Enhanced Range Applications Program (EnRAP): Meeting the Future "Truth Source" Needs of the Test Community

Abstract

When testing the accuracy or flight envelope o f a weapon system, a “truth source” instrumentation system that is at least one order of magnitude (10 times) more accurate than the weapon system under test, is required. Since the early 1990s, most United States Air Force, Army and Navy Test and Evaluati on (T&E) ranges have used the Advanced Range Data System (ARDS) as a standardized Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver based test instrumentation system . ARDS provides truth source quality Time -Space -Position Information (TSPI) for weapon system testin g. The ARDS consists of test instrumentation pods and internal mounts that can be carried on air, sea, and land -based weapon systems and a corresponding ground system to allow for real time monitoring and control. As a new century begins, weapons systems c ontinue to improve their accuracy . As a result , a new more accurate truth source is needed to allow the T&E ranges to continue to support their test program customers . The Enhanced Range Applications Program (EnRAP) is currently in development to replace A RDS on the T&E ranges . EnRAP will provide significant enhancements over the ARDS capabilities in many areas including an order of magnitude improvement in TSPI accuracy during low, medium and high dynamics testing. Real -time position accuracy will be impro ved from the ARDS capabilities of 2 -4 meters (m) , to the EnRAP system real -time position accuracy of 0.3 meters within 50 nautical miles of a ground based GPS reference receiver. Post -mission processing of recorded raw TSPI data collected in the EnRAP pod or internal mount (IM) , and recorded reference receiver data from ground stations , will produce position accuracies of 0.1 m. EnRAP will produce TSPI solutions 50 times a second , five times faster than the current ARDS. EnRAP will use advanced all -in -view military GPS receivers and state -of -the -art high accuracy Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) . Compared to ARDS, EnRAP pods and IMs will create a robust TSPI solution and will provide significant enhancements in the accuracy of the position, velocity, acceler ation and attitude test data. In addition to the GPS -IMU based TSPI capabilities described above, a less accurate (8 -16 m) “GPS -denied” TSPI solution will be available for use on test range areas where GPS is not available due to obstructions, interference or jamming. The capabilities provided by EnRAP are designed to meet the future truth source requirements that T&E range users need to meet their customers’ needs for advanced air, sea, and land -based weapon systems tests. EnRAP development began in 20 04 a nd production of EnRAP systems is currently scheduled to begin in 20 08.