AF Weather Services Research
Abstract
This budget activity funds development necessary to evaluate integrated technologies and models for future operationalization into segments of the Air Force Weather Services (AFWS) in support of the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) lines of effort. To improve readiness for a more lethal force, AFWS provides timely, accurate, resilient and relevant environmental information, to include space and terrestrial weather, for global battlespace situational awareness for Air Force (AF), Army, Special Operations Forces (SOF), combatant commands, and other government agencies. AFWS capabilities at home station and deployed provide critical support to the full spectrum of air and space combat operations. AFWS development enhances the lethality, effectiveness, and survivability of AF weapon systems and precision munitions by modernizing capability and seeking the military advantage to accurately predict friendly and foe environmental impacts to optimize mission execution and planning, targeting, weaponeering, battle damage assessment and space systems operations. To strengthen alliances and partnerships, AFWS development efforts integrate DoD, government agency, and commercial and international partner environmental data with AFWS information system equipment for processing, storing, exploiting and disseminating multi-domain weather information for analysis, forecasting, mission integration and greater interoperability. Funding for AFWS development also ensures greater performance and affordability through improvements to architecture and system efficiency, cybersecurity, joint all-domain command and control (JADC2)/advanced battle management system (ABMS)/sensing grid integration, migration to cloud computing, and expanding agile software development practices. AFWS aligns activities under four capability areas: Weather Data Collection, Weather Data Analysis and Dissemination, Weather Forecasting, and Product Tailoring/ Warfighter Applications. This alignment ensures an integrated and systems-oriented approach to program management decisions. A portion of the Weather Forecasting capability is addressed by APPN 3600, BA 04, PE 0604002F, Project 643560- Air Force Weather Services Research. 1. Weather Forecasting provides advanced scientific numerical weather prediction capabilities for automated, high resolution forecast products for mission planning, rehearsal, and execution. Space weather modeling assists in characterizing and forecasting the near-Earth environment to the sun, and enables space weather anomaly and space weather impact assessments. Weather Forecasting includes activities for Numerical Weather Modeling (NWM); Weather Services - Live, Virtual, Constructive (WS-LVC), and Space Weather Analysis and Forecast System (SWAFS). SWAFS is a software suite of 47 models and applications to ingest, process, and store space environmental data, run space environmental models to specify and forecast the near-earth environment, and run space effects characterization applications. 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
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2021
- Source ID
- 643560_0604002F_4_3600_PB_2021
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