Cognitive algorithms could find a home on USAF ISR platforms. (Photo: USAF/Tech Sgt Christopher Boitz) The CASCADE initiative seeks to create ‘unique and innovative techniques and algorithms’ for USAF ISR platforms. The USAF Research Laboratory has picked Black River Systems as its industry partner to research and develop prototype software and hardware for the Cognitive Algorithms for SIGINT Contested and Degraded Environments (CASCADE) initiative. Work on the $11.97 million contract is scheduled to end by June 2025, the DoD announced on 3 June. ‘The scope of this effort is to research unique and innovative techniques and algorithms that provide the identification, collection, processing, and exploitation of electronic communication signals in a moderate to dense co-channel environment,’ the DoD noted.