NEWPORT, R.I. — Daniel Corbett, a Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport engineer and a member of the Submarine Mast Broadband Antenna (SuMBA) Team, has won the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers for the Year 2018 Award. The award is in the category for groups collaborating across the Naval Research and Development Establishment (NR&DE) category.
Corbett, a resident of Narragansett, Rhode Island, serves in Division Newport’s Undersea Warfare Electromagnetic Systems Department. As the team’s special projects engineer, Corbett was the below-deck systems integration electrical engineer.
The SuMBA Team designed and developed a state-of-the-art broadband antenna system incorporating advanced technology to enhance the signals intelligence capability for the installed platform. This design currently has four patent applications. The National Security Agency’s Tactical Investment Program/Warfighter Integration Program funds SuMBA. It is a speed-to-fleet capability the team took from concept to installation in under 18 months, demonstrating the efficiency and rapid deployment afforded by the cross-NR&DE team, working closely with the stakeholders and leveraging in-house expertise on rapid prototyping.
Corbett designed and developed the antenna selection unit resulting in seamless integration of SuMBA with external receiving systems. In addition, he acted as the test director for the proof-of-concept system demonstration onboard the platform during the seven-day, at-sea deployment.
The team leveraged additive manufacturing processes to 3D-print and metal-plate antenna prototypes, speeding up the prototyping process from several months to a few weeks. This resulted in an eighth of the typical cost for development, as well as integrating various advancements in antenna and radio frequency design. The team’s aggressive and innovative efforts have provided naval forces with the ability to passively detect, identify and exploit threats that were previously undetectable by any other system.
SuMBA team members include representatives from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dam Neck Activity, and the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (formerly Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific).
The Etter Award is given annually to scientists and engineers who have clearly demonstrated superior accomplishments during the year preceding the award ceremony. The accomplishment is technically outstanding and highly beneficial operationally to the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense and national defense.
The team was honored at an awards ceremony held at the Pentagon on June 28.
NUWC Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.
Currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Captain Michael Coughlin, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.