Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Aerial Targets
Abstract
The Defense Science Board Task Force on Aerial Targets was convened in December 2004 to assess the future (2005 to 2020) needs for aerial targets for developmental and operational testing and for training of air defense systems against air-breathing threats. Ballistic missile threats and targets were not part of the Task Force charter. The aerial targets involve full-scale aircraft, subsonic and supersonic cruise missiles, rotary wing vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Ground systems and on-board instruments that control the targets are also relevant. Testing and training against aerial targets involves roughly 750 flights per year using 10 different targets. About 200 of these flights result in the destruction of the target, so a substantial development and procurement program is in place, involving about $220 million funding per year. The Task Force found four areas of concern in its review of the future needs for targets and control systems out to the year 2020: * The need for a new full-scale aircraft target. * The dire need for several types of supersonic targets to represent existing anti-ship cruise missile threats. * The need for migration to a future common control system across the services, so that all services could test on all major ranges. * The need for a more centralized and focused aerial targets management structure in OSD.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA441466
Entities
People
- M. D. Williams
- William P. Delaney
Organizations
- Defense Science Board