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L ooking Forward Kwajalein: The Next Fifty Years Looking back is the role of other articles. This one looks forward. MIT Lincoln Laboratory has had trajectory, platforms that hopefully more time-critical data. The number staff resident on Kwajalein continu- are small, low cost, and maybe even of objects in Earth orbit is high and ously since 1962. The primary mis- disposable. growing. Consequently, the probability sion support areas, the types of tests, Lincoln Laboratory’s earliest of near-collisions and actual conjunc- and the sensor suite have all changed involvement with Kwajalein dealt tions will continue to rise. Kwajalein significantly over that time frame. The with defending our homeland against sensors are increasingly tasked to continuing evolution and importance ICBM attack. Tests of components urgently provide accurate, precise of the ongoing missions suggest that and systems at Kwajalein have finally data to refine the orbits of the involved the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile resulted in the deployment of an oper- satellites in order to improve the esti- Defense Test Site (RTS) will remain ational Ballistic Missile Defense Sys- mated probability of a conjunction, vital to the U.S. Department of Defense tem (BMDS) to defend our homeland thereby eliminating unnecessary colli- for many years into the future. and to protect our allies and deployed sion-avoidance maneuvers. Demands The primary mission areas that forces. As the BMDS evolves, more on the Kwajalein sensors will evolve as RTS currently supports are global complex developmental and opera- the space control mission increases in strike offensive capabilities, missile tional testing will be needed and RTS national importance. defense, and space surveillance. It is will play a central role. While global strike, missile important to perform operational tests Space is evolving from a sanctuary defense, and space control will remain of the Air Force Minuteman III inter- to a contested, congested area. Sensors critical mission areas requiring Kwa- continental ballistic missile system that in the past updated the orbit of a jalein sensor support, there is also a (ICBM) to gain assurance that the sys- satellite so the satellite could be found shift under way in the national focus to tem continues to operate properly and the next day are now being tasked for meet the challenge of near-peers and reliably. At the other end of the global strike spectrum are hypersonic boost- glide systems whose development, test, and evaluation are in their infancy. Given the immaturity of boost-glide systems, there is a need for exquisite test data in order to understand and assess the systems’ performance. RTS, with its unparalleled sensor suite and unique geographic location, is likely to remain a primary impact site for testing these global strike systems. However, the low-altitude trajectory of the hypersonic boost-glide systems could motivate a reconsideration of the Laboratory-developed fly-along sensor packages into multiple sensors carried on autonomous air-breathing platforms deployed along the vehicle’s 102 LINCOLN LABORATORY JOURNAL n VOLUME 19, NUMBER 2, 2012 L ooking Forward advanced threats around the globe, provide three-dimensional images, including in the Pacific. A shift to the while long-baseline systems, com- Pacific will likely affect Kwajalein’s role bining on-atoll and off-atoll sensors, in test bed development, another indi- could enhance the accuracy of satellite cation that RTS capabilities are likely ephemeris data. GPS-based systems to grow in importance to national that are on board test articles provide, decision makers. via telemetry downlink, precise posi- Sensor technology advancements tion information. The wealth of data have kept Kwajalein sensors relevant to flowing into RTS begs for improved the different mission areas as they have automation and decision support evolved. Maxwell’s equations and the tools for the individual sensors and, radar range equations will not change, more importantly, for integrated situ- but the underlying technology should ational awareness and control of the continue to evolve with the replace- suite of sensors. Developments in this ment of high-power vacuum devices area will be of growing importance vehicles dive to impact. The Kwa- by solid-state devices on one end in an increasingly networked world, jalein instrumentation must be and greater signal processing power especially in light of potential addi- prepared to gather the crucial data on the other end. Advances in open tions of new sensors to be integrated required by these events. Thorough, into the sensor suite. exacting technical competence is Twenty-five years ago, I was While we cannot demanded. The ability to work with the TRADEX leader and asked predict the future, we a diverse team of Laboratory, govern- can be certain that sig- ment, and contractor personnel is the antenna engineer to paint nificant change and tech- essential. In the years ahead, Labora- “25 years of service” on the nical challenges will be tory staff will return from Kwajalein antenna. They have updated the dealt with at RTS. As the with newfound professional maturity Department of Defense and lifelong memories. sign ever since. Little did I know budget pressures con- Lincoln Laboratory is eager to 25 years ago that I would be tinue, RTS will continue address new challenges at RTS. As back for the 50th! to optimize its opera- the Laboratory’s Kwajalein program tion and maintenance moves into its sixth decade, the Labo- architectures and networks, together costs, and take full advantage of the ratory has strong confidence that the with the implementation of an opti- efficiencies that programs such as the challenges will be met and will result cal fiber connection from Kwajalein Kwajalein Modernization and Remot- in a new round of significant techni- to the continental United States, have ing and RTS Distributed Operations cal achievement. led to remote, distributed operations have brought to the range. —Kurt Schwan of both the sensors and the mission A tour of duty on Kwajalein will control centers. This new operational always be a unique experience for Kurt Schwan has spent most of flexibility will permit tighter coupling Lincoln Laboratory staff because his Lincoln Laboratory career work- between the sensors. Simultaneous they must learn to deal with real ing with the sensors at the Lincoln radar and optical data collection com- operational systems participating in Space Surveillance Complex in Mas- bined with real-time processing will global-scale events. Ballistic missile sachusetts and the Reagan Test Site at fuse the precise radar range data with warheads streak across the sky. Inter- Kwajalein. He has worked to improve the precise optical angle data. ceptors blast off to collide with their the capabilities of those sensors to Kwajalein has a long history with intended targets. Satellite launches advance the space control and missile multistatic systems. New short-base- are acquired and characterized in defense mission areas. He is currently line multistatic radar systems could minutes. Maneuverable hypersonic on his third tour of duty at Kwajalein. VOLUME 19, NUMBER 2, 2012 n LINCOLN LABORATORY JOURNAL 103