This Phase I effort will develop a concept of operation and identify COTS sensors for an EO/IR imaging system capable of providing Raid Count and Kill Assessment for ships under attack by a complex of sub- or super-sonic cruise missiles. The missiles are organized into complexes of Closely Spaced Objects (CSOs) which fall outside the resolution capabilities of ship-based radar systems. These complexes are deliberately configured to pose the greatest possible threat by obscuring some of the objects behind others. The attacker hopes to overwhelm the ships countermeasures rendering the ships defenseless. This situation will be avoided by employing EO/IR sensors that are cued by the ship-based radar. These sensors will resolve the obscured objects within the CSO complex, increasing the efficiency of the ships defenses by accurately assessing the raid and the evaluating the effectiveness of the countermeasures in real time. The proposed effort will investigate design options for the high-resolution EO/IR imaging system and evaluate where it should be positioned to maximize effectiveness.
Benefit: This Phase I effort will result in: Identification of a COTS sensor and host platform that can be used for Raid Count and Kill Assessment of complexes of closely spaces cruise missiles. When fielded the proposed sensor will enhance the survivability of the surface vessels being protected. Computational models of CSO complexes, backgrounds, atmospheric conditions, and relevant platforms and sensors. Assessment of available COTS sensors that meet the spectral-band, resolution and SWAP requirements.
Keywords: Ship defense, Ship defense, Cruise Missile, cruise missile counter-measures, EO/IR sensors, CSO complex, closely spaced objects
