This paper presents the results of a study designed to determine robustness of the performance improvements attributable to the use of space-based sensors for cueing a Navy Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD) Systems. The key system parameters of interest in the study are (1) the time delay, defined as the time interval between the threat missile burnout and the time at which the cue (threat missile state vector at burnout and covariance matrix) arrives at the TBMD shooter, and (2) the accuracy of the state vector. Performance characteristics of the space-based sensors and TBMD shooter subsystems were investigated parametrically. This study, with the exception of an excursion to consider targeting of the interceptor directly from the state vector and covariance matrix supplied by the space-based sensor, assumes that a cued weapon system will search for the threat missile, locate and track it, and provide the trajectory for the fire control solution. One of the metrics used to evaluate the effect of these critical parameters is the size of the defended area footprint. Conclusions drawn from this study support the proposition that the utilization of space-based sensors to cue a Navy Theater- Wide TBMD system can significantly increase the performance of the system.

Date Published: 7 June 1996
PDF: 17 pages
Proc. SPIE 2739, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing X, (7 June 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.241906

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2739:
Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing X
Michael K. Masten; Larry A. Stockum, Editor(s)