SBIR-STTR Award

The proposed research will examine the anti-simulation tactic both from the standpoint of the offense and from that of the defense. The offense point of view includes determining the signature features that the anti-simulation tactic attempts to disguise and the degree to which these features can be modified by practical alterations of both the RV and the decoy. This portion of the research will also address important theoretical and practical issues such as how to determine the number and the distribution of the multiple classes that result from the application of anti-simulation and how to best implement the tactic in practice. The defense point of view focuses on the most effective strategy that can be employed to counter the tactics in order to obtain a quantitative estimate of anti-simulation effectiveness. Procedures for combining the data from multiple sensors will be derived and applied to both exo- and endo-atmospheric engagements in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the defense tactic in a multi-sensor environment as a function of the type and the- amount of a-priori information available to the defense. Results will be analyzed to determine the characteristics that contain the most potent discrimination information and these will be related to the physical phenomena so that the applicability of the tactic to specific systems can be established.

The credibility of penaids is a key element in overall offense system effectiveness. Antisimulation tactics can provide the offense designer with additional degrees of freedom not available with the simulation tactic. This proposed Phase II research will provide a thorough evaluation of optical antisimulation tactics and assess the availability of material technologies necessary to implement these tactics. This research will begin with concepts developed during the Phase I effort - namely random variations of infrared emissivity (ETA) and solar absorptivity (alpha) over wavebands and targets. These concepts will be extended in Phase II to include optimization of the parameters of the distributions for the exoatmosphere, verification of endoatmospheric performance and a further consideration of shrouded reentry vehicles. The consequences of a priori information denial will be assessed. To properly evaluate the benefits of the proposed new antisimulation tactics, an evaluation of defense responses will be undertaken - including the fusion of radar and optical sensors and the development of adaptive algorithms suitable for discrimination with limited or no prior knowledge. Specific aspects of the RV and penaid properties that are important to deny to the defense will be identified along with additional means of information denial available to the antisimulation offense designer.