Decision Support Capabilities: AF Tactical Decision Aids

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Decision Support CapabilitiesAF Tactical
Decision Aids

• Major Kim Waldron
• 26 July 2000

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Overview

• Mission Requirements
• Warfighter Support
• Tools
• Tactical Decision Aids
• Visualizations

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Mission RequirementsWarfighter Support
Theater Aerospace Operations
Pre-Deployment Climo Impacts 0-12 months
/Deployment
Operations Planning Impacts on Ops
24-72 hours
Mission Planning Impacts on Missions 6-24
hours
Mission Rehearsal Visualizations 0-12
hours
Mission Execution Re-targeting Wx
during mission
Sustainment Impacts on Sustainment 0-5 days
Re-Deployment Re-Deployment Impacts 0-10 days
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Warfighter SupportReal-Time Accurate Relevant
- Long-range planning - Troop deployments -
Course of action development
Weather people, weather information involved at
every level
- Strategy Development - AEF Force Deployment
Climatology air space
5-day global / theater / space wx forecast
- CINC Guidance Letter - Shape of the
Battlefield - Defensive / Offensive Planning
Operational Area Forecast (air space wx impacts)
- Build Tasking Order Weapon Selection - AEF
Employment BDA
- Mission Planning
Planning forecasts (air space, mission-specific)
- Tactic Selection - EOTDA / COMMS
- Brief Crew
Target / enroute air space forecasts (go /
no-go)
Bombs on Target/BDA
H-12 Hours
H-3 Hours
H-Hour
H-36 Hours
H-30 Days
H-120 Hours
H-72 Hours
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Mission RequirementsPlanning and Execution

• Focus of current decision aids and on-going
  development work
• Allows analysis of weather impacts on weapon
  system
• Adjust target selection
• Change mission timing
• Pick alternate weapon
• Optimize route of flight

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Tools Overview

• Tactical Decision Aids
• Warfighter Weather Effects (WxFX)
• Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid (IWEDA)
• Joint Environmental Exploitation Segment (JEES)
• Target Acquisition Weather Software (TAWS)
• Geophysical and Environmental Effects Distributor
  (GEED)
• Visualizations

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Warfighter Weather Effects

• Will deliver high resolution weather effects /
  impacts products to the warfighter for mission
  rehearsal and long-range planning
• The program will produce Integrated Weather
  Effects Decision Aids (IWEDAs) and climatological
  IWEDAs (CLIMOWEDAs)
• POC ASNE MSEA

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Warfighter Wx Effects
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Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid

• Rules-based application to produce graphical
  output (stoplight chart) for a given weapon
  system
• Utilizes numerical weather prediction data
• POC Army Research Laboratory / 88 WS

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TechnologiesWeather Effects Visualization
IWEDA provides a stop-light representation of
weather impacts on sensors, systems, platforms
and operations at different times of the day
based on critical value thresholds
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Joint Environmental Exploitation Segment

• Part of a test version of Theater Air Planner
  (TAP)
• Initial prototype interfaces with "canned"
  versions of the Target List and other available
  databases
• Will be extended to incorporate weather impacts
  in additional areas including
• Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS)
• Force Level Execution (FLEX) for target
  replanning during the ATO execution
• Time Critical Targeting (TCT)
• POC AFRL

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TAP Screen Mockup
Cane 01
Cane 01
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Cane 01
Cane 01
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Cane 01
Cane 01
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Cane 01
Cane 01
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TAP - All Better
Cane 01
Cane 01
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Target Acquisition Weather Software

• Utilizes models developed in several research
  programs to predict the impact of weather and
  environmental effects on IR, TV, NVG, and Laser
  weapon and navigation system performance and
  surveillance and targeting systems
• Provides graphs for lock-on range versus time,
  lock-on range versus approach azimuth, and a
  graph showing approach angle to maximize sensor
  detection ranges
• Joint program AF, Navy, and Army program
• POC AFRL

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Target Acquisition Weather Software

• Tactical Tools
• Detection range
• Best attack axis
• Thermal Crossover
• Polarity
• Illumination

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Geophysical Environmental Effects Distribution
System

• Incorporates TDAs to determine atmospheric
  effects on weapons / sensor performance
• Expands capability to include space environmental
  effects
• Initially for wargaming and exercises
• Future plans to provide operational capability
• POC AFRL

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Geophysical Environmental Effects Distributor
(GEED)
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Geophysical Environmental Effects Distributor
(GEED)
PIPPER and 2D Profile of Scud Launcher (2000Z)
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Screen Capture of DIS Game Board
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PIPPER and 2D Profile of Scud Launcher (0500Z)
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Game Board Showing EW Site
Barstow EW site
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PIPPER and 2D Profile of EW Sites Generator
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Tools Overview

• Tactical Decision Aids
• Visualizations
• Infrared Target-scene Simulation Software (IRTSS)
• Advanced Climate Modeling and Environmental
  Simulations (ACMES)
• Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) visualization
  packages

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CSSM/IRTSSInfrared Cloud Scenes

• Develops and upgrades models for predicting and
  visualizing weather impacts on air-to-ground IR
  targeting and navigation
• Provides weather-impacted visualization of target
  scenes in the IR as they would be seen in cockpit
  displays
• Being expanded to TV and NVG scenes
• Situational awareness provides geographic cues to
  aid pilots in finding targets in a complex scene
• POC AFRL

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CSSM/IRTSSInfrared Cloud Scenes
Clouds Generated by CSSM, rendered with IRTSS
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Advanced Climate Modeling and Environmental
Simulation

• One-of-a-kind system that recreates high
  resolution (40km, 10km, 1km in Oct '00)
  atmospheric data over selected, high-interest,
  data sparse areas using a limited-area mesoscale,
  physics-based model
• Cornerstone of ASNE atmospheric data production
• POC AFCCC / ASNE MSEA Office

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Advanced Climate Modeling and Environmental
Simulation
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SummarySupport System Capabilities

• Decision Makers
• Warfighter Support - Supported CINC, Air
  Operations Center, etc
• Flight Safety - individual aircrews guided by
  MAJCOM directed limitations
• Resource Protection - Wing or Installation
  Commander

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Weather Impacts On Operations
KOSOVO DAY 1
24/02Z
08Z
23/02Z
14Z
20Z
STRATRECCE
HI TACRECCE
LO TACRECCE
CAS
HELO OPS
TAC AIRLIFT
PERSONNEL
GROUND OPS
PGMs
FAVORABLE
MARGINAL
UNFAVORABLE
CREATED 23 MAY 0200Z
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Severe Wx Improvements

• New severe weather paradigm -- 2 HOUR WARNINGS ON
  POTENTIAL
• Base-wide severe wx education is key
• Enhances combat readiness
• New products and services will help -- AFWA
  providing 2 hour point wx warnings for active,
  guard, and reserve bases
• Reengineering the long term solution

Use base-wide team approach to protect people and
resources from severe wx
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SummarySupport System Capabilities

• Developing multi-purpose decision aids
• Planning / Execution
• New TDAs will include optical turbulence in
  support of the Airborne Laser Program
• CONOPS are evolving with technology and support
  infrastructure changes