Precision Aerial Delivery Systems (PADS)

Abstract

Mission planning involves the creation of a flight plan based on multiple inputs including threats, targets, terrain, weather, aircraft performance capability, and configuration. It is an essential task that must be completed prior to any fixed or rotary wing aircraft sortie. The planner must have the ability to plan weapon, cargo, passenger, and/or fuel delivery, calculate fuel requirement and assess the route based on known enemy threat location and type. Mission planners must be able to optimize and de-conflict flight routes with other aircraft; review, print and brief the plan; download pertinent flight information to on-board aircraft avionics; and, conduct dynamic/in-flight replanning as applicable. This project continues the development of a Joint Precision Airdrop System-Mission Planner (JPADS-MP) Phase I capability in conjunction with the Army. JPADS provides a planning and execution capability for DoD airdrop requirements. It is the primary airdrop mission planning and execution system for all ballistic airdrop missions as well as precision guided airdrops that are required when the mission profile or surface-to-air threat assessment warrants a high-altitude and/ or standoff precision delivery. It enables high-altitude, precise airdrop delivery to forward ground forces, mitigating surface-to-air threats, reducing risk of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and insurgent attack on ground convoys. JPADS allows the warfighter to consider weather, terrain, aircraft capabilities, threat, etc., to accurately deliver payloads to combat and other friendly forces. The Consolidated Airdrop Tool (CAT) is the key JPADS-MP software deliverable. It will increase the accuracy of airdrop mission planning by improving aircraft, payload, and chute specific calculations along with weather analysis visualization tools specifically adapted for airdrop. Future initiatives are designated to achieve automation of airdrop planning and execution to reduce task saturation in the cockpit and support AMC's objective of moving to a two man cockpit. These efforts include, but are not limited to the ability to automatically receive and use real-time winds in any location, calculation of a release point and airdrop in a single pass, the ability to conduct real-time objective area analysis to calculate probable damage estimates and execute dynamic re-tasking, the ability to conduct post-drop assessments, implementation of new technologies (e.g. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Touch Screen environment. In addition and in support of these objectives, the AFRL-led Precision Airdrop (PAD) Flagship Capability Concept (FCC) effort will transition technology capabilities (including but not limited to Bundle Tracking, Forced Exit release point computations, data from Autonomous Weather Sensing, Humanitarian Airdrop release point computations, and improved Airdrop Performance data) to the JPADS-MP PoR and into various CAT software release/deliverables. The PAD FCC is also charged with updating airdrop platforms and airdrop related systems to improve accuracy across all airdrop mission types. Following capabilities planned for development within the JPADS-MP program, include but are not limited to: Development, testing and incorporation of updates to Wireless Gate Release System (WGRS), use the digital terrain data on the mission planning laptop, the Local Area Prediction System (LAPS), Airdrop Damage Estimate (ADE), Operating System/Standard, migration to the new Mission Planning Systems (MPS) Capability (JMPS), combination airdrop, support of new map projections including polar stereographic, Touch Screen (Tablet) User Interface, Advanced Launch Acceptable Range (LAR), Advanced Guidance Failure Footprints, Drogues and Wireless Activation Device (WAD), Automation and Health Status/Monitoring, Autonomous Guidance Unit (AGU) Data Transfer updates, bundle tracking, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) to enable seamless data communication between devices, secondary point of impact for cargo airdrop, forced exit, humanitarian airdrop, support for ParaNavSys, Dropsonde Optimization, transference of wind along a flight path, replacement of weather assimilation engine with Kalman Filter, weather analysis and visualization, use of ensemble weather, new chute configurations and aerial guidance units, updates to ballistics data and dispersion models, implementation of new weather observation sources (i.e. Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and RADAR sensing capabilities) for real-time weather, support for structured Wifi network, simulator and rehearsal mode for Aircraft WSTs, ingest navigation, weather and flight performance data from the aircrafts data bus, workflow enhancements to reduce task saturation, OS/SDC updates, and implementation of human effectiveness improvements. FY16 funding continues development and testing in preparation for fielding of CAT v3.2 software to provide precision and conventional airdrop capabilities including Airdrop Damage Estimate (ADE), Combination Airdrop, Personnel Airdrop, Unified Mission Configuration Editor, Falconview Overlays and Advanced LAR and Failure Footprints for AF and other services (e.g. the Army) aircraft platforms. FY16 also begins effort to migrate CAT to a JMPS Framework. This program is in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development, which 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, 2016
• Source ID: 675302_0208006F_7_3600_PB_2016

Tags

Readers

• Aerial Delivery - Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
• Aerospace Engineering

Technology Areas

• Space