Atmospheric Acoustic Propagation Prediction

Acoustic signatures radiating to the ground enable the enemy to aurally detect, locate, and classify inbound U.S. tactical aircraft. This ability has become a critical limiting factor hindering engagement with the enemy as well as threatening aircraft and crew survivability. Multi-Service and multi-agency requirements exist to study the problem and to develop countermeasures, yet no capability currently exists to adequately assess our vulnerability. As part of the project Blue Ridge Research and Consulting will develop a modular acoustic detection system for integration into an already existing user platform. With this system a user will be able to plan an aircraft flight track and determine the probability of detection of the vehicle along that flight track. The program will take into consideration the terrain and 4D weather conditions, the source characteristics of the vehicle, and the ambient background noise levels. The sound propagation will be calculated with a user selectable algorithm. The interchangeable nature of the system design will allow for easy future upgrades. Estimated error bars on the predicted noise measurements will be determined through extensive testing of the complete system. Preliminary validation and verification measurements will be conducted as well.