Joint Navy/Air Force infrared sensor stimulator (IRSS) development program

Abstract

The infrared (IR) sensor stimulator (IRSS) development program is a joint central test and evaluation investment program (CTEIP) effort involving the U.S. Air Force's electronic combat (EC) integrated test (ECIT) program (responsible for upgrading the Avionics Test and Integration Complex (ATIC), located at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards AFB, Calif.) and the U.S. Navy's Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility (ACETEF) (located at the Naval Air Warfare Center -- Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD), Patuxent River, Maryland). The IRSS program involves an Installed Systems Test Facility (ISTF) technology upgrade to the ATIC and the ACETEF and will provide a high-fidelity dynamic IR stimulation capability to realistically test IR sensor systems while installed on host aerospace platforms. These IR sensor systems include: targeting and navigational forward looking IR (FLIR) systems, missile warning systems (MWS), IR search and track (IRST) systems, and IR missile seekers. The IRSS will consist of one or more scene generation systems, a digital injection system, a point source projection system, and an image projection system. Threats, targets and backgrounds will be dynamically presented to the IR system under test (SUT) with sufficient fidelity to reflect a realistic battlefield environment. The IRSS will enable the Air Force and Navy to meet IR developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) and operational test and evaluation (OT&E) requirements for multi-service customers.