DTIC ADA521075: Technology Initiatives in Support of Joint Warfighters - Current Initiatives

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by  Defense Technical Information Center

Technology
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o Initiatives in
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Support of Joint
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i Michael C. Schexnayder
u Deputy Commanded for Research,
U.S. Army Space and Missile
Defense Command/U.S. Army
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Warfighters — Forces Strategic Command
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A
Current Initiatives
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ur Army and Nation remain engaged in a restrict the amount of real time information that can be
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global war on terror that demands we maxi- transmitted between RTS and CONUS. High bandwidth
n mize each member’s contribution from the fiber connectivity will allow real-time information such as
joint team. In this article, I want to discuss visualization, video images and sensor-tracking displays
e how U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/U.S. to be transmitted directly to CONUS locations. This high
Army Forces Strategic Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT) bandwidth connection will speed distribution of mission
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continues to explore better ways to meet its ever-growing data and provide analysis more quickly to users. Additionally,
mission demands. This article explores current initiatives this new enabler will allow USAKA, and test customers, to
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that will improve support to missile tracking and testing remote some technical capability to SMDC/ARSTRAT
o and Space launch efforts at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic locations in Huntsville. This will allow programs to meet
Missile Defense Test Site (RTS)/U.S. Army Kwajalein many of their test objectives without sending large numbers
l Atoll (USAKA); support to the joint warfighter through of personnel to Kwajalein Atoll.
e the use of operationally responsive Space and high altitude
platforms; and the contributions of the Big Crow Project U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA)
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Office. The KCS project directly complements the Department
e of Defense and Army transformation efforts to create a
Real time mission data from the Pacific Rim secure, robust optical Internet Protocol terrestrial network
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possible through fiber optic cable — also known as the Global Information Grid. The
SMDC/ARSTRAT supports the Missile Defense Defense Information Security Agency will perform the con-

h Agency’s (MDA) efforts to build a missile defense system tracting actions necessary through its contracting activity, the
through real-time mission support at RTS. Negotiations Defense Information Technology Contracting Office. The
continue for the installation of a submarine fiber optic cable KCS will be the first land line connection between USAKA
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to be in place by Fiscal Year 2008 between RTS and the and CONUS, providing reliable and timely data transfer.
r continental U.S. (CONUS) and other dispersed locations. High bandwidth connectivity will greatly benefit RTS as
This multi-million dollar cable will stretch almost 2200 miles the primary ground-based missile defense test site and an
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from USAKA in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) integral participant in ballistic missile development.
e — through the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) — to The FSM Telecommunications Corporation and the
Guam. This project, known as the Kwajalein Cable System Marshall Islands National Telecommunications Agency
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(KCS), is a key element of the USAKA strategic vision to are negotiating to purchase fiber optic bandwidth on this
e enhance customer support in the areas of theatre and bal- cable system. Plans are to finance the project through the
R listic missile testing and Space operations. Rural Utility Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of
Low bandwidth terrestrial communications and the Agriculture. Both the FSM and RMI are anxious to acquire
latency and availability of satellite communications currently the fiber to their countries since they view it as important
6 Army Space Journal 2007 Winter Edition
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1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED
2007 2. REPORT TYPE 00-00-2007 to 00-00-2007
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER
Technology Initiatives in Support of Joint Warfighters - Current
5b. GRANT NUMBER
Initiatives
5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER
6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER
5e. TASK NUMBER
5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER
7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION
Army Space & Missile Defense Command,Army Forces Strategic REPORT NUMBER
Command,Redstone Arsenal,AL,35809
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11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT
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for economic growth as well as for improving quality of life for their A closely related advantage, a result of the RMI consisting pri-
citizens. marily of deep ocean area, is that there is relatively little land area to
The KCS will allow a vast increase in test and operational sup- be considered in terms of missile debris. Most launch vehicle con-
port capability for USAKA/RTS. Several organizations within the tractors have encountered the stringent regulations associated with
U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) have already contacted USAKA CONUS operation and would realize significant operational savings
about establishing remote UHF, VHF and HF communication at Kwajalein.
sites. The U.S. Air Force has requested real time display of all Space Another factor is the advantage of collocating a Space launch
surveillance data and customers conducting tests could reduce their facility at the range. Operations at Kwajalein enjoy the advantages
footprint at USAKA, because the data from a test could be displayed of favorable safety, security and environmental constraints with high
real time anywhere in the world. levels of radio frequency isolation. The suite of instrumentation
available at Kwajalein is unparalleled in the world with significant
USAKA/RTS Spacelift Vision wideband connectivity to CONUS locations via DS3 and soon with
In addition to its missile tracking and testing mission, RTS also fiber. This offers the potential to provide a level of “diagnostic”
offers several unique features that are advantageous when consider- information unavailable at any other launch facility in the world. This
ing locations for Space launch operations, especially operationally can be particularly important for relatively immature launch vehicles
responsive Spacelift. Kwajalein Atoll is part of the Marshall Islands that are likely to experience flight anomalies.
situated in the West Central Pacific Ocean at a near equatorial location An additional factor related to collocation with the range is the
of about 9 degrees North latitude. nature of the community at Kwajalein. The entire Kwajalein com-
This location provides two advantages: 1) Space launches to the munity is focused on missile test and associated support. The level
east realize significant benefits from the rotational velocity of the of experience and expertise is the highest in the world and provides
Earth. From the launch vehicle standpoint, this translates to a signifi- a tremendous pool of talent to assist the launch vehicle and payload
cant increase in payload capacity to orbit versus CONUS launch sites. personnel in addressing any issues associated with their operations.
2) Space launches into geosynchronous orbit, the most significant The Kwajalein community is also very comfortable with a wide
commercial orbit, require a smaller plane change (from 9 degrees to variety of missile flight test operations thus there is little likelihood
equator) than other launch sites. Compared to Cape Canaveral, Fla., of community resistance to introduction of a new launch vehicle, as
20 percent less velocity is required. one would expect to encounter at some other launch sites. Typical
There are no U.S.-based equatorial launch sites from which Space expenses associated with community outreach, town hall meetings,
launch customers can conduct launches. Although Low Earth Orbits local permits, etc., would largely be eliminated at Kwajalein.
(LEO) with low inclinations can be achieved from Cape Canaveral, The USAKA/RTS equatorial location, unparalleled instrumen-
launching from this location requires an extremely inefficient dogleg tation and extensive logistical infrastructure offer a major advantage
maneuver which reduces the payload and increases the fuel require- for a Space launch complex and support Department of Defense’s
ments. One possible U.S. equatorial launch option is the Boeing “Sea Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program. Under this concept,
Launch” platform. “Sea Launch,” however, can be very expensive multiple boosters and payloads would be pre-positioned at USAKA.
due to the large personnel and logistical support requirements. The Different trajectories would be developed for each contingency. If a
last alternative is launching from foreign locations. French Guiana strategic need arises, entire new constellations could be launched to
has an equatorial launch location. This can be an expensive option in achieve needed satellite coverage.
addition to issues with classified payloads. This presents a significant
obstacle to many payload providers due to legal, security and tech- Operationally Responsive Space Program
nology transfer concerns that significantly limit the ability to launch SMDC/ARSTRAT is actively involved in the ORS Program,
U.S. payloads on foreign launch vehicles from the CONUS-based a joint U.S. military initiative with the goal of providing tactically
Space ports and employ extremely costly and inefficient dogleg tra- responsive, operationally relevant Space capabilities to the warfighters
jectories to achieve low inclination orbits. Due to the unique status on the battlefield. The goal is to provide and exploit on-orbit capabili-
of Kwajalein, the potential exists to provide a near equatorial launch ties quicker than today, with a shorter development and acquisition
site for a U.S. launch vehicle provider while avoiding export consider- cycle. To achieve this goal, the Department of Defense is considering
ations. technologies such as a common Spacecraft bus, plug and play opera-
Another significant advantage enjoyed by Kwajalein is the poten- tional payloads, and operationally responsive launch vehicles. This
tial to fly a wide variety of trajectories and launch azimuths as a result should result in characteristically simpler, smaller, and cheaper satel-
of the extraordinary low population density in the RMI. This is the lites that can be called up and launched within days to weeks rather
same advantage that has resulted in the U.S. using Kwajalein as its than months or years.
primary ballistic missile test site for more than 40 years. The total land Space assets are low density, high demand resources. As a
area of the RMI is only 70 square miles and thus it is relatively dif- result, the Army’s Space activities must be coordinated with all ser-
ficult to endanger personnel and property through an errant missile. (Current Initiatives, page 42)
2007 Winter Edition Army Space Journal 7
Current Initiatives … from page 7
vices and leverage any and all available ARSTRAT Future Warfare Center is missions of 24 hours or less., future
assets. Launch of U.S. military payloads also developing a Multi-User Ground HALL platforms potentially fill capabil-
from USAKA/RTS would almost cer- Station intended to provide payload ity gaps in persistent 24/7 surveillance
tainly be in support of the U.S. Air tasking and Command and Control and communications capabilities for
Force. The U.S. Air Force would be of Army TacSat sponsored payloads. theater and homeland defense opera-
providing responsive Space support to Space capabilities developed under tions.
deployed Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and ORS/TacSat have the potential to Lighter than Air platforms will be
Airmen deployed around the world. provide real-time Space capabilities to unmanned, gas-filled airships. There
The Army’s Space responsibilities begin the warfighter on the battlefield within are three Lighter than Air efforts being
with the requirements generation pro- weeks rather than months or years. pursued by SMDC/ARSTRAT. The
cess, extend to technology research TacSat 1 is scheduled for launch first effort is the HiSentinel, which is a
and development, demonstrations and in December aboard the develop- spiral development that will be launched
experimentation, and culminate with mental Space X Falcon 1 rocket. The in-theater with a payload weight rang-
presentation of capabilities and forces. Falcon 1 is one of two developmen- ing from 50-200 pounds and payload
Consistent with the Army’s Space com- tal rocket programs being sponsored power of 200-1,000 W. The first part of
petencies (i.e. force enhancement, Space by the Defense Advanced Research the spiral development was an airship
control, force application), the Army Projects Agency (DARPA) through that reached an altitude of 74,000 feet
must determine what Space activities their FALCON program. Originally in November 2005.
have the greatest potential for mission scheduled to launch from Vandenberg
success, and achieve the desired effects AFB on the California central coast, High Altitude Technology
and payoff to the warfighter. Space X moved their operation to RTS. Demonstration
One major element of ORS is the The other developmental DARPA pro- This was a technology demon-
Tactical Satellite (TacSat) Demonstration gram is the AirLaunch QuickReach stration that provided valuable lessons
Program. TacSat is a technology dem- launch vehicle. This responsive booster learned for the next scheduled launch
onstration program that sets out to is designed to be airdropped from an in November 2007. The second effort
build smaller, cheaper, simpler satel- Air Force C-17 and launched from alti- supports the Missile Defense Agency
lites to provide relevant Space capa- tude. Both initiatives have the potential High Altitude Airship program. The
bilities, and demonstrate military utility to offer operationally responsive, low prototype will have a payload weight
through operational experimentation. cost launch services for small tactical of 500 pounds and payload power of
The Tactical Satellite program provides satellites as required by the Joint Force 3,000W at an altitude of 60,000 feet
the Army and SMDC/ARSTRAT an and the Component Commanders. for 30-day duration in 2010. The third
opportunity to influence and develop effort is to provide technical support
satellite payloads to directly address High Altitude Platforms to the Defense Advanced Research
the Land Component and Army’s The Army’s need to understand Projects Agency Integrated-Sensor-Is-
operational capability gaps. SMDC/ and manage the battlespace, however, the-Structure program, which provides
ARSTRAT is fully engaged in ORS continues to increase beyond the capa- a complete system that integrates radar
activities. bility of support by Space based assets. into the airship structure.
As the Army executive agent Platforms operating in the high altitude The Heavier than Air effort is
for TacSat, the SMDC/ARSTRAT region can support the warfighter by the Orion Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Technical Center has oversight and augmenting Space platforms and can which is projected to fly at altitudes
responsibility for Army TacSat advo- provide the products and services need- over 65,000 feet with a payload weight
cacy and efforts, and is taking the lead ed to support decision-making, plan- of 400 pounds and payload power
for the Army in ORS. In addition, the ning, and combat operations. These of 4,000W. Orion will utilize a newly
Technical Center is also the Technical high altitude platforms would operate designed hydrogen powered system and
Manager for all Army TacSat payload between 20 km. (12.4 miles) and 100 will have the capability to be launched
development efforts. Payload concepts km. (62 miles). As an example, for plat- in the U.S. or in-theater and remain on
addressing communications on the forms positioned at an altitude of 60,000 station for four days providing line of
move and persistent battlefield surveil- feet, the line of sight to the horizon is sight and Beyond Line-of-Sight com-
lance/characterization are currently 389 miles providing the warfighting munications and surveillance to the
being worked in a joint, collaborative commander with an extended view of Warfighter.
environment with the other services the battlefield. Although current HALL The Near Space Long Loitering
and Combatant Commanders. SMDC/ platforms are limited to short duration Payload Testbed will provide multiple
42 Army Space Journal 2007 Winter Edition
functions for payload operations. The first Reconnaissance Office, MDA, the North advantages that give the Big Crow Program
function is the modeling and simulation of American Aerospace Defense Command Office overall technical capability that is sig-
the HALL platform and payload that will (NORAD), and the North Atlantic Treaty nificantly greater than the sum of it parts.
validate the military utility of the HALL Organization or NATO.
concepts and support military modeling and The Big Crow Program Office was estab- Big Crow Aircraft 8050
simulation exercises. The second function lished with a mission to provide Electronic Supporting Airborne Laser
is the hardware-in-the-loop capability that Warfare environments for the purpose of Program
will provide an interface for payloads to be testing U.S. military Radio Frequency sen- As the operator of the only remaining
integrated, tested, and verified prior to dem- sor, communication and navigation systems. large-scale airborne Electronic Warfare test
onstration on HALL platforms. Today, Big Crow’s mission and capabilities platforms, Big Crow is a key national asset
span the electronic gamut of Electronic that provides a unique combination of capa-
Big Crow Program Office Warfare, Telemetry, Radar, Electro-Optical, bilities and solutions for test, training, exer-
At a slightly lower altitude, SMDC/ Information Operation, and System Test cises and on-call operations. Big Crow has an
ARSTRAT’s Big Crow Program Office pro- Bed. Mobile and world-wide deployable, the unmatched ability to dissect threat systems,
vides support to customers that ranges from Big Crow Program Office offers a variety of identify vulnerabilities, and exploit them to
Electronic Warfare threat environments, unique capabilities to the Nation’s research, the warfighter’s advantage — key character-
Telemetry recording and retransmit, air refu- test and evaluation, training and commercial istics for the delivery of non-kinetic effects
eling, Information Operations, technology communities. Two C-135 aircraft, a myriad to these threat systems. Applied to friendly
prototyping and demonstrations, and train- of smaller fixed and rotary wing platforms, systems, this offers unique opportunities to
ing. Customers supported by the Big Crow ground platforms, advanced instrumentation, exercise and train Tactics, Techniques and
Program Office are the U.S Navy Program multi-spectral electronics, in-house configu- Procedures in an operationally realistic threat
Office for Aegis, the National Aeronautics and ration control and modification authorities, environment.
Space Administration (NASA), the National and technical competency are several of the
2007 Winter Edition Army Space Journal 43