MEW-1:
"Barn Owl"
Wideband RF Intelligence & Signals Collection
MEW-1 (Barn Owl) is a modular wideband signals-intelligence platform that combines high-dynamic-range RF digitization, real-time baseband processing, and an AI-enabled analysis engine in a compact, low-SWaP form factor. The system captures, demodulates, classifies, and geolocates signals of interest across configurable frequency bands.
Built around open, interoperable interfaces and sub-microsecond, hardware-deterministic hop control, Barn Owl is effective against fast frequency-hopping and agile emitters. It integrates natively with the M5NS-JCP platform and Phoenix Engine AI for fused, edge-to-command situational awareness.
- Wideband RF Capture: Multi-channel wideband receiver supporting simultaneous, independent capture across configurable bands. Sub-microsecond agility enables collection against fast frequency-hopping and agile emitters
- Integrated baseband Processing: Onboard real-time engine handles IQ conditioning, compression, and hop-control sequencing with deterministic, low-latency throughput over open, interoperable interfaces
- AI-Enabled Analysis: High-compute edge module performs spectral analysis, energy detection, demodulation, and AI/ML signal classification. Supports live spectrum visualization, replay, and SigMF-native recording via NXGScan
- Integration & Interoperability: ▪ Native M5NS-JCP and Phoenix Engine integration (Tier 1 / Tier 2) ▪ TAK integration via Cursor-on-Target; server and client modes ▪ Third-party EO/IR, ESM, and radar feed ingest
- Connectivity: ▪ 10GbE / USB 3.1 interfaces ▪ Cellular, SATCOM, mesh, and RF-relay backhaul
GENERAL
Product Name
MEW-1 (Barn Owl)
Product Class
Wideband RF Intelligence System
Mission Role
Signals collection, classification & geolocation – Passive/non-emitting by default
RF FRONT-END & ANTENNA
Frequency Range
5 MHz – 6 GHz (5 MHz – 7.2 GHz / 5 MHz – 12 GHz / 600 MHz – 6 GHz variants) – Variant-dependent; see Frequency Configurations
Frequency Configurations
4 configurations – Cost-tiered; see Variants & Options
Antenna Types Supported
Omni / Directional / DF Array / 3D
Antenna Polarization
Vertical / Horizontal / Dual / Circular
Number of RX Channels
2 / 4 / 8 – Drives DF and coherent processing capability
Noise Figure
< 3 dB – BW-dependent
Dynamic Range
~171 dBm/Hz – Input compression to noise floor
WIDEBAND TRANSCEIVER & PROCESSING STACK
RF Digitization
High-dynamic-range wideband RF digitization
Instantaneous Bandwidth
≤ 800 MHz – 1 GHz+ on roadmap
Frequency-Block Switching
≤ 500 ns to 1 us – Hardware-controlled; sub-microsecond agility
Processing Bandwidth
Up to 800 MHz
Signal Processing
Real-time DFE, IQ compression, framing – Fully pipelined; no host CPU involvement
Timing & Synchronization
1588 PTP, SyncE enabled – Hardware-timestamped multi-board clock locking
Hop Control
Deterministic hardware sequencer – < 500 ns trigger-to-RF latency
AI Compute
Scalable to 100+ TOPS – Edge-deployable inference
Processing Latency
Real-time / low-latency pipeline – ≤ 500 µs post-processing
Signal Classification
LTE, 5G NR, WiFi, BT, ADS-B, DRFM, AWGN, FHSS (Drone C2), GFSK – Expandable via software update
Recording Format
SigMF, native – VITA-49 roadmap
DIRECTION FINDING & GEOLOCATION
DF Accuracy
≤ 5° (≤ 1° roadmap)
DF Method
Hybrid engine – AoA / TDoA / PoA; configuration-dependent
NETWORKING & INTEGRATION
Network Interfaces
10GbE, USB 3.1
Backhaul Options
Cellular, SATCOM, mesh, RF relay
Remote Control / API
REST – gRPC / Python SDK on roadmap
Supported – CoT delivery; server/client mode
Third-Party Sensor Ingest
Supported – EO/IR, ESM, radar feed integration
M5NS-JCP Integration
Supported – Phoenix Engine family integration
Phoenix Engine Compatibility
Included Tier 1 fusion / Tier 2 edge
SECURITY & CRYPTO
Encryption (data at rest)
AES-256
Encryption (data in flight)
AES-256 + ML-KEM 1024 (PQC) – Post-quantum key encapsulation
PHYSICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL
Form Factor / Dimensions
6 × 5 × 3 in (L × W × H) – 5.5 × 3.5 × 2.5 in roadmap
Weight
TBD
Power Consumption (typical)
~20 W
Power Consumption (peak)
~30 W – Under full processing load
Power Input
12 V DC
Operating Temperature
-20 to +55 °C
Storage Temperature
-40 to +55 °C
Ingress Protection
TBD
Shock / Vibration
TBD
EMI / EMC
TBD
SOFTWARE & MANAGEMENT
Operating System
Linux-based
Management UI
NXGScan – Web-based and native client
Real-Time Spectrum Display
Waterfall, 3D, spectrogram
Playback / Post-Mission Replay
Yes (specific configurations)
Update Mechanism
OTA, signed firmware
VARIANTS & OPTIONS
Form-Factor Variants
UAS-mountable, fixed mast, backpack
Antenna Options
DF arrays for varied frequency ranges
Frequency Configurations
5 MHz – 6 GHz / 5 MHz – 7.2 GHz / 5 MHz – 12 GHz / 600 MHz – 6 GHz – Cost-tiered configs
Storage / IQ Recording
Onboard vs. external; capacity tiers – TBD
NxGenComm
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