HWIL Fading Channel Simulator for Testing Kill Vehicle & IFICS Modems for Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)

Avtec System's proposes creating a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) Fading Channel Simulator built on the foundation of our Integrated Communications Module (ICM) Test System and Wideband Analog Signal Processing (WASP) Board. In order to provide the simulation capabilities desired by the Missile Defense Agency for the In Flight Interceptor Communication System (IFICS) Modem testing we will need to dramatically improve the ICM's Control Software capability by adding Dynamic Fading modeling, Atmospheric effects modeling, Antenna Pattern modeling, a Platform Propagator, and an enhanced Graphical User Interface. For Phase I, Avtec will evaluate the proposed architecture's ability to implement the advanced fading models, such as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency fading model. Avtec will develop a simulation to hardware implementation design process, and use it to create a representative fading model on the current WASP board. Knowledge gained from this task will be used to validate the architecture's ability to meet the performance requirements of the HWIL Fading Channel Simulator and to determine the hardware and software requirements for the prototype HWIL Fading Channel Simulator. Upgrades to Avtec's WASP board, if determined to be necessary, will be defined to ensure that all test system requirements are met.