Radiation Hard Interceptor Components Test Methods for Missile Defense

We will develop/implement test methods to assess the performance of Ballistic Missile Defense interceptors in the presence of natural and man-made radiation environments. At the conclusion of Phase II, MDA will have a functioning hardware-in-the-loop capability to test the kill vehicle electro-optical sensor, signal/data processors, and flight software. This facility will support testing of current kill vehicle designs and future upgrades that include hardening techniques and radiation mitigation algorithms. The radiation effects will be simulated by projecting a structured clutter scene to the kill vehicle sensor and injecting spurious noise between tactical component interfaces. Our approach will provide an upgradeable capability that includes radiation effects models with realistic mission-based scenarios. By augmenting an existing hardware-in-the-loop facility, radiation environment testing will be accomplished through an incremental, cost-effective manner. This will provide a significant savings over the development of a new testing facility devoted exclusively to radiation environment testing. Testing methodologies will also be documented including test planning, test preparation, post test analysis, and post test reporting/archiving. This project will expand the technology base to support development of future interceptor upgrades that can be incorporated into the BMDS architecture to provide reliable operation against evolving threats and countermeasures from adversarial nations.