Sensor Resource Management

The U.S. DoD has made defense against regional missile threats a top priority. In response MDA is pursuing a Phased Adaptive Approach, which includes new sensors, such as Airborne Infrared (ABIR) and the Precision Tracking Space System (PTSS). Recently, regional missile defense has focused on raid scenarios. Since the potential locations of terrestrial radars are limited, regional missile defense may depend on the ability of IR assets, such as ABIR and PTSS, to accurately detect and track threats. This is a significant challenge because production of high-quality tracks using IR assets requires a substantial degree of coordination. Therefore, in this Phase I effort we propose to develop (i) a Sensor Resource Management algorithm for an IR ground station that manages multiple IR assets, and (ii) a capability model for a collection of IR assets that allows network-level coordination of radar, IR, and OPIR sensors. Our approach addresses IR-specific challenges, such as the need to obtain stereo coverage, the effect of time-varying viewing geometry on target resolution, and limitations imposed by slew rates. As part of a potential Option effort, our SRM algorithms would be integrated into the BMD Benchmark, to enable a proof-of-concept demonstration using a realistic raid scenario.