DAHLGREN, Va. –
Naval vessels use radio frequency (RF) signals to maintain communication with allies stationed on shore. However, this link can be frequently disrupted by environmental challenges, including signal reflections off the water’s surface, atmospheric conditions like fog or heavy rain and terrestrial obstructions such as dense foliage.
Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) presented this selected use case to the Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI) that collaborated with the Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education to challenge five engineering students to digitally estimate system performance and mimic a radiofrequency communication system. As part of their Interdisciplinary Capstone (IDC) class project, “Digital Radio Frequency System Modeling for Environmental Effects,” the team validated models with physical tests and simulated real-world shipboard conditions.
Students Ian Bohne (industrial and systems engineering), Phil Bozzay (electrical engineering), Vanessa Bushell (industrial and systems engineering), Ethan Jones (mechanical engineering) and Abraham Tenorio (electrical engineering), were among 40 teams from three different interdisciplinary classes that presented the project at the Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education Interdisciplinary Expo on April 29, according to Robin Ott, Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education professor of practice and Interdisciplinary Programs administrator.
The NSWCDD Technology Office gave the students a budget of $5,000, according to Caleb Strepka, NSWCDD Academic Engagement Coordinator.
With that money, they designed and built a communication system and digital twin of which they introduced environmental disruptions. The project included diagrams, RF simulations and data connectivity.
Geoff Kerr, VTNSI senior research associate for the project, compared the system to current capabilities, noting it was, “faster, cheaper and with greater fidelity.”
Tenorio validated the RF channel modeling against hardware measurements using the Python software language.
“It pushed me to think more carefully about where theory and measurement diverge and why. I definitely learned some RF knowledge way outside the scope of my education,” he said.
The team broke the project into parts each semester. In the fall of 2025, they developed a communication system that would receive and decrypt the target locations and acknowledge receipt.
Following five weeks of iterative design, modeling and simulation, the team successfully transitioned their baseline model into a functional physical system. With minimal post-processing required, the team assembled the structural frame, secured the antennas and integrated a radio peripheral. They deployed this completed baseline system – comprising a radio transmitter and a monopole antenna receiver – during field testing in January 2026 on a snow-covered soccer field in Blacksburg, Virginia.
In the spring of 2026 phase of the research, the team integrated two distinct environmental variables into the system’s predictive architecture. The initial focus involved modeling in-band interference caused by over-water transmission; the team utilized an iterative cycle of prediction and measurement to refine the system’s baseline accuracy.
Following the successful prediction of interference, the team introduced a second variable at a pond testing site to evaluate the impact of ice on a custom-built radome – a specialized, radio-transparent enclosure. By synthesizing the data from both the in-band interference and the radome testing, the team successfully iterated the system until it could simultaneously predict the combined impact of these environmental stressors. In addition to the physical testing, the team entered the digital environment.
“I was impressed with how quickly the students became proficient in the software they were using,” Ott said.
The team successfully demonstrated an adaptable digital environment that would enable NSWCDD to estimate system performance through advanced computational modeling. By integrating Python into Innoslate – a Model-Based Systems Engineering platform – the team created a robust framework capable of simulating real-world naval conditions. This capability allows NSWCDD to develop sophisticated digital performance estimates, offering a path to significant cost-efficiency by reducing the necessity and frequency of expensive physical testing. NSWCDD can use the digital twin to predict system performance under various environmental conditions.
Since completing the project, team members plan to intern or work for industry and obtain or aspire to have master’s degrees ranging from aerospace to RF and microwave engineering. Bohne plans to work in the NSWCDD Electromagnetic & Sensor Systems Department System Safety Engineering Division and pursue a master’s degree in industrial or systems engineering.
The students are proud of the prototype they’ve left with NSWCDD and its potential for the Navy and the nation.
“Having work that can contribute to real-world applications, and possibly aid real people, is very meaningful and makes the work more exciting,” Jones said.