Reentry Vehicle and Wake Analysis Tool

During hypersonic reentry, the flow around reentry vehicles is ionized resulting in electro-optical and infrared emissions, detectable radar cross-sections, and attenuation of signals transmitted through the plasma. Modeling these flows requires both expertise and substantial user time. The Phase II program will address these issues by developing the Reentry Vehicle and Wake Analysis Tool that will incorporate years of grid generation and CFD simulation expertise into an automated analysis suite that will generate high-quality high-resolution data with flexible chemical kinetics and gas-surface models for direct use with MDA signature tools. The analysis tool will have immediate utility in the development and evaluation of current and future Ballistic Missile Defense Systems (BMDS) such as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis-BMD) programs. The analysis tool will integrate directly into the MDAs Core Truth Modeling (CTM) phenomenology program to accurately produce truth stimuli for all phases of missile flight. The analysis tool will also have the capability to generate these truth stimuli at high-resolution commensurate with next generation MDA sensors such as the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX), Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) radar, and Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites.