Electronic Warfare Test
Abstract
Readily available, infrared (IR) seeking, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) are difficult to detect and pose an imminent and lethal threat to military aircraft of all types. Our ability to counter such threats is essential to owning the airspace in theater. Therefore, the ability to test missile warning systems (MWS), hostile fire indicators, infrared countermeasures (IRCM), and advanced sensors is critical to our national defense. Additionally, a new generation of enemy radio frequency (RF) missile seekers is both currently fielded and in further development, requiring a correspondingly new generation of test technologies to test the latest countermeasures. The test and evaluation (T&E) community is required to test IRCM and RF countermeasure systems in a repeatable manner with validated ground-truth data before and after integration into warfighting systems. Without new test technologies, the Department of Defense (DoD) will be unable to perform adequate T&E of advanced countermeasure systems. In response to Secretary of Defense guidance on science and technology priority investments for FY2013-2017, the T&E/S&T program restructured and reprioritized on-going Multi-Spectral Test (MST)technology efforts to address emerging Electronic Warfare/Electronic Protection test needs. Accordingly, the MST project was renamed to the Electronic Warfare Test (EWT) project, to align with the Department’s priorities. The EWT project is focusing on the test needs in both the electro-optic (EO) and the radio frequency domains, and by concentrating on the core test technology needs, technical advancements in this area have applicability to other EO and RF test requirements, such as in fire control systems, reconnaissance sensors, and missile seeker subsystems. The EWT project develops test technologies to stimulate IRCM and RF system sensors through the high-fidelity simulation of scenes viewed by the sensors. Stimulation can be as simple as testing to see if a system under test responds to an image or as complex as simulating battle phenomena to measure the response of a system under test in a more relevant, cluttered scenario. Simulations and stimulations are used at open air ranges (OAR) and in installed system test facilities (ISTF), and in hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) test beds.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2013
- Source ID
- 3_0603941D8Z_3_0400_PB_2013
Related Documents
- Root: Test and Evaluation/Science and Technology
- Child Accomplishment: Electronic Warfare Test