Tactical METOC Applications
Abstract
The Tactical Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) Applications Project provides cyber secure operational effects decision aid capabilities for Navy and Marine Corps warfighters in the context of Joint Operations in a net-centric environment. This project funds the agile software development of the Naval Integrated Tactical Environmental System Next Generation (NITES-Next) program of record. NITES-Next program identifies and transitions state-of-the-art decision support software technologies from the government and commercial industry's technology base, and then demonstrates and validates these capabilities before fielding. These software decision support tools provide platform, sensor, communications, and weapon systems performance assessments for warfighters in terms of their littoral and deep-strike battlespace environments. These assessments allow mission planners and warfighters, from Unit to Theater level, to optimize their sensor employment on airborne, surface, and subsurface platforms in support of Naval Composite Warfare mission areas including Undersea Warfare (USW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Mine Warfare (MIW), Amphibious Warfare (AMW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW), Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Strike Warfare (STW), Expeditionary Warfare (EXW), Electronic Warfare (EW), Information Operations (IO), Intelligence Operations (INT), Non-Combat Operations (NCO), Command, Control, Communication (CCC), and Naval Special Warfare (NSW). Performance assessments leading to improvements in operational and tactical control are conducted through a two-tiered approach: 1) Meteorological and Oceanographic (METOC) Decision Aids and, 2) Operational Effects Decision Aids (OEDAs). METOC Decision Aides consist of a series of analysis tools which characterize the physical environment conditions of the battlespace based on the best set of physical environment data available at the time (i.e., some combination of historical and/or real-time (or near real-time) in-situ, and numerically modeled forecast data). OEDAs use the METOC Decision Aide information by fusing it with relevant, often-classified, sensor and target data to predict how weapons and sensor systems will perform. Performance results are displayed in tabular and graphic formats integrated into net-centric visualization tools for use by mission planners, and combat/weapon system operators to develop localization plans, USW/AAW/ASUW screens, STW profiles, and AMW ingress and egress points. METOC Decision Aides and OEDAs typically use data derived from sensors developed in Project 2341 (METOC Data Acquisition) and assimilated by software produced by Project 2342 (METOC Data Assimilation and Modeling). METOC Decision Aides and OEDAs also use data obtained through direct interfaces to Navy combat systems. Cyber secure capabilities are a current emphasis required to characterize and/or predict sensor and weapons system performance in the highly complex littoral environments in support of regional conflict scenarios. It addresses multi-warfare areas, particularly shallow water ASW, NSW, and missile and air defense/strike capabilities. FY 2019 request provides for NITES-Next to continue software development activities on the Fleet Capability Release (FCR)-2 (v2.0.2) and FCR-3 Task Orders in support of deployments. The program will plan for, and begin upgrading all ships (20+) and mobile variant platforms (450+) available. The program will prepare for Field Technical Review (FTR), FCR-3 Fielding Decision (FD) and FCR-4 Build Decision (BD) in FY20. The NITES-Next program will continue to conduct Systems Integration Test (SIT) and System Qualification Testing (SQT) activities in support of the planned Consolidated Afloat Network and Enterprise Services (CANES) Application Integration (AI)/SIT and Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) events. The program will continue planning for the FCR-4 development and contracting activities (including updating of all required documentation, Requirements Definition Package (RDP), Cost Analysis Requirements Document (CARD), Program Life Cycle Cost Estimate (PLCCE), Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) Letter, Build Technical Review (BTR) and Authority to Operate (ATO)). Funding supports development and integration efforts for Meteorological and Oceanographic (METOC) systems to generate and collect METOC data and fuse multiple intelligence inputs to more robustly characterize and predict tactical atmospheric and oceanographic conditions. This integrated METOC picture will support real-time battlespace awareness of propagation conditions affecting signals across the electromagnetic spectrum. METOC data will be fused with other intelligence data and automatically provided to shipboard combat systems to inform kinetic and non-kinetic fires.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Source ID
- 2343_0604218N_5_1319_PB_2019
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