The Benefits of Using Advanced Distributed Simulation for Air- to -Air Missile Test and Evaluation

The Joint Advanced Distributed Simulation JADS Joint Test and Evaluation JTE was chartered by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Acquisition and Technology in October 1994 to investigate the utility of advanced distributed simulation ADS technologies for support of test and evaluation TE. The JADS Joint Test Force JTF conducted a System Integration Test SIT in which ADS was used to support the testing of an integrated missile weaponlaunch aircraft system in operationally realistic scenarios. The SIT scenarios simulated a single shooter aircraft launching an air-to-air missile against a single target aircraft. Extensive testing was performed involving two different ADS architectures 1 A linked laboratory configuration in which the shooter and target were represented by manned flight laboratories and the missile by an AIM-9M Sidewinder hardware-in-the-loop HWIL laboratory. 2 A live shootertarget configuration in which the shooter and target were represented by live F-16 fighters and the missile by an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile AMRAAM HWIL laboratory. Testing was completed in October 1997, and evaluation of the results Supports the conclusion that each ADS configuration has utility for TE of the corresponding air-to-air missile involved. This paper discusses the following 1 Description of the two different architectures utilized in the SIT testing. 2 Technical challenges in implementing ADS. 3 Lessons learned from implementing ADS. 4 Conclusions on the utility of ADS-based testing of air-to-air missiles. 5 Benefits of implementing AD S-based testing of air-to-air missiles.