Combat Identification Technology

Abstract

Combat Identification (CID) is the process of determining the identity of an entity in the battlespace. It is essential to determine if that entity is a friend, neutral or enemy; and if an enemy, the nature of the entity determines how it should be engaged. The CID team's mission is to identify new and promising CID technology candidates, evaluate the usefulness of the technologies, conduct demonstrations in operationally relevant environments, and coordinate strategies that expedite transition to more than one platform. This PE aims to integrate and transition new capabilities into fielded systems, and improve existing capabilities. The mission area consists of two thrusts: cooperative CID and non-cooperative CID. Cooperative CID systems require communication between two participating platforms. Non-cooperative CID techniques do not depend on a response from the targeted platform - such as high range resolution radar that measures the length of a target. Both cooperative and non-cooperative CID techniques are currently in the field, and are necessary elements of the kill chain that ensure mission success and reduce fratricide. Non-cooperative CID employs a number of sensing technologies and signal processing techniques. The observations are compared to a database to identify battlespace entities. These technologies include: (1) Laser Vision, an Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) imaging system that significantly increases ID ranges; (2) Hydra Vision, a balanced (robust) amalgamation of sensor data from multiple sources to provide warfighters with higher confidence CID results on surface or air targets, fusion to counter camouflage, concealment and deception (CCD), and multi-phenomenology features for sustainable databases; (3) Compact Aided Target Recognition (AiTR) and Sustainable Environments (CASE), a CID approach that focuses on tailoring algorithms to use smaller, more efficient databases that are faster and less expensive to generate and maintain; (4) Passive Radio Frequency (RF) ID Environment (PRIDE), a program to develop passive RF target ID capability for denied access environment using passive RF and electronic warfare (EW) information; (5) Radio ID (RID). a program to develop methods for using advances in digital radio technologies such as software defined radios to provide low cost ID solutions to enhance CID, improve aircrew situational awareness and assist in fratricide prevention with military and civil air platforms, potentially fusing non-cooperative techniques and cooperative technologies; and (6) Enhanced Combat ID (ECID), a program under Studies to develop a robust ability to quantitatively evaluate promising CID technologies using enhanced modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities. Cooperative Combat Identification (CID) employs technologies required to rapidly identify friendly platforms. The program develops, integrates and evaluates technologies that provide AF platforms with a means of positively identifying an air or ground platform as a friendly, via active or passive cooperative identification capabilities. Development funded by this project ensures availability of a Mode 5 upgrade path for implementing ground and air platforms across the Air Force fleet. The Combat ID (CID) Database Initiative (DBI) effort is a new project under the Combat Identification (CID) portfolio and is designed to remove the "hard-coded” static ID parameters from the host platform's sensor and replace them with parameterized values that are dynamic. The DBI project primarily consists of four efforts: a.) determining the requisite ID parameters for CID, b) designing and developing a database to contain the CID parameters identified in Task a, c) developing techniques to generate the requisite parameters, and d) provide CID parameters developed from measured or modeled data. This project is projected to begin in early FY-20 therefore no funds have been required/requested previously. In FY20 our non-cooperative goals will be to complete the first transition of a feature-level fusion ATR capability for air targets onto F-16 AESA aircraft under Air to Air Hydravision, providing a substantial improvement in CID performance at long range. This effort will lead the way for other platforms to integrate this capability. AAHV will also transition a major improvement in air target CID to the F-15E AESA aircraft. CASE will be in the final demonstration phase of a significant ground target CID capability that will transition to F-15E AESA and F/A-18 AESA the following year. VAMP and 3DTO will both be preparing to transition CID capability to Litening in FY21. FY20 will see the initiation of three major programs, to include Integrated Determination of ID (ID2) - using advances associated with Joint Multisensor Advanced CID (JMAC) to provide feature-level fusion to ground target ID; Integrated Combat ID with EW (ICE), pulling EW-specific features into feature-level fusion; and Kill Chain Weapons Integrated CID (KWIC), using information from launched weapons through a back link to provide CID from within the hot battlespace. In FY20 our cooperative goals will be to test and certify the responsibilities for the present Mark XII system, develop and integrate the new Mark XIIA (Mode 5) IFF system, and develop/integrate civil Mode S capabilities into Mark XIIA IFF equipment. The FY20 DBI objectives are: a) determine the requisite CID features for HRR and NCTR and b) specify the requirements for initial database design, and finally c) collect initial sample data to populate the database for developmental test/debug. The benefit of using Mission Definable parameters is that they are dynamically developed and can be added, edited, or removed by preflight Mission Planning software such as the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS). FY20 will initiate a New Start called Multi-Mode Ladar Aided Target Recognition (M2LATR) which combines the work of 3DTO (3D laser imaging) and SIREN/VAMP (laser vibrometry) to create a longer-range fused-feature CID technique that uses the combined orthogonal features of both systems to provide a robust long-range CID capability. The Combat ID DBI Development effort is a new start in FY20. Activities also include studies and analysis to support both current program planning and execution and future program planning. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver Combat Identification technologies. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 0605826F, 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605830F, 0605831F, 0605832F, and 0605898F. As directed in the FY 2018 NDAA, Sec 825, amendment to PL 114-92 FY 2016 NDAA, Sec 828 Penalty for Cost Overruns, the FY 2018 Air Force penalty total is $14.373M. The calculated percentage reduction to each research, development, test and evaluation and procurement account will be allocated proportionally from all programs, projects, or activities under such account. This effort is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2020
• Source ID: 0603742F_4_3600_PB_2020
• Change Summary Explanation: The FY19 funding request was reduced by $5.461M. Payback is planned for FY20 & FY21. This funding will enable the CID portfolio to continue developing critical CID technologies.
• Service Agency Name: Air Force

Entities

Organizations

• United States Air Force

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Advanced Electronics
• Air Platforms
• Materials and Manufacturing Processes
• Sensors
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Air Force
• Aircrafts
• Cost Analysis
• Databases
• Detectors
• Developmental Tests
• Engineering
• Identification
• Iff Systems
• Laser Radar
• Recognition
• Signal Processing
• Situational Awareness
• Systems Engineering
• Target Recognition
• Test And Evaluation
• Three Dimensional

Readers

• Civilian Systems Systems Program Capability Development and Upgrade Support Activity Expense and Pay Management.
• Sensor Fusion and Tracking Systems.

Technology Areas

• Directed Energy
• Microelectronics