Users guide Advanced Reactive Electronic Simulation (ARES) version 1.12

This Users Guide is for the Advanced Reactive Electronic Warfare Simulation (ARES) Version 1.12, created at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) under a project sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) titled Distributed and Networked C2W Technology (FY98-FYOO). The simulation is used to determine the optimum distributed C2W/EA configuration of assets including placement of sensors and system selection (jammer or receiver or both) for important mission scenarios leading to a better understanding of the minimum requirements for suppression of enemy air defense operations. ARES is a pulse level simulation that models the complex interaction of multiple radar systems being acted upon by multiple AEA aircraft, considering target aircraft radar cross section (RCS) and altitude, terrain masking effects, both standoff jamming and self protection jamming effects, and network connection effect. Its features include an object%-oriented scenario workbook allowing the users to build a battlefield scenario and a search procedure based on a genetic algorithm (GA) for optimizing configurations of what the core and peripheral components of the AEA architecture should be. ARES is available in two forms: Graphical User Interface (GUI) and parallel. ARES' GUI runs on a personal computer (PC) and its primary application is for setting up scenarios and post processing. ARES' parallel version runs over a cluster of Intel based Linux machines with Message- Passing Interface (MPI) and provides capability to execute multipleThis report was sponsored by the Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University

Flight Planning Tool an Aid for Efficient Flight Evaluation

Airborne surveillance systems have multiple sensors and communication links on board a suitable platform. They work in a cohesive manner to provide effective surveillance over the region of interest. The performance proving of such a system is challenging and requires flight trails extending over years. The test results often have to be interpreted using statistical analysis of the flight test data. An efficient way is to carefully design the flight test profiles such that enough samples can be collected during the test and multiple requirements can be tested in a single sortie. Such meticulous test strategies where both own ship platform and test targets are moving with high dynamics call for software based tool for planning of test sorties and the test points. Flight Planning Tool (FPT) plays an important role in pre-flight stage during developmental trials for analysis of the MOEs and MOPs of overall system and of various on-board sensors of an airborne multi-sensor system. The FPT provides statistical & graphical analysis for sensor behaviour for various scenarios (flight trials) before actual flight test is conducted. It provides prior information on number of valid samples for sensor testing during flight trials. In addition, the tool aids in assessing number of profiles to be flown for proving each MOE. The profiles can also be optimised such that valid samples are collected for evaluation

APPLYING MACHINE LEARNING FOR COP/CTP DATA FILTERING

Student Thesis (NPS NRP Project Related)Accurate tracks and targeting are key to providing decision-makers with the confidence to execute their missions. Increasingly, multiple intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets across different intelligence sources are being used to increase the accuracy of track location, resulting in the need to develop methods to exploit heterogeneous sensor data streams for better target state estimation. One of the algorithms commonly used for target state estimation is the Kalman Filter (KF) algorithm. This algorithm performs well if its covariance matrices are accurate approximations of the uncertainty in sensor measurements. Our research complements the artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) efforts the U.S. Navy is conducting by quantitatively assessing the potential of using an ML model to predict sensor measurement noise for KF state estimation. We used a computer simulation to generate sensor tracks of a single target and trained a neural network to predict sensor error. The hybrid model (ML-KF) was able to outperform our baseline KF model that uses normalized sensor errors by approximately 20% in target position estimation. Further research in enhancing the ML model with external environment variables as inputs could potentially create an adaptive state estimation system that is capable of operating in varied environment settings.NPS Naval Research ProgramThis project was funded in part by the NPS Naval Research Program.Outstanding ThesisCaptain, Singapore ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Aircraft-sized anechoic chambers for electronic warfare, radar and other electromagnetic engineering evaluation

This paper considers capabilities and benefits of aircraft-sized radio/radar frequency anechoic chambers for Test and Evaluation (T&E) of Electronic Warfare (EW), radar and other electromagnetics aspects of air and ground platforms. There are few such chambers worldwide. Initially developed to reduce costs, timescales and risks associated with open-air range flight testing of EW systems, their utility has expanded to most areas of platforms’ electromagnetics’ T&E. A key feature is the ability to conduct T&E of nationally sensitive equipment and systems, fully installed on platforms, in absolute privacy. Chambers’ capabilities and uses are described, with emphasis on key infrastructure and instrumentation. Non-EW uses are identified and selected topics elaborated. Operation and maintenance are discussed, based on experiential knowledge from international use and the authors’ 30 years’ involvement with BAE Systems’ EW Test Facility. A view is provided of trends and challenges whose resolution could further increase chamber utility. National affordability challenges also suggest utility expansion to support continuing moves, from expensive and difficult to repeat flight test and operational evaluation trials, towards an affordability-driven optimal balance between modelling and simulation, and real-world testing of platforms

Electronic Warfare:Issues and Challenges for Emitter Classification

Electronic warfare (EW) is an important capability that provides advantage to defence forces over their adversaries. Defence forces gather tactical intelligence through EW sensors, which provide the means to counter hostile actions of enemy forces. Functions of an EW system is threat detection and the area surveillance so as to determine the identity of surrounding emitters. Emitter classification system identifies possible threats by analysing intercepted signals. Problem of identifying emitters based on its intercepted signal characteristics is a challenging problem in electronic warfare studies. Major issues and challenges for emitter classification such as drifting of emitter parameters due to aging, operational characteristic of an emitter, i.e., same emitter can operate on multiple bands and multiple pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) are highlighted. A novel approach based on some well-known statistical methods, e.g., regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and discriminent analysis is proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been tested over ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) data and illustrated using simulation data. The proposed approach can play a solution for wide variety of problems in emitter classification in electronic warfare studies.Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(3), pp.228-234, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.52

The potential of LIDAR as an antisubmarine warfare sensor

Traditionally, antisubmarine warfare (ASW) has been dominated by acoustic sensors, active and passive. Ending the Cold War, the ASW forces have refocused towards a theatre of war in the littorals, and the traditional acoustic sensors do not perform very well in such an environment. The sensors are working much closer to the surface, and there is a lot more surface traffic to disturb the acoustic environment. Environmental and topographic factors also play a major role. Removing or significantly reducing the acoustic capability, one forces the ASW forces to look to other technologies and sensors to compliment or replace the acoustic ones. This is where the interest of LIDAR as an aerial ASW sensor comes into play. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate “the potential for using LIDAR technology for aerial ASW on Norwegian ASW platforms”. In addition to this main research question, the history of LIDAR has been researched, in order to find historical and existing LIDAR projects for ASW purposes. Antisubmarine warfare is a complicated business, but speed of reaction, flexibility to change operating areas quickly and efficiently, and the ability to deploy sophisticated buoys are all in the advantage to the aerial ASW platform. But as the submarines get quieter and quieter, new means of detection must be found to cover the complicated upper layers of the water column. The signal components of LIDAR and the increasing processing capability have made LIDAR technology somewhat mature, but limitations such as scattering and attenuation of light in water are severely hampering. After a decline in ASW focus after the Cold War, the Western world is finding itself in a littoral submarine threat scenario, and do not have the sensors to sufficiently meet this threat. Several LIDAR programs have been initiated and carried through, but most have been directed towards finding and neutralizing mines. Lately, a new interest of applying LIDAR-technology in the search for submarines has risen. But LIDAR itself does not seem to be able to cover the upper layers of the water column consistently enough, and other technologies might be able to compliment LIDAR in a multi-sensor solution. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Hyperspectral Imagery seem to be the most applicable of these. A recommendation is given to military commanders to pursue a multi-sensor pod for several areas of use by Maritime Patrol Aircraft and military helicopters

Characterization of the Target-Mount Interaction in Radar Cross Section Measurement Calibrations

Radar Cross Section (RCS) measurements are quintessential in understanding target scattering phenomenon. The reduced RCS of modern weapons systems stresses the capability of current RCS measurement ranges. A limiting factor that has recently become more significant is the electromagnetic coupling between a test target and the mounting hardware used to support it and control its orientation during the RCS measurement. Equally important is the electromagnetic coupling between the RCS calibration artifact and its mount, which provides an opportunity to explore the coupling phenomena without delving into operationally sensitive areas. The primary research goal was to characterize the interaction between a calibration artifact and its mounting apparatus when measuring the RCS of the calibration artifact as part of a larger RCS measurement process. Standard methods, such as vector background subtraction, do not account for this interaction. By understanding the interaction term, a more accurate measurement of target RCS may be obtained. Through careful characterization of the interaction, an additional term can be included in the vector background subtraction equation to reduce the level of uncertainty. Two techniques were developed to isolate and characterize the interaction between the target and mount. The first involves evaluating the far-zone fields scattered by the target under two conditions: the target alone and then the target with mounting hardware present. The fields are then coherently subtracted to isolate the interaction. This process was validated with measurements and computational results. The second technique involves evaluating fields on the target surface under the aforementioned conditions, which are subsequently subtracted from one another and radiated to the far-field

Joe Pawsey and the Founding of Australian Radio Astronomy

This open access book is a biography of Joseph L. Pawsey. It examines not only his life but the birth and growth of the field of radio astronomy and the state of science itself in twentieth century Australia. The book explains how an isolated continent with limited resources grew to be one of the leaders in the study of radio astronomy and the design of instruments to do so. Pawsey made a name for himself in the international astronomy community within a decade after WWII and coined the term radio astronomy. His most valuable talent was his ability to recruit and support bright young scientists who became the technical and methodological innovators of the era, building new telescopes from the Mills Cross and Chris (Christiansen) Cross to the Parkes radio telescope. The development of aperture synthesis and the controversy surrounding the cosmological interpretation of the first major survey which resulted in the Sydney research group's disagreements with Nobel laureate Martin Ryle play major roles in this story. This book also shows the connections among prominent astronomers like Oort, Minkowski, Baade, Struve, famous scientists in the UK such as J.A. Ratcliffe, Edward Appleton and Henry Tizard, and the engineers and physicists in Australia who helped develop the field of radio astronomy. Pawsey was appointed the second Director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (Green Bank, West Virginia) in October 1961; he died in Sydney at the age of 54 in late November 1962. Upper level students, scientists and historians will find the information, much of it from primary sources, relevant to any study of Joseph L. Pawsey or radio astronomy. This is an open access book

Threat expert system technology advisor

A prototype expert system was developed to determine the feasibility of using expert system technology to enhance the performance and survivability of helicopter pilots in a combat threat environment while flying NOE (Nap of the Earth) missions. The basis for the concept is the potential of using an Expert System Advisor to reduce the extreme overloading of the pilot who flies NOE mission below treetop level at approximately 40 knots while performing several other functions. The ultimate goal is to develop a Threat Expert System Advisor which provides threat information and advice that are better than even a highly experienced copilot. The results clearly show that the NOE pilot needs all the help in decision aiding and threat situation awareness that he can get. It clearly shows that heuristics are important and that an expert system for combat NOE helicopter missions can be of great help to the pilot in complex threat situations and in making decisions

Hybrid Airship Multi-Role (HAMR) Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission capability

The Hybrid Airship Multi-Role (HAMR) Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Mission Module project applies established systems engineering principles and processes to the design of an ASW payload module that examines the capability of the HAMR to perform persistent ASW mission support. Critical system functions and objectives are identified and are assigned appropriate quantitative metrics. Additionally, three alternative architectures are generated and evaluated using the appropriate metrics based on results from modeling using Naval Systems Simulation (NSS). Manning is considered as a key stakeholder parameter and is included as an evaluation concern. The alternatives are also compared through the examination of life cycle costs. The recommendation to the stakeholders based on the research and results is an unmanned ASW sensor platform that uses other ASW assets for prosecution.http://archive.org/details/hybridairshipmul109456935N