Weapon Scoring Results from a GPS Acoustic Weapons Test and Training System

Jack R. Kayser, Miguel A. Cardoza, William F. Wade, John H. Merts and David R. Casey

Abstract:	A new Offshore Test and Training Area (OTTA) was initiated by the Air Force 46th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, in the Florida Eglin Gulf Range. The OTTA provides a large footprint for testing, training and evaluating standoff weapons. One subsystem deployed in the OTTA was a GPS and acoustical buoy system capable of determining the impact time and location of a weapon within the marine test range. Acoustic event data collected by the buoys is relayed to a command and control station that uses a trilateration algorithm to compute a target score for the event. Buoy real-time scoring is provided to an accuracy of 7 meters, while post-processed scores are accurate to 3 meters. Two weapon tests were conducted in 2004 using the GPS acoustic buoy system. In both cases the impact scores determined from the system were within 1 standard deviation of GPS-derived truth impact scores. Since the buoys are relatively small and light weight, deployment and recovery is rapid and can be accomplished by one person using a small boat. Test operations can take place at night, in fog, or in moderately heavy sea states. The integration of Commercial-Off–The-Shelf (COTS) technology keeps the unit cost down and facilitates future upgrades. Improvements are currently under development to enhance the capability of the system for sub-meter accurate scoring, munition recovery, and the detection and tracking marine mammals.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2005 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 24 - 26, 2005 The Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	416 - 430
Cite this article:	Kayser, Jack R., Cardoza, Miguel A., Wade, William F., Merts, John H., Casey, David R., "Weapon Scoring Results from a GPS Acoustic Weapons Test and Training System," Proceedings of the 2005 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, January 2005, pp. 416-430.
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