NSRAAM Captive Test Unit Description and Aircraft/Avionics Interface Definition.

This paper defines the Navy Short Range Air-to-Air Missile NSRAAM concept, and presents a detailed description of the functional modes of operation, the Captive Test Unit CTU, and the interface requirements for the implementation of the Navy SRAAM concept of AIMVAL aircraft. The Navy SRAAM concepts, Delta and Echo, are based upon heads-up, Off-Boresight Angle OBA slaving of missile seekers having increased sensitivity. The present method of achieving heads-up, large off-boresight seeker slaving is the Visual Target Acquisition System VTAS which employs a Helmet Mounted Sight HMS. The surrogate seeker SS-2 to be used to evaluate the Navy SRAAM concept in AIMVAL employs a three-axis gimbal system and a routing optical telescope. Increased seeker sensitivity from present short range air-to-air missiles will provide longer detection ranges against airborne targets especially when viewed from head-on. Large OBA acquisition and launch capability will provide missile launch opportunities not available with present SRAAM missiles. These two features provide an increased opportunity of launch against a projected threat armed with an AIM-9L equivalent in the 1980-1990 time frame. Author