Reactive Missile Plume Simulator for Open-Air Testing

The Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), Weapons Division, China Lake has a requirement to develop a Reactive Missile Plume Simulator (RMPS) for open-air test and evaluation (T&E) of infrared (IR) missile warning and countermeasures systems. Adequate evaluation of Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) requires that missile plume signatures be simulated for both jammed and non-jammed missile conditions. The high DIRCM IR tracker resolution dictates a continuous spatial plume simulation. Technology Service Corporation (TSC) is proposing an innovative solution to the RMPS requirement. The approach, based on technology employed in the Infrared Simulator and Target Array (ISTAR) system at NAWC (previously developed by TSC), uses extended infrared sources configured end-to-end to define jammed missile trajectories. The sources (9 meters in length) are instrumented with detectors for IR bands I, II, and IV to monitor the DIRCM waveform. Under Phase II, TSC will complete a detailed system design, then build, test, and demonstrate a proof-of-concept system that will provide ISTAR with an initial RMPS capability.