About Us

R Cubed Engineering LLC (R3E) is an SBA-certified Woman Owned Small Business that provides technical expertise and program guidance to efforts that increase safety, promote accessibility, and boost science. Since 2004, R Cubed Engineering LLC has been a leader in emerging technology solutions in applications concerning sensors and avionics. Our lean and agile team is comprised of proven hardware, software, and firmware experts that solve problems in trusted airspace integration and authenticated timing for industry, commercial, civilian, and military markets. We deliver cradle-to-grave support for our demanding customers, functional prototypes, manufacturing, sustainment, logistics, and other solutions tailored to requirements, all with a focus on minimum SWaP-C.

Leadership

  • Chief Executive Officer of R3E
  • Chief Technology Officer of R3E
  • Chief Operating Officer of R3E

Our Projects

We work primarily on researching and improving the current state of the UAS industry in both commercial and military applications.

Current Performance

  • Navy Phase III SBIR: RQ-21A Integration and Certification

    Replacing a Mode A/C transponder with an RT-2087/ZPX and miniaturized End Cryptographic Unit (ECU), then certifying this Micro IFF system through DOD-AIMS 1102 (Platform Testing), DOD-AIMS 1103 (Flight Testing).

  • Navy Phase III SBIR: Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA)

    Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract mechanism to enable continued Micro IFF developments for DOD under separately funded task orders.

  • Navy Phase III SBIR: BOA Task Order

    Initiates production contracts for the Micro IFF program’s ECU and transponders and the installation of fifty Micro IFF systems into the RQ-21A right vertical stabilizers.

  • Army Phase III SBIR: IFF Flight Testing and Data Capture on a Shadow RQ-7 UAS with Trusted Time Loader

    Designing and developing an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponder system, with capability for Modes 1, 2, 3/A, C, 5, S, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). The goal is a small form factor to meet the Size, Weight, Power, and unit Cost (SWaP-C) requirements for Group 2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). R3E plans to interface this transponder directly with the Shadow RQ-7 Aircraft. Using the self-developed R Cubed Emulation of ADS-B Data Capture System (READS), R3E can perform real-time logging of ADS-B data, comparing outbound ADS-B messages against what is received on neighboring aircraft.

  • Army Phase III SBIR: FTUAS Integration and Certification

    Installing future Mode 5 capability into FTUAS platforms and competitions towards future production contracts.

  • We are a reseller of uAvionix products.

Past Performance

  • Army Phase I and II SBIR: Micro IFF Transponder

    Army SBIR award under topic A19-072 to develop modern identification friend or foe technologies.

  • Navy Phase II.5 SBIR: Identification of Friend or Foe

    R Cubed Engineering developed an RT-2087/ZPX transponder with IFF Capabilities and a KIV-79 ECU. The IFF is less than 4 oz., under 4 cubic inches in volume, and can be used for mode Mode 5, as well as Modes 1,2, 3/A, C, S, and ES. Peak power is 500 watts, with a diversity and battery option in a double-size package. GPS is included so that the device can operate stand-alone, or interfaced with a platform. The size is also suitable for use on personnel.

  • NASA Phase II and II-E SBIR: Independent Authentication of ADS-B And Transponder-Equipped Aircraft Location

    R3E commercialized the Phase I results that demonstrated the existing “trusted” ATC technology, in combination with a miniature, low-cost, state-of-the-art micro-avionic, that validates GPS-based ADS-B position reports reliably and accurately for safe navigation and collision avoidance in the National Airspace System (NAS). With minor rule changes, this approach results in safe, fully-autonomous vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) operation at very high traffic densities within the current Air Traffic Control System (including some UAS) and provides direct paths to accommodate the exponential growth of UAS in the future.

  • Navy Phase I and II SBIR: Identification of Friend or Foe

    Navy SBIR award under topic N142-102 to develop modern identification friend or foe technologies.

  • NASA High-Density UAS Operations with 978Mhz ADS-B

    Flight Safety in the NAS consists of multiple layers: flight planning, routing, radar coverage, transponder coverage, and dual-band ADS-B are some examples. R Cubed Engineering focused on the optimization of the existing active RF dual-band ADS-B and transponder system for use with anticipated large numbers of Small UAS (SUAS). SUAS will often be operating in areas and at altitudes that will not be visible to the existing FAA infrastructure. They will also have much higher densities of aircraft than the current infrastructure can handle. R3E has investigated the use of very small software-defined transceiver technology (under 1 oz) tri-band avionics that includes the ability to receive full UAT including ADS-B, ES, Mode A, C, and S transponder responses that can keep track of all transmitting aircraft. The SUAS will also transmit low-power UAT ADS-B with dynamically configurable time slots allowing for a very high density of SUAS. There is also the use of a low-power 'all call' interrogator when the operational area is not already interrogated by a local source.

  • NASA Phase I SBIR: Jam Proof and Spoof Proof GPS System

    Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is the most SWaP-C-compatible safety solution for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and will be mandated for use by the FAA in the National Airspace System (NAS) by 2020. The ongoing miniaturization efforts will continue to enable a cooperative approach to the integration of UAS into NAS moving forward. A critical limitation of ADS-B is the use of a GPS-derived position vector in its broadcast, which can be easily spoofed or jammed, or confused by reflections in urban areas. We present a low-SWaP-C solution to secure and verify the GPS integrity using a novel antenna design so that ADS-B can be used as trusted vehicle-to-vehicle communication and navigation link for UAS.

  • NASA Phase I SBIR: ADS-B Validation

    R3E investigated techniques for NASA to independently validate ADS-B positional squitters with the intent to use these data points for trusted collision avoidance between manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.

  • Office of Naval Research (ONR): All Weather Sense and Avoid System (AWSAS)

    Military and other national security agencies have been denied unfettered access to the National Air Space (NAS) because their unmanned aircraft lack a reliable and effective collision avoidance capability. To overcome the constraints imposed on UAS's use of the NAS, a new, conformable collision avoidance system has been developed — one that will be effective in all flyable weather conditions, overcoming the shortfalls of other sensing systems. Upon implementation, this system will achieve collision avoidance capability for UASs deployed for national security purposes and will allow the expansion of UAS usage for commercial or other civil purposes.

  • Defense Safety Oversight Committee (DSOC): Air-to-Air ADS-B Based Avoidance System with the TigerShark UAS

    R3E performed the world’s first autonomous collision avoidance sequences between two autonomous RQ-23 assets equipped with AWSAS systems at Yuma Proving Ground.

  • Air Force Subcontract: X-Band Radar System for Air-to-Air Detection and Avoidance

    ADS-B and Radar of Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Surveillance with ten UAS sites flying coordinated drones.

  • NASA Subcontract: Unmanned Traffic Management National Campaign

    R3E provided cooperative and non-cooperative situational awareness, data capture, and analysis for the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) FAA-selected UAS test site.

  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Subcontract: Low Altitude Interrogation System

    A low-altitude interrogation and tracking system for railroad inspections to coordinate permission for drones flying down the railroad.

  • DRDC and National Research Canada (NRC): X-Band Radar and ADS-B Surveillance Operations Center

    R3E supported Seamatica Aerospace in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in building a situational awareness UAS mobile command center with cooperative and non-cooperative sensor systems.

  • Naval Research Labs (NRL): ADS-B Hardware and Support

    NRL purchased AWSAS systems to develop autonomous collision avoidance capabilities for UAS testing.

Contact Us

For business inquiries, please feel free to reach out to us using the methods below:

Email

info@rcubedengineering.com

Phone

(202) 271-9686