Use of multisensor fusion technology to meet the challenges of emerging EO and RF threats to a combat aircraft

Abstract

The pilot on-board a combat aircraft encounters during any mission a dynamically varying threat environment of diverse EO and RF threats. Different sensors are carried on-board the aircraft to combat these threats. However, these sensors have their own limitations and no single sensor is able to perform in all kinds of situations. In addition, the technological advances in the threat scenario - in terms of higher speeds, small signatures and multimode guidance - and increased complex threats in the battlefield leading to generation of large amount of data input to the pilot make his decision making task very difficult due to increased workload. These challenges can be efficiently handled by deployment of a system on-board the aircraft with a comprehensive goal of autonomous target detection and tracking, situation and threat assessment and decision making based on multi-sensor data fusion techniques. In this paper, major emerging EO and RF threats for a combat aircraft and some important EO and RF sensors on-board the aircraft have been discussed. A design approach for the development of a multi-sensor data fusion system for a combat aircraft to provide better threat assessment than that provided by any single stand alone sensor has also been presented.