3.5 Integrated Platform Electronics
Government and weapon system contractors concur, using the F-22 and RAH-66 as baselines, that by FY00 procurement, support, and development costs will each be reduced by 10%; mission-capable rate will improve by 20%; first-pass kill will improve by 30% for fixed-wing attack aircraft; nap-of-the-earth engagements will improve by 10% for rotary-wing attack aircraft; and aircraft attrition rates will decrease by 5%. By FY05 each of these improvements nominally will be twice that projected by FY00. These advancements have transition potential for a wide variety of military aerospace systems (i.e., F-15/F-16/F-18/F-117/AH-64 upgrades and retrofits; RAH-66/V-22/F-22 growth; F-18/F-22 derivatives; and the new JSF development). The technology developed under this subarea can be applied to commercial and civilian aircraft, ships, automobiles, and spacecraft. Development of the latest commercial aircraft—the Boeing 777—is incorporating greater levels of integration. Military use of commercial technology, tools, and standards will enhance transition opportunities. Joint warfighting S&T being supported by this subarea primarily include Precision Force, Combat Identification, Joint Theater Missile Defense, Electronic Combat, and Information Superiority.
IPE develops the technology needed to integrate the advancements made in the individual sensor areas. The payoffs described above will be achieved through IPE technology developments and demonstrations that in turn will be integrated into higher level simulations and demonstrations using laboratory testbeds. The efforts in this area draw on the output of the technology developed in radar sensors (3.1), EO sensors (3.2), RF components (3.6), microelectronics (3.8), and electronics integration technology (3.10). In addition, IPE is closely linked to the Air Platforms and Human Systems DTAPs.
3.5.2.1 Goals and Timeframes. Table VII-6 shows the goals and timeframes for the IPE area.
| Fiscal Year | Goal |
|---|---|
| FY00 | Reduce integration development, procurement, and support costs by 30%. Reduce size, weight, and cooling requirements by 25%. Increase reliability by 30%. Reduce both electronic emissions and apertures by 50% and double real-time, all-source information fusion capabilities. |
| FY05 | Reduce integration development, procurement, and support costs by 50%. Reduce size, weight, and cooling requirements by 50% for fixed-wing and 40% for rotary-wing aircraft. Increase reliability by 50%. Reduce both electronic emissions and apertures by 75% and increase real-time, all-source information fusion capabilities by 5x. |
3.5.2.2 Major Technical Challenges. Significant new approaches are needed for the avionics system hardware and software. Cost reductions include the R&D phase as well as the O&M support costs. Obsolete parts and software rehosting are critical logistics problems that require multiple innovative approaches. Engineering/manufacturing development (EMD) time must be shortened and operational lifetime extended to be compatible with this era of fast technology turnover. Designs must be transparent to rapid, frequent technology upgrades using commercial components. Wide-bandwidth, high-dynamic-range-sensor components that can be time-shared to support multiple functions are needed. Low-cost COTS hardware and software components with plug-and-play capabilities and that can be packaged to survive military environments must be supported architecturally using open system architectures based on commercial endeavors. Development of reliable, super high density connectors and fiber optic components to implement high-bandwidth networks must be developed, matured, and inserted into systems. Incremental upgrades to legacy software and mechanisms to allow existing software to coexist with new software without extensive revalidation is critical to cost reduction and the use of COTS components. Major advancements are required in multilevel secure data manipulation, system-level sensor management, and fusion, which are keystones to the future of situation awareness and improved crew productivity with reduced crew size—perhaps the mantra for UAVs.
3.5.2.3 Related Federal and Private Sector Efforts. Commercial aircraft avionics is best represented by the Boeing 777 and Airbus. However, these platforms do not possess nor require the avionic offensive and defensive functions that are the core capabilities of the military attack platforms. However, there are numerous technology advancements in the commercial sector roughly characterized by COTS that indeed impact the lower level function required to implement the military-unique offensive and defensive functions. These will be fully exploited primarily to address affordability.
In order for the warfighter to realize the capabilities provided by sensors, decision aids, and weapons, they must be integrated in a manner such that the warfighter can understand situation awareness, mission plan, and contingencies; and such that the systems can be affordably, physically, and functionally integrated onto the platform. IPE develops the technologies and tools to accomplish this, including electronic system architecture (fault tolerance, standards and interfaces, interconnects, modeling and simulation); resource and information technology (shared resource management); integrated EO and RF multifunctional/multifrequency apertures; and electronic signal and data processing (packaging, power management, cooling, modularity/ commonality). The payoffs cited in Section 3.5.1 will be achieved through IPE technology developments and demonstrations, which, in turn, will be integrated into higher level simulations and demonstrations using laboratory testbeds.
3.5.3.1 Technology Demonstrations.
Integrated Platform Avionics Demonstration (DTO SE.23.02). This DTO is a structured tier of continuing demonstrations of the sub-subarea advancements and their integration into higher level avionic functions. It will show low-cost solutions for future tri-service retrofit and forward-fit applications in integrated avionics by utilizing tri-service development products in a series of testbed demonstrations.
Advanced Common Electronic Modules (DTO SE.24.02). This DTO will develop advanced common electronic modules for common sensor interfaces and digital processing computing nodes. It is a specific aspect of the lower level sub-subarea demonstration of the Integrated Sensor System (ISS). This DTO, however, is focused on application to the SH-60 helicopter platform, whereas ISS is focused on attack aircraft in general.
3.5.3.2 Technology Development. The Smart Skins Array ATD is developing and demonstrating the technical feasibility, operational utility, and support benefits of structurally embedded antenna arrays. Architecture objectives are to reduce interconnect network costs by 50% and increase performance by 8x (FY00) and 50x (FY05); increase design productivity by 2x (FY00) and 5x (FY05); improve plug and play of new technology into existing systems by 70% (FY00) and 85% (FY05); improve resource allocation within the backplane, real-time reconfiguration about faults (FY00) and dynamic resource allocation within a distributed system (FY05); increase mean time before critical failure by 3x (FY00) and 6x (FY05).
Information management objectives are to improve target/threat detection 20% (FY00) and 40% (FY05); improve target/threat location 15% (FY00) and 30% (FY05); improve target/ threat identification probability 20% (FY00) and 35% (FY05); and reduce own-aircraft detectability 100:1 (FY00) and 200:1 (FY05).
Integrated EO objectives are to reduce the cost of multispectral shared apertures 50% (FY00) and 75% (FY05); and develop affordable, 350-m/s large area optical windows (FY00).
Integrated RF objectives are to reduce number of apertures 10% (FY00) and 20% (FY05); reduce life-cycle cost of aperture suite 20% (FY00) and 30% (FY05); reduce aggregate aperture RCS 10 dB (FY00) and 15 dB (FY05); and reduce total weight of apertures 25% (FY00) and 35% (FY05).
Signal and data processing objectives are to increase sustained throughput 4x (FY00) and 16x (FY05); increase memory density 6x (FY00) and 32x (FY05); decrease cost 33% (FY00) and 66% (FY05); and demonstrate reusable mission software 50% (FY00) and 60% (FY05).
3.5.3.3 Basic Research. A revolutionary approach to fusion algorithms is required of the mathematics research area. As of now, these most demanding algorithms are being attacked as evolutionary extensions of what exists today. Basic research in the area of high-speed devices that will allow movement of the A/D interface toward the sensor can revolutionize the implementation architecture of avionic functions.
