TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Battlespace

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) 5E - USW/DSS

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is "ITAR Restricted." The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120 - 130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign Citizens may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign citizen who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal will be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate and develop innovative algorithms to support coordinated acoustic and non-acoustic Anti-Submarine Warfare search by multiple heterogeneous manned/unmanned systems.

DESCRIPTION: Future ASW will incorporate networks of multiple acoustic and non-acoustic sensor modules deployed on airborne, surface, and sub-surface manned platforms and unmanned vehicles (UVs) that can detect submarines and surface ships. Recent advances in mission planning have focused on platform-level capability. In an environment with multiple heterogeneous platforms, it is critical to generate coordinated mission plans in order to optimize manned platform and UV effectiveness. The aim of this project will be to evaluate candidate algorithms and data processing technologies that will generate the best possible mission plans for multiple manned platforms and UVs. This planner will receive mission tasking information for a group of airborne, surface, and sub-surface manned platforms (e.g., MH-60R, DDG-51) and UVs. From this tasking, it will generate individual mission plans designed to optimize overall ASW mission effectiveness. In addition, it will evaluate plan effectiveness in real-time, taking into account platform constraints, sensor performance and in-situ environmental data. The mission planner will also provide dynamic re-planning when necessary. Manned platform and UV system performance metrics to be improved by transitioning this optimal mission planner into the fleet will include reduced time to search an area and reduced operator workload. These improved plans will provide improved situational awareness and threat assessment.

PHASE I: Develop and evaluate Mission Planning algorithms for heterogeneous manned platforms and UVs that utilizes best-available search optimization techniques and are suitable for transition into Navy systems such as the Undersea Warfare Decision Support System (USW-DSS). Emphasis will be placed on future military utility (i.e., producing effective and implementable search plans based on modeling constraints on ASW platforms and sensors and their actual effectiveness in search operations). Create simulated data to evaluate system performance.

PHASE II: Following the Advanced Processor Build (APB) concept, fully develop an interactive prototype of a standalone tactical decision aid to demonstrate proof of concept and demonstrate its operation and ability to effectively optimize heterogeneous acoustic and non-acoustic ASW manned and unmanned platforms using simulated and real-world data.

PHASE III: Embed and demonstrate the Phase II Mission Planner within a prototype manned platform and UV command and control system such as USW-DSS. Demonstrate and report on performance during at-sea trials.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: This technology could be applicable to a wide range of civilian applications of autonomy and automation including the use of unmanned systems for homeland defense, automation of building, facility, and port security, search and rescue, and other first responder applications. With the increased emphasis on homeland security, this has annually become a multi-billion dollar industry.

REFERENCES:
1. Washburn, Alan R., Search and Detection, 4th Ed., INFORMS, 2002.

2. Stone, Lawrence D., Theory of Optimal Search, 2nd edition, MAS, 2007

3. Chandler, H.A. Alphonso, K.J., GRASP: an object-oriented approach to sonar performance modeling and tactical ASW search planning, OCEANS '02 MTS/IEEE, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fiel5%2F8479%2F26715%2F01191851.pdf%3Farnumber%3D1191851&authDecision=-203

4. Kunigami, Masaaki, Optimizing ASW Search for HVU Protection using the FAB Algorithm
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA328621

5. USW-DSS Build 3 System Requirements

KEYWORDS: Anti-Submarine Warfare; mission planning; acoustic; non-acoustic; unmanned vehicles; optimization

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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