Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator with Real-Time Adaptive Scenarios

The Navy has need for realistic threats to exercise advanced electronic combat simulations using their existing Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) capability. The next generation of RF weapon seeker/sensors will have more advanced target discrimination capability, extended range RF sensor navigation, active terminal guidance, and advanced fuse capabilities. For sensor T&E in Department of the Navy (DON) Laboratories, it is imperative to develop HWIL capability that can emulate RF scenes (contested, congested, constrained) in real-time.     For defense applications it is nearly impossible to test RF systems in an operational or contested environment whose behavior depends dynamically on the RF spectrum. Any realistic assessment will need to predict and emulate competitive or adversary behavior. The scenarios can’t be completely scripted beforehand but must unfold in a way that is determined by the actions of each (red or blue) force. This proposed effort would enable real-time, unscripted scenarios that include System-Under-Test (SUT) hardware.  It is difficult and expensive to test ground-based radar systems (in simulated operational environments). It is even more difficult to exercise and validate performance against adaptive adversary behavior in contested environments. In the future, engineers will increasingly rely on sophisticated Modeling and Simulation (M&S) tools and HWIL to both design and test RF and radar systems (in the laboratory). There are too many possible test cases that must be exercised in order to validate the performance of such systems in the field.   With sufficient computing power, it is possible to perform the M&S in real time, providing dynamic feedback between the threat radar and the environment including multiple blue airborne or maritime emitters. ISL has proven capability in developing and delivering HWIL platforms to perform real-time channel generation and application in the RF domain.