Enhancing Boost Phase KEW Lethality

This proposed program will develop new computer models and integrate them with existing core lethality models to better predict KEW boost phase engagement strategy lethality effectiveness and to assist development of emerging enhanced lethality weapon systems tasked to neutralize enemy missile attack threats. Traditional Hit-To-Kill (HTK) lethality simulations have focused on KEW/warhead interactions (i.e. mid-course or later interception) and can not presently adequately determine KEW/threat missile (i.e. boost phase) interactions. The proposed program will address this deficiency by: 1) Surveying existing experimental KEW/Missile impact data, 2) creating a database of this data, 3) use this data in conjunction with physics based analyses to create modeling modules addressing boost phase KEW impacts and sympathetic effects to the payload. The proposed programs to be developed will enhance national security by modeling interactions in trial scenarios between candidate boost phase lethality enhancing concepts and attacking threat missiles as done by existing core simulation models. The programs will be anchored to the presently utilized simulation programs to provide seamless defensive strategy development. This will allow rapid screening, development, and optimization of potential boost phase alternative lethality enhancing configurations and scenarios not adequately covered by existing simulations models such as PEELS, KIDD, and PEGEM.