Spot Upgrade Program

The current US Air Force High Speed Test Track SPOT velocity measurement system needs improvement in several areas to increase its operational readiness and reduce premission setup time. Far West Sensor Corp. has developed an innovative system concept using fiber optic links to couple magnetic sensors at the track to data capture electronics. The system offers improved measurement performance, is more lightning-resistant, allows automated pre-mission checkout, and is intrinsically more redundant than the current SPOT system. During Phase I, we will develop a prototype magnetic sensor/fiber optic link to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. A design of a full system is also created with input from Test Track personnel. In Phase II, a segment of the track is instrumented with the new sensors, and their performance is measured in the Test Track environment.