Low Cost, Calibrated, Portable, Computer Controlled Variable Output IR/UV Source

The future direction of Air Force avionics is to provide effective avionics in a budget constrained world. Autonomously operated snros fo the past will be relaced with integrated avionics. Future test facilities must provide sensor stimulation ranging from RF through UV frequencies. One approach to create such a facility is to upgrade existing RF anechoic chambers by adding portable IR and UV sources. Phase I will yield a technical feasibility analysis and proposed system design of the required IR/UV sources. The Phase II objective is to build and demonstrate a low cost, portable IR/UV source in BAC at Edwards AFB. Based on our current work in building interctive, imaging IR stimulators and defining a UV stimulator to test missile approach warning sensors, Technology Service Corporation (TSC) will satisfy Phase I objectives by (1) defining system test objectives, (2) characterizing target/background signatures in teh IR/UV bands using data from the Plume Data Center at Arnold Engineering Development Center, (3) characterizing detection and discrimination processes of IRST, FLIR, and MLD sensors, (4) evaluating candidate sources, (5) designing the IR/UV stimulator including specification, BAC layout and RFI and safety requirements.