Fusion of IR and Radar for Enhanced Threat Recognition and Interception (FIRE-TRAIN)

The proliferation of sophisticated ballistic missile systems threatens the ability of the U.S. to project military power and defend its deployed forces, its allies, and possibly even the homeland. Adversaries continue to improve their ballistic missile technologies, and are expected to incorporate multiple warheads, countermeasures, and decoys. The AEGIS systemthe sea-based component of the U.S. ballistic missile defense capabilityis expected to identify and intercept valid targets among a group of incoming objects while relying on ship-based radars and electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) seekers on the intercepting missiles. Charles River Analytics proposes to improve the current and future performance of AEGIS BMD by designing and demonstrating methods for Fusion of IR and Radar for Enhanced Threat Recognition and Interception (FIRE-TRAIN). FIRE-TRAIN will incorporate (1) a transparent fusion architecture that (2) accurately characterizes uncertainties in the fusion process, and thereby (3) helps designers understand the impact of specific uncertainties on system performance using (4) a flexible implementation framework. In these ways, FIRE-TRAIN can improve the ability of the AEGIS BMD system to identify and intercept valid targets from a group of incoming objects, while providing an analytical framework that enables designers to assess and improve system performance.