NUCLEAR EFFECTS ON THREAT OPTICAL SENSOR PERFORMANCE

THE IMPROVEMENT OF OPTICAL THREATS IN THE PAST DECADE HAS RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT CURRENT PENETRATION SYSTEMS EFFECTIVENESS. TAKING THE OFFENSE CONSERVATIVE VIEW OF THE PROBLEM CAN MAKE THE JOB OF THE PENETRATION AID DESIGNER VERY DIFFICULT. A MORE REALISTIC VIEW OF THE PROBLEM MAY SHOW THAT CERTAIN CONCEPTS HAVE MORE MERIT THAN THE CONSERVATIVE VIEW MIGHT INDICATE. ONE IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THESE ENGAGEMENTS WHICH HAS NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED IS THE IMPACT OF NUCLEAR EFFECTS ON DEFENSE PERFORMANCE AND THE CONCOMITANT IMPROVEMENT IN PENETRATION SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, SIMPLE RADAR BLACKOUT ANALYSES HAVE BEEN CNSIDERED IN SOME CASES TO DETERMINE LIKELY INTERCEPTOR BURST PLACEMENT, BUT THE IMPACT ON ADVANCED OPTICAL SENSOR TRACKING AND DISCRIMINATION PERFORMANCE HAS NOT BEEN TREATED. IN THIS ACTIVITY, AN EXAMINATION OF THESE ISSUES WOULD BE TREATED WHICH WOULD LEAD TO A METHODOLOGY (AND ULTIMATELY A SMALL COMPUTER CODE) FOR DETERMINING PENETRATION SYSTEMS EFFECTIVENESS WITH REALISTIC DEFENSE LIMITATIONS DUE TO NUCLEAR EFFECTS ON SENSOR PERFORMANCE.