Test Program

Abstract

The Test and Evaluation (T&E) projects provide consolidated Missile Defense Agency (MDA) capabilities and resources to support the management and execution of Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and Element-level testing. With the evolution of the BMDS, testing needs have expanded beyond those of the individual Elements to include testing of BMDS Critical Engagement Conditions (CEC) and Empirical Measurement Events (EME) to anchor modeling and simulations. The Directorate for Test centralizes all authority and responsibility for all BMDS testing. The Directorate for Test relies on BMD Systems Engineering to provide the system test objectives to define the test architecture. The Directorate for Test plans and executes BMD system test events. The Directorate for Test also develops the necessary test policy, test plans, and test infrastructure to conduct an effective test program. Directorate for Test activities are grouped into six major areas: Test Policy, Budget, and Functional Management; Test Planning and Design; Test Mission Management and Integration; Test Operations; Test Data Management; and Test Resources. Other test related program content involving Engineering Test Analysis, Concurrent Test, Training, and Operations, Fielding and Integration, and Facilities, Siting, and Environmental Management, is also included within this T&E project. Proving BMDS Funding within this budget project supports the budgetary objective of Proving BMDS. The goals of this budgetary objective are to continue and improve a robust testing program, and to enhance modeling and simulation efforts to provide, in conjunction with flight and ground testing, confidence to the warfighter that the missile defense system works. The MDA test program conducts a rigorous review involving MDA, along with the Army, Navy, Air Force and Operational Test Agencies to review BMDS models and simulations to determine the data needed to accredit them using a comprehensive Verification, Validation and Accreditation process. Working with the Services, Operational Test Agencies (OTA), with the support of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), the test program was restructured to improve confidence in the missile defense capabilities under development and ensure the capabilities transferred to the warfighter are operationally effective, suitable, and survivable. Test Policy, Budget, and Functional Management The Test Policy, Budget, and Functional Management program supports the development and implementation of test policy, standards, directives, and procedures for creating unified BMD test processes which reflect the best practices of existing element processes. The Test Policy, Budget, and Functional Management program also develops training and certification plans and International policy for the Directorate of Test. The Test Policy, Budget, and Functional Management program provides policy and guidance on Knowledge Management (KM) practices, establishing standardized documentation for test planning, test reporting, and data archiving. The program also develops, coordinates, and manages Directorate for Test inputs into the overall BMDS Program Plans, Directorate for Test Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) related Transition Planning, and relocation of personnel. The program also coordinates Directorate for Test budget planning and execution activities, as well as Test Functional Area (TFA) activities. The Test Policy, Budget and Functional Management program also supports System-Level Operational Test Agencies` (OTA) assessments. OTA funding is consolidated within the Directorate for Test so they can provide operational assessments of the BMDS. The OTA maintains their assessments in the OTA database, which is a living document of the BMDS assessment. Test Planning and Design Test Planning and Design performs campaign-level planning and design functions for the BMDS Test program. This includes the collection and adjudication of test objectives from BMD Systems Engineering, the OTA, and the warfighters; development of ground and flight test campaigns; validation of test venues and test scenarios; adaptive test planning; contingency planning; definition of test resource requirements, establishing a baseline test campaign timeline, and interfacing with co-located OTA and stakeholder representatives. These efforts culminate in the development and publication of the Integrated Master Test Plan (IMTP) which documents the test component of the BMDS Test Baseline across the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP). The Test Planning and Design function employs a three-phased strategy which will result in a process that produces an event-oriented test plan in the form of the BMDS IMTP that extends out as many years as necessary to collect all data required to demonstrate specific missile defense functions. During this three-phase comprehensive test review, MDA in conjunction with the Army, Navy, and Air Force OTAs reviewed the BMDS models and simulations to determine the data needed to accredit them using a comprehensive Verification, Validation, and Accreditation (VV&A) process. Much of the data needed to understand and assess system survivability, operational performance, reliability, and supportability can only be measured through ground tests and flight tests. The steady state test requirements development process requires the overall three phase approach to be conducted in concert with all supporting organizations. New test requirements will enter the process as the result of new BMDS functionality, test event data collection shortfalls, and other circumstances. The primary output of this process is the IMTP, which will be updated quarterly. Test Mission Management and Integration The Test Mission Management and Integration program plans, programs, and budgets the unified BMD test process. The Mission Management and Integration program prepares detailed plans and integrates all BMD system test events in conjunction with MDA and non-MDA elements. The Test Mission Management and Integration program consolidates personnel, processes, and resources in the elements and across MDA involved in Flight Test (FT) and Ground Test (GT) planning into a cohesive team, relying heavily upon BMDS system test objectives determined by BMD Systems Engineering. The Test Mission Management and Integration program performs BMDS test configuration control and asset management and integrates Flight and Ground Test scheduling and deconfliction. Mission Management function also provides end-to-end test cost oversight on flight and ground tests. Test Mission Management and Integration personnel form the core of the Integrated Event Test Teams for FTs, GTs and Contingency Operations providing the System Mission Manager (SMM) and technical support who perform mission management and integration functions initiating 18 months prior to the test date. The SMM provides leadership and continuity throughout the test life cycle, and serves as the test expert matrixed to the senior MDA leadership in charge of each of the five phases of testing from requirements generation through planning, readiness, execution, and data reduction and analysis. The mission management team synchronizes efforts from each of the Elements, BMD System Engineering, Test Data Management, Test Operations, and Test Resources to develop all mission documentation including Test Directives, Executive Reviews, resource requirements, mission viewing plans, and financial management of mission event funds. Test Operations The Test Operations division is responsible for executing all BMDS Ground Tests (GTs) and Flight Tests (FTs), which are necessary to provide the necessary data to demonstrate capability deliveries and BMDS capabilities. Test Operations provides mission Test Directors (TDs), who work in concert with their respective SMMs to ensure mission readiness for test, and who are then responsible for execution of BMDS system level execution activities during the run-up to test and on mission day. Test operations also manages, assigns, and dispositions mission related risk items via the Mission Risk Working group (MRWG) for BMDS test events and maintains a data base of BMDS Test Incident Reports (BTIRs) for those events from which lessons learned are extracted and applied to future tests. Test Operations is responsible for developing and maintaining a formal training and certification program for BMD management and execution personnel from each of the elements, as well as for other DT console operators. Test events include tests for Ground-Based Mid-Course Defense program, Aegis BMD, THAAD, sensors (SBX, AN/TPY-2, SN/SPY-1), C2BMC, allied weapon systems, and other developing elements like Airborne Laser and Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS). The test events are used to anchor system models and provide data to warfighters and senior decision makers regarding fielding and capability deliveries. The test events also address the demonstration of PATRIOT Upper Tier Debris Mitigation capability and the Aegis Weapon System SM-2 Block IV Sea-Based Terminal capability, demonstrate operationally realistic multi-national communication networks, perform directed engagements and engagement coordination among different participants, and assess MDA`s increased capability to support Critical Empirical Conditions (CECs) and Empirical Measurement Events (EMEs)** identified in the BMDS Integrated Master Test Plan (IMTP). International partners include but are not limited to Japan, Israel, and other potential future BMD International Partners. ** CECs/EMEs are the conditions and events where data is obtained from flight and ground tests in order to anchor system models and simulations. Test Data Management The Test Data Management program performs truth data analysis for all BMDS tests, performs data requirements definition, facilitates data collection, and manages Data Center functions for all BMDS tests. The Test Data Management program assures readiness, trains test personnel, ensures realism, assesses adequacy, and tracks test risk process. The Test Data Management program will assess readiness processes and metrics for these programs and evaluate the outcomes. Test Data Management program increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the BMDS test program by integrating key strategies and objectives into the Directorate for Test program by identifying and improving test processes. Test Data Management program assesses test adequacy by conducting: test assessments to identify data voids and unfulfilled objectives; test design reviews to ensure tests are configured to support assessment activity; and Mission planning meetings to ensure the proper data will be collected for analysis and assessment. The test training program provides BMDS operations, test operations, missile and range instrumentation training to test personnel to prepare them for Flight and Ground test console operations. The training program conducts console training exercises in the Advanced Research Center (ARC) Training and Operations Center. The training program also monitors, documents, and records operator and team performance in preparation for specific missions at the mission control site in an automated database. The Test Data Management program develops, sustains, and modernizes the Missile Defense Data Center (MDDC). Test Resources The Test Resources program develops, sustains, and modernizes the core T&E assets of the BMDS Test Bed to support System and Element-level Flight and Ground testing and assessment. This includes development, sustainment, and modernization of the MDA mobile instrumentation tool box, and BMD-unique ground test facilities. The mobile instrumentation tool box includes telemetry, radar, and optical data collection assets such as four (4) test aircraft equipped with optical sensors, mobile telemetry systems, the Kwajalein Mobile Range Safety System, the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP), the Telemetry and Instrumentation Ship, and the Pacific Tracker X-Band Transportable Radar Ship (under development). These assets are required to collect the spatial data needed to execute the flight tests safely and collect the measurement data needed for BMDS performance evaluation. The Test Resources program also makes focused investments to improve MDA-unique capability at Major Range & Test Facility Base activities. All of these assets enable robust flight testing and support mandatory safety and analysis data requirements in support of BMDS test activities. This core test capability is corporately sustained for the BMDS Test Program. The Test Resources program also provides for the development, sustainment, and modernization of Element Hardware-In-the-Loop (HWIL) representations to support robust System-level ground testing. The Test Resources program also provides continuous improvement, expansion, and sustainment of System Ground Test Infrastructure. The Test Resources program uses the BMD Systems Engineer`s products as the basis to evaluate the future resource needs of the BMDS. An annual analysis of data collection requirements and test scenarios versus existing and planned test assets identifies the test infrastructure needed to test the BMDS Elements as part of test campaign. The Test Resources program also includes the Pacific Range Support Team (PRST) to support the BMDS test teams with range mission planning and execution expertise, development of common standards and mission assurance, and to recommend development or modification of mobile instrumentation to support MDA testing. The Test Resources program is expanding the PRST management philosophy to Test Resources ground test assets and this philosophy will include test resource-related improvements to training and integration efforts. The BMD Digital Simulations Architecture (DSA) is the primary Modeling and Simulations (M&S) System framework used to integrate Elements baselines prior to flight or ground testing, facilitate technical trade-offs, concept analysis and trade studies, as well as providing support to Wargames and exercises within the BMDS Program. Each BMDS Element supports the M&S Program by providing digital representations ready for integration into the BMDS system-level framework. The DSA-performance architecture and Element and component high fidelity models support PA events, which provide critical system level performance data relative to all elements, system engineers, M&S developers, the Operational Test Agency, and Warfighters. The DSA-virtual architecture supports Element baseline integration, training, portions of ground testing and exercises. The BMD Single Stimulation Framework (SSF) utilizes Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) assets to support primarily BMDS ground testing, pre and post flight test mission construction and reconstruction, portions of the training capability, Wargames, exercises, BMDS contingency studies, as well as various other use cases to enable BMDS performance in a simulated environment. Each BMDS Element supports the Modeling and Simulation Program by providing HWIL representations ready for integration into the BMDS system-level framework to support full-envelope BMDS ground test, flight test, and training events based upon MDA and Warfighter needs. The Test Resources Program supports the ground test program by providing the infrastructure required to support execution of these tests. Engineering Test Analysis Engineering Test Analysis provides the leadership, tools, and processes to conduct pre- and post-mission system level analysis for all BMD system flight and ground test events. Analysis is performed and reported using the Joint Analysis Team (JAT). Pre-mission analysis provides essential risk reduction analysis used to optimize conditions for successful accomplishment of the primary mission objectives. Post-mission analysis is performed to assess the primary and secondary test objectives and to identify mission-specific performance enhancements or anomalies that were observed. The BMDS Capability Assessment team (BCAT) team conducts non-advocate assessments of the BMDS readiness and investigates BMDS performance issues and proposes mitigation plans. Target and Countermeasures Requirements Directorate is responsible for the development of BMDS level target and countermeasures class capabilities and mission specific requirements that meet system and element flight and ground test requirements. Target requirements development requires expertise in countermeasures, signatures, RV dynamics, trajectory assessments, threat capabilities, sensors, and current/predicted threat capabilities as well as weapon system capabilities to provide leadership information/data at a sufficient level and in an adequate timeframe for decision making and planning. Target certification assures that a target recommended for certification meets the mission and test objectives with the target characteristics identified for that test event. The Target Accreditation Report, the basis for certification, compares the target`s capabilities against the capabilities required by the BMDS Target Requirements Document and the test event described in the IMTP.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2011
• Source ID: MD04_0603888C_4_0400_PB_2011

Tags

Readers

• Aerospace Test and Evaluation
• Defense Acquisition Program Management
• Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

• Directed Energy
• Space