Nuc Detonation Det Sys (sensors)

Abstract

The United States Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (USNDS) provides a near real-time worldwide, highly survivable/endurable capability to detect, locate, and report any nuclear detonations in the earth's atmosphere or in near space. USNDS supports NUDET detection requirements across five mission areas: Integrated Tactical Warning and Attack Assessment (ITW/AA), Nuclear Force Management (NFM), Space Control (SC), Treaty Monitoring (TM), and a classified mission. The USNDS program is jointly sponsored and funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), through the US Air Force (AF), and the Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its Nuclear Detonation Detection (NA-22) office, respectively. NNSA/NA-22 supplies, at no cost to DoD, USNDS space sensors as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) to the AF's USNDS Program Office, which is responsible for all acquisition and systems engineering, integration and test (SEIT) activities on space vehicles (SVs), to include Global Positioning System (GPS) and additional hosts, and their supporting ground control segments. The AF directly funds the development of the USNDS ground segment (described below). DoD funds their contribution to the NDS program in Program Element (PE) 0305913F with RDT&E, OPAF, SPAF and O&M dollars. USNDS consists of space sensors and complex ground segments. The space segment sensors, funded by DOE, consists of three nuclear detection sensor payloads: the Radiation Detection Capability (RADEC) payload for Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, the Global Burst Detection (GBD) payload for Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) platforms (GPS satellites), and the Space Atmospheric Burst Reporting System (SABRS) payload for Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) platforms (classified GEO host). Together, these sensors and associated communications capability provided by the host satellites comprise the global NUDET space segment detection capability for the USNDS. Space sensors communicate NUDET indications to the fixed ground segment (the RADEC Data Processor (RDP) and the Integrated Correlation and Display System (ICADS)), the deployable mobile ground segment (survivable Ground NDS Terminals (GNTs)), and the survivable/endurable Universal Ground NDS Terminals (UGNTs), when fielded. These ground systems perform data analysis and provide a decision support tool to the Air Force controllers concerning probability of NUDET occurrence. The ground segment provides ground receiving analysis and reporting capabilities to national authorities, commands, and forward users as well as Department of State (DOS) for the Treaty Monitoring and Verification mission. The ground control segment is being modernized and continuously improved through an incremental, evolutionary acquisition approach. The upgrade to the GNT is the survivable/endurable Universal Ground Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (NDS) Terminal which is funded with AF RDT&E in this PE. The UGNT provides NUDET Detection Reports to end users through survivable and endurable USNDS communications via Milstar/Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) circuits. The GNT supports ITW/AA and NFM missions. The UGNT program modifies the baseline of the GNT program and deploys as an integral part of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Survivable / Endurable Evolution (S2E2) Mobile Ground System (SMGS) units also in support of ITW/AA and NFM. The UGNT, when integrated with the SMGS, will perform NUDET event processing with fused NDS data from GPS and DSP. SMGS capability refers to the result of the S2E2 upgrade program for the MGS mission processing capability, including the integration of UGNT. The intended end state of UGNT integration is delivery of enhanced missile warning and NUDET detection capabilities that meet survivable/endurable ITW/AA requirements directed by the President, SECDEF, Joint Staff, and USSTRATCOM, delivering long-term, cost effective, multi-role, multi-mission space effects to the war fighter across the range of military operations. This budget line includes systems engineering, research and development, on-orbit and field testing and end-to-end verification of USNDS space sensors, ground analysis and reporting systems in support of the five USNDS mission areas. Sensor integration for GPS IIF and GPS III are funded in their respective PEs. This program is in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development because this budget activity includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2017
• Source ID: 672808_0305913F_7_3600_PB_2017

Tags

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.

Technology Areas

• Space
• Space - Satellites