In the light of the increasing terrorist SAMs threat to civil and military aircraft, the
need of a high-fidelity, low-cost, IR signature scene modelling and simulation
capability that could be used for development, testing and evaluation of IRCM
systems cannot be overlooked.
The performance evaluation, training and testing of IR missiles or other IR based
weapon systems, is very expensive and is also dependent upon atmospheric factors.
Whereas, the computer based non-destructive simulation can provide a cost-effective
alternative to field trials.
An effort has been made to model the IR scene signature using virtual reality
modelling tools and integrating this model into the missile-target engagement and
countermeasure simulator. The developed algorithm can simulate passive IR imaging
seeker engagements with aerial targets. The presented algorithm uses the developed
models for IR signature of the target, the background, the flare spectral and temporal
responses and the flare ballistic trajectory. The missile guidance, auto-pilot and
tracker algorithms have also been developed. The atmospheric conditions have been
modelled, using LOWTRAN, as “good”, “typical” or “bad” to account for
atmospheric transmittance and the sky-radiance. The results were analysed and
validated through four test scenarios. The code is written in MATLAB which gives it
openness for user verification/validation and also flexibility for any future
modifications.
The work presented may help the IRCM designer and pilots to evaluate potential
strategies to defeat the imaging seeker threat
