Real-Time Targeting and Trajectory Estimation for Enhanced Network Centricity

Abstract

It is envisioned that the real time collaboration and dynamic re-planning for target engagement would take place autonomously between unmanned systems (UMS) based on pre-mission planning profiles generated prior to mission initiation, with final decision on target engagement being left to the human operator. This leads directly to the need for the systems to be able to operate autonomously for extended periods, and also to be able to collaboratively engage hostile targets within specified rules of engagement. All assets are able to share a COP (common operating picture) of the battlespace and communicate sensor and target data in real time thus allowing for human or UMS target acquisition and location, transmission of the target to a weapon-target pairing system, and automated assignment of the target to a human or UMS asset as best suited. The collaborative engagement capability is developed as a distributed hardware/software processing component or components capable of insertion into multiple software architectures, and capable of use in multiple operating systems, to include real time embedded operating systems interfaced with on-board sensor, controller subsystems. This paper considers an automated target tracking, pointing and trajectory estimation system that includes components related to target acquisition, target coordinates determination, targeting information visualization and evaluation/simulation testing. Collaboration Engagement involves the target being acquired first by the Coremicro 4D GIS targeting system. Then, the real-time projectile trajectory is determined by the automated stabilization and pointing control system.