DARPA Selects Riverside Research and Oklahoma State for THz Radar

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected Riverside Research and Oklahoma State University (OSU) to develop a next-generation radar sensor operating at terahertz (THz) frequencies. The team’s proposal was chosen through DARPA’s Expedited Research Implementation Series (ERIS) Marketplace, which identifies innovative solutions with potential national security impact. The project is designed to address a difficult sensing problem: detecting and tracking objects smaller than one inch at long distances, while working toward a fieldable system that meets size, weight, and power constraints.

The technical approach relies on radar frequencies reported to be 10 to 100 times higher than those used by typical radar systems. The source describes THz radar wavelengths as roughly 3 millimeters or smaller, enabling finer resolution than conventional microwave radar. OSU co-principal investigator John O’Hara, Ph.D., said, “Typical approaches involve microwave radar, which usually employs frequencies too low to resolve small objects at long distances.” He added, “It is a fundamental physics problem. By using higher frequencies, we eliminate the resolution problem.” These capabilities could matter to national security users that need to identify small targets or objects at range, although the reporting does not specify an operational platform, deployment timeline, or end-user organization.

The project builds on years of collaboration between Riverside Research and OSU on prototype THz systems with real-world applications. Rajind Mendis, Ph.D., Riverside Research senior research scientist, is the principal investigator; O’Hara, an associate professor and PSO/Albrecht Naeter Professor of electrical engineering at OSU, is co-principal investigator. Josh Wetherington, Ph.D., Riverside Research’s director of spectrum warfare innovation, is the program manager. Wetherington said the team is “excited to be working with DARPA to push the performance envelope on our next-generation THz radar.” He also noted that project deliverables could eventually become components of control systems for situational awareness, drawing an analogy to lane-assist or pedestrian-detection technology in cars.

For GovCon firms, the selection is a signal of DARPA interest in advanced sensing approaches that combine high-frequency radar research with a path toward fieldable systems. The ERIS Marketplace selection identifies the development team, but the available reports provide no contract value, contract number, award instrument details, or solicitation for additional work. Companies pursuing related radar, spectrum, sensing, or component opportunities should monitor DARPA and ERIS channels for subsequent announcements rather than treating this selection as an open competition. OSU’s involvement also gives students and early-career researchers hands-on experience with advanced national security technology, while Riverside Research brings program leadership and prior prototype collaboration.

• DARPA selected Riverside Research and Oklahoma State University through its ERIS Marketplace for the THz radar effort.
• The sensor is intended to detect and track objects smaller than one inch at long distances.
• The system uses terahertz frequencies reported as 10 to 100 times higher than typical radar frequencies.
• The source describes THz wavelengths as roughly 3 millimeters or smaller, supporting finer resolution than conventional microwave radar.
• The development objective includes a fieldable system that meets size, weight, and power constraints; no schedule or platform is reported.
• Rajind Mendis, Ph.D., is principal investigator; John O’Hara, Ph.D., is co-principal investigator; and Josh Wetherington, Ph.D., is program manager.
• Riverside Research and OSU have collaborated for years on prototype THz systems, providing a foundation for the selected effort.
• Potential applications include situational-awareness control systems, but the reporting does not identify specific users or deployments.
• No contract value, contract number, or solicitation for additional work is reported; monitor DARPA and ERIS channels for follow-on activity.
• OSU says the project will provide hands-on opportunities for students and early-career researchers working on advanced national security challenges.