The Powered Low Cost Autonomous Attack System (PLOCAAS) is an Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program. The PLOCAAS objective is to demonstrate a suite of technologies in an affordable miniature munition to autonomously search, detect, identify, attack and destroy ground mobile targets of military interest. PLOCAAS incorporates a solid state Laser Detection and Ranging (LADAR) seeker and Autonomous Target Acquisition (ATA) algorithms, miniature turbojet engine, multi-mode warhead, and an integrated INS/GPS into a 36" long, high lift-to-drag ratio airframe. Together, these technologies provide standoff beyond terminal defenses, wide area search capability, and high probability of target report with low false target attack rate with high loadouts. Four LADAR seeker captive flight tests provided the sequestered data for robust Air Force ATA algorithm performance assessment. During Part I of the ATD, three successful free-flight tests were completed in which the LADAR seeker and Autonomous Target Acquisition (ATA) algorithms have detected, acquired, identified, and tracked ground mobile targets. Part II of the ATD demonstrated the ability to redirect the munition post release via a commercial satellite datalink. In addition to summarizing all program accomplishments, this paper will present results and lessons learned from Part II of the ATD. Part II's objective was to demonstrate the military utility of a two- ay data-link. The data-link allows an Operator-In-The-Loop (OITL) to monitor and control multiple cooperative, wide-area-search munitions and enables these munitions to serve as non-traditional Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets in a networkcentric environment.

Date Published: 2 May 2006
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 6249, Defense Transformation and Network-Centric Systems, 62490B (2 May 2006); doi: 10.1117/12.665073

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6249:
Defense Transformation and Network-Centric Systems
Raja Suresh, Editor(s)