Sensor Mission Training

for Operators, Analysts, and

Decision Makers

Dale SextonDale SextonDale SextonDale Sexton

Presagis USA

Mike Pafford

Camber Corporation

The Systems

• Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems

• The number of ISR systems is expanding rapidly

• A critical component of modern warfare

• Manned and unmanned systems

• Sensors span a wide range of capabilities

Sensors

• From the “fog of war” to “information overload”

• Sensor systems:

– Radar

– Electro-optical (EO)

– Infrared (IR)

– Signal analysis (SIGINT)

• Part of every new weapon system

• Specific ISR systems

• With networking every platform becomes an ISR system

Training for ISR

• Training has emerged as a critical area

• High demand for data supplied by these systems

– End users want system on station around the clock

– Long mission times

– Large numbers of new systems being deployed

• Supporting crew members required

• Demand for service, long missions, and new system entering operation mean huge demand for training

The “Actors”

Operator

Sensor

Environment

Analyst

Decision Makers

Train Everyone!

• A comprehensive training capability should includes provisions for training of:

– flight crew

– systems operators

– sensor operators

– image analysts

– decision makers – command staff

• Without comprehensive training you may not realize the full benefit of these incredible new tools.

ISR Systems

• Typical sensor is generally an EO/IR camera system or a Radar.

• The sensor is the heart of the ISR system

• The sensor simulation should be the heart of the ISR training system.

• A high fidelity simulation of the tactical environment allows training to be extended beyond button pushing

System Architecture

Operator Workstation

Sensor

EnvironmentMission

Computer

AnalystWorkstation

Simulated Equipment Real Equipment

ImageStorage

Requirements

• Comprehensive Training System

• Flexibility in the face of evolving tactical situations

• Accurate Radar Simulation (SAR and MTI)– Physics based modeling

– High Fidelity Terrain model

• Interface to Operator / Image Analyst workstations.

• World Representative Tactical Environment

Cost

• Development of high fidelity training systems can be very expensive

• Comprehensive Training System developed from scratch can cost from $20M to $50M (€15M to €40M)

• Radar Simulations software is 500,000 to 800,000 Source Lines of Code (SLOC)

• Tactical Environment simulation can be over 1M Source Lines of Code.

• Tactical situation displays can be over 100,000 Source Lines of Code

Alternative Approach

• Today’s aircraft system make extensive use of COTS equipment and interfaces.

• PC based image storage, display and analysis systems.

• Ethernet interfaces

– Radar system control

– Imagery transfer from Radar System to storage

– Imagery distribution to display and analysis stations

• When PCs are used on the aircraft there is often a preference for Simulation Systems to share the same computer platforms.

COTS Software Products

• Reduces risk.

• Reduces development costs.

• Minimizes development schedule.

• Early capability demonstrations.

• Supports a cyclic development process.

• Tap into existing expertise/knowledge base.

A Recent Program

• ISR Manned Aircraft

• Flight Crew trainer, Rear Cockpit trainer, Ground Station trainer(s)

• System Operation, Image analysis, and command staff components

• This is comprehensive training…

• We provided the tactical environment and sensor simulation.

Flight Crew Trainer

Rear Crew Trainer

Mission Computer

Ground StationTrainer

Sensor Simulation and Tactical Environment

Image ProcessingAnd Storage

Operator / Image AnalystWorkstation

CommunicationSimulation

COTS Products Used

• Presagis STAGE™

– The complete tactical environment.

– The Tactical Situation Display (TSD) for the Instructor Operator Station (IOS)

• Camber’s Radar Toolkit®

– Radar simulation

• SAR Radar imagery

• Moving Target Indication (MTI) Detections.

• Terrain databases were generated from source data using Presagis TerraVista™.

Radar Simulator and Tactical

Environment

EXEC

Host

STAGESituational Awareness

Display(based on STAGE)

Radar Toolkit

Tactical Environment

IOS Console

100 BaseT

100 BaseTTCP/IP Ethernet

Connections

API MEMSharedMemory

Advantages

• The use of aircraft systems and software in the training system is more cost effective when those systems are Personal Computers.

• When the aircraft systems use COTS interfaces (Ethernet) it is easy to replicate the architecture of the aircraft in the training system.

• Mission Computer, Radar Operator, Image Analyst workstations can be reused.

• Simulations of sensors are used to stimulate the aircraft systems through same interfaces as onboard aircraft.

• Early development of simulations will serve in a Systems Integration Lab (SIL) environment to support aircraft system development.

Future Application

• ISR platforms

– UAV

– Manned Aircraft

• Ground Station Trainers

• Command and Control Training

– Instructions to Semi-automated Forces

– Validation of decisions based on imagery

– Decisions based on analysis

• Border protection systems and training