Innovative Analysis Tool for Developing Aeronautical Systems to Counter Tactical Relocatable Targets

The DESERT STORM experience generated a sudden and intense interest in tactical missile launchers. Our impotence in finding and destroying these launchers soon became obvious to us as well as the rest of the world. Later it became apparent that we also lacked the analysis tools needed to investigate and develop effective responses to missile launcher and other Critical Mobile Targets (CMTs). A three-phase program is described here for developing a simulation tool which an be used by the Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC) to investigate candidate approaches and perform tradeoff studies to develop the requirements for airborne platforms capable of countering mobile missile launchers and other CMTs. The simulation will use the same innovative approach applied by Toyon in support of DARPA's sensor development efforts, but will be structured to focus on the issues relevant to sensor platforms rather than sensors. Phase I, the principal subject of this proposal, will focus on demonstrating the feasibility of creating the desired simulation. Phase II, as a follow-on to Phase I, will proceed with full-scale development of a complete and user-friendly simulation which ASC can use to explore the tradeoffs between various platforms and the relevant parameters for countering CMTs. A final phase, funded by commercial interests, would make further refinements in the simulation, possibly including the creation of new versions which could be hosted on other types of machines of interest to industry.