N151-021 TITLE: Advanced Modeling and Visualization of Effects for Future Electronic Warfare Systems

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA 234

OBJECTIVE: Develop the capability to model and visualize the complex tactical electronic warfare (EW) environment, including EW effects, threat radars, tactical aircraft, and other tactically-relevant information in support of Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) mission planning for current and future EW systems, such as the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ).

DESCRIPTION: The Navy is interested in novel approaches for modeling and visualizing the complex tactical EW environment. Current capabilities provide a variety of complex threat, jammer, and environment models in addition to highly representative and useful visual approaches.

Currently, two-dimensional (2D), and some three-dimensional (3D), visualization environments are available for seeing EW effects within a tactically-relevant threat environment. These capabilities are already part of, or will soon be part of, the AEA Unique Planning Component (UPC) within the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) suite of software used for EW mission planning. Methods for expanding the current visualization approaches to support advanced EW capabilities for systems such as NGJ are needed. These advanced capabilities include electronically-steered antennas, advanced waveform generation, utilization of digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) and other advanced targeting approaches.

These visualizations should take into account human factors issues, such as screen clutter, density, and ease of use. In complex threat environments, it is easy for the operator to become confused from the large amount of information provided and the manner in which it is drawn and presented. As part of this effort, approaches for "de-cluttering" the display should also be identified to allow for useful, tactical employment of these capabilities. Measurements of operator workload and/or operator situational awareness should be used to demonstrate that these human factors issues have been effectively accounted for (References 1-3). Additional information will be provided by the TPOC to the Phase I awardees.

PHASE I: Develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a concept for models and visuals of the complex tactical EW environment that support the needs of current and future Navy EW capabilities. Prepare a development plan which addresses technical risk reduction and provides performance goals and key technical milestones, to be included in the Phase I Final Report.

PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I, develop and demonstrate a prototype that models and visualizes the complex tactical EW environment. Demonstrate performance through evaluation of the prototype system within a wide range of operational scenarios and environments. Measurements of operator workload and/or operator situational awareness should be included in the performance evaluation (References 1 -3). Results of these demonstrations will be used to further refine and expand on the prototype solution set. Prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology.

PHASE III: Transition the system technology for operational testing and evaluation as an EW mission planning system for both Naval and commercial applications. Naval applications are the JMPS UPC's which employ AEA. Naval certifications and training material development will follow standards already defined for the applicable JMPS UPC's.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Derivatives of this simulation tool could be used by spectrum-regulating agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to more effectively model interference possibilities among a great variety of competing radio frequency (RF) users. The tool could also be used by commercial industry to design RF systems with reduced interference among competing users.

REFERENCES:
1. NASA Task Load Index (TLX), Retrieved from http://humansystems.arc.nasa.gov/groups/tlx/tlxpublications.html

2. Donmez, B., Cummings, M., Graham, H., & Brzezinski, A. (2010). Modified Cooper Harper scales for assessing unmanned vehicle displays. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81763

3. Endsley, M. R. (1988). Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT). Northrop Aircraft, Hawthorne, CA. In proceeding of: Aerospace and Electronics Conference, 1988. NAECON 1988. Proceedings of the IEEE 1988 National. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&arnumber=195097&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fxpls%2Fabs_all.jsp%3Farnumber%3D195097.

KEYWORDS: Visualization; Situation Awareness; Digital Radio Frequency Memory (Drfm); Radio Frequency (Rf); Electronic Warfare (EW); Next Generation Jammer (NGJ)

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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