consumption ≤ 5.0 W/m2 on receive 4.7 W/m2
– Bonded to hull material Passed
• Extremely low-power Transmit-Receive modules
– FOM ≥1x104 W-2 1.1 x 104 W-2
Power
– Demonstrated TRL5 (MTTF >106 Hours) MTTF >1.98x106 Hours
• Novel power systems for stratospheric airships
– Demonstrate 400 W-hr/kg regenerative system 779 W-hr/kg
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5. Single Integrated Picture
“High-Definition” Picture of All Moving Targets → 10x Resolution Improvement
Complete Air Picture
LAND
SEA AIR
• AWACS (70’s) and E-2 (60’s) –
Pulse-to-Pulse aperture reconfiguration enables all missions simultaneously
designed for hard targets of their day
• ISIS is designed for JLENS 225km
the theoretical limit
Blue Water
at the radar horizon ISIS
Foliage Penetration
600km
AWACS
– Single-platform
Urban 375km
search, track, and
Brown Water
fire-control
Global Relocation <10 days – 600km Sensor Radius – No In-Theater Ground Support
10+ year Operational Lifetime – 99% Availability for 1 year
Unobscured Surface Target Wide-Area Foliage Penetration GMTI
• Joint STARS (70’s) designed for tanks in • Joint STARS precision across an
the Fulda Gap extremely large operational area
ISIS
• ISIS is designed for JSTARS
dismounts across the entire
Line-of-Sight 600km
600km
300km 300km
– LSRS-like resolution
– 300km @ 3º grazing angle
– 600km line-of-sight Primary tropical forest
Cerrado savanna 300km – Track
Agriculture/pasture 600km – Detect
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Natural/artificial waterbodies
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Secondary succession forest

6. No Forward-Based Logistics
• Forward-deployed aircraft-based • CONUS-deployed ISIS
ISR – Unmanned
– Local air base – Launched from U.S. locations
– Multiple aircraft for single orbit – Global deployment in 10 days
– Air crews – Regenerative fuel sources
– Ground crews – Ten-year service life
– Fuel supplies – Permanent CONUS ground station
– Maintenance facilities
Multiply the cost delta by the number of AOI’s and multiple
platform types (JSTARS, AWACS, P-3, E-2C, etc)
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7. Schedule
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13
FY08 FY09
FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Design/Build/Demo
Phase 1: Feasibility Study
• Objective system design Conceptual Design
• Technology requirements Review (CoDR)
• Sensor analysis
Phase 2: System Studies and
Technology Development Technology
Readiness Review
• Continued objective system (TRR)
design
• Develop core technology
PDR CDR
Phase 3: Demo System Design
• Demo system design
• Large-scale integration
• Hi-fidelity flight test
Demo
simulation
• Demonstration system build
• Flight demonstration
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