Track Correlation / Sensor Netting - Submission B

The Ballistic Missile Defense System is evolving into a distributed network-centric architecture with tracking and discrimination being performed using multi-sensor data. The X-Band radar (FBX-T, SBX, and THAAD) will play a key role in the network. Each is capable of providing wideband waveforms to support needs in target discrimination. However, wideband waveforms require significant time and energy from the radar. The concern is that the discrimination processing will over-task the X-Band radar and cause it to be unable to meet the timeline requirements for the tracking of all objects. To truly evaluate the requirements and capabilities of the network-centric approach, there needs to be a closed-loop simulation environment. The BMD Benchmark is a premiere simulation environment used by MDA, MDNTB, and their contractors for the analysis of network-centric algorithms. Currently, it is the primary tool used by MDNTB for its development and analysis of the C2BMC Track Processing Thread. However, at this time the BMD Benchmark has no capability to model and simulate wideband waveforms. This Phase I proposal describes a program to conduct a path finding study to identify the way forward for adding the wideband radar capability to the BMD Benchmark.