Application of scene projection technologies at the AMRDEC SSDD HWIL facilities

Abstract

State-of-the-art hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) test facilities have been established and in operation at the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) in McMorrow Laboratories, on Redstone Arsenal Alabama for over 37 years. These facilities have been successfully developed and employed supporting numerous tactical and interceptor missile systems. The AMRDEC HWIL facilities are constantly in a state state of modification and revision supporting evolving test requirements related to increasingly complex sensor suites, guidance implementations, and employment strategies prevalent within both existing and emerging aviation and missile programs. . This paper surveys the role of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) in the development and operation of HWIL test facilities and the implementation of new, innovative technologies that have been integrated within facility test assets. This technology spans both the Near IR (NIR- 1.064um) and IR (3 - 12um) and RF (2 - 95 GHz) operating ranges. The AMRDEC HWIL facilities represent the highest degree of simulation fidelity, integrating all the major parts of a HWIL simulation including tactical missile and seeker hardware, executive control software, scene generation, and NIR, IR or RF scene projection systems. Successful incorporation of scene generation and projection technologies have become a key thrust of the AMRDEC HWIL development focus, with the intention to adapt and anticipate emerging test element requirements necessitated by future system sensing technologies.