DIGITAL MISSION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (MMS) FOR ADVANCED DISPENSER WEAPONS

THE PROLIERATION AND VARIETY OF TARGETS IN COMBAT OPERATIONS COUPLED WITH THEIR LETHAL DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES PRESENT SOME FORMIDABLE CHALLENGES TO AN OPPOSING AIR ATTACK WITH CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS. SUCCESS IN THIS ENVIRONMENT NECESSITATES SOME EXTENSIVE COUNTER CAPABILITIES REQUIRED BOTH OF THE ATTACKING AIR PLATFORM AND ITS WEAPONS WHICH OFTEN REQUIRES A STAND-OFF ATTACK MODE FOR SURVIVABILITY OF THE PLATFORM. THE DIFFICULTIES OF INTEGRATING, WITHIN ALLOWABLE WEAPON ENVELOPES, THE SUBSYSTEM HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIRED FOR THE DESIRED STAND-OFF CAPABILITIES IS REFLECTED IN THE CONFIGURATIONS OF EXISTING STAND-OFF WEAPONS WITH THEIR PLATFORM DEPENDENT DESIGN FEATURES. THIS PROPOSAL OFFERS TO DEVELOP THE ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS FOR ADVANCED SUBSYSTEM INTEGRATION OF NEXT GENERATION DISPERSER WEAPONS. IN PARTICULAR, THE CONCEPT FOR AN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY MISSION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (MMS) FOR ON-BOARD CONTROL OF WEAPON SUBSYSTEM FUNCTIONS INCLUDING FLIGHT CONTROL, PROPULSION, FIRE CONTROL, NAVIGATION, TARGET ACQUISITION, GUIDANCE, AND SUBMUNITION PROGRAMMING AND DISPENSING IS PROPOSED FOR DEVELOPMENT.