Enroute Mission Planning & Rehearsal (EMPAR) Program Phase II

EMPAR delivers an enhanced warfighter capability by adding an interactive three-dimensional (3-D) visualization capability to SOF's existing mission planning tools operating on a portable computer. EMPAR provides the connectivity required to downloadupdated information concerning threats, weather, and terrain should the need arise. Additionally, EMPAR provides aircrews the ability to connect to other SOF assets and perform distributed mission operations.This EMPAR Phase II SBIR integrates commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software to demonstrate key technologies that are available to meet the needs of the SOF aircrews. The key challenge is to integrate the SOF mission planning tool, Special OperationsForces Planning and Rehearsal System (SOFPARS), a COTS 3-D visualization tool, a commercially-available High Level Architecture (HLA) interface module, and a commercial satellite communication system to operate on a laptop computer. The addition of theNational Imagery & Mapping Agency (NIMA) map products, threat models, and aeronautical performance models create a system in which portable realistic mission rehearsal quickly becomes a reality.