The effects of any budget/program decisions made since the information was collected during 1997-98 are NOT reflected in the National Security Space Road Map (NSSRM).
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(U) United States Nuclear Detonation Detection System (USNDS)

-Description
-Initiatives
-Links
-Impacts
-Requirements
-Lead
-Programmatics
-Categories
-POC
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-Text Version

Overview (U):

(U) The United States Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (USNDS) is designed to detect, locate, and report nuclear detonations (NUDETs) in the earth's atmosphere and near space in near real-time. The system is designed to support nuclear force management, integrated tactical warning and attack assessment, and test ban treaty monitoring. The system includes space based sensors and ground mission processing systems. The sensor payloads use NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation satellites, and Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites as host platforms. This description is restricted to the GPS portion of the USNDS system. USNDS employs both fixed site and mobile ground processing to report information to the various USNDS users.


Description (U):

(U) The Block IIR GPS/NDS system consists of optical, x-ray/dosimeter, and electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) sensors. The optical sensor measures atmospheric light signatures and provides location and yield measurements. The EMP sensor measures atmospheric EMP phenomena to provide improved location accuracy and profile data. The X-ray sensor measures the exo-atmospheric X-ray spectrum while the dosimeter measures high energy proton and electron activities. GPS/NDS collects, processes, stores, and formats event data for transmission via an L3 communications link. In addition, fixed site ground operators can command S-band memory read-outs of NDS data.

(U) GPS/NDS information is received via two NDS ground processing systems. The Integrated Correlation and Display System (ICADS) is the fixed site ground processing system. ICADS supports two key NDS missions: 1) The Integrated Tactical Warning/Attack Assessment (ITW/AA) mission of the North American Air Defense (NORAD)/USSPACECOM; and 2) The nuclear test ban treaty monitoring mission of the Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC). The Ground NDS Terminals (GNT) provide mobile and endurable capabilities to support the ITW/AA mission of NORAD/USSPACECOM and the Nuclear Force Management Mission of USSTRATCOM.

(U) The GPS/NDS contains three upgrades: Block IIA, IIR, and IIF. Each upgrade will have a combination of upgraded optics, EMP, and X-ray sensors. The NDS payload is called the Global Burst Detector (GBD).

(U) Block IIA and Block IIR GBD configurations:
-- (U) Burst Detector Processor (BDP) - processes data from the various sensors
-- (U) Optical sensor (BDY) - detects the optical time signature of NUDET bursts
-- (U) X-Ray sensor (BDX) or Dosimeter (BDD) - detects exo-atmospheric NUDETs (Combined into one unit (CXD) starting on GPS IIR Space Vehicle (SV #13)
-- (U) EMP sensor (WSRP-IIA, BDW-IIR) - provides accurate location of NUDETs
-- (U) EMP high and low band antennas
-- (U) Burst Detector Analysis (BDA) - processes sensor background data starting on GPS IIR (SV #13)
-- (U) Deployable UHF receive and a S-band transmit BDA antennas, starting on SV #13.

(U) GPS Block IIF NDS payload configuration:
-- (U) CXD, BDP, and BDA
-- (U) Differences:
-- (U) BDY enhanced (BDYE) starting on GPS IIF SV #7
-- (U) EMP sensor not part of current IIF configuration.

User Impact (U):

(U) The GPS/NDS system supports the Nuclear Force Management, Integrated Tactical Warning and Attack Assessment (ITW/AA), and test ban treaty monitoring mission areas. These satellites are the only United States capability to support those mission areas when detecting, locating, and reporting NUDETs in the earth's atmosphere and near space in near real-time.

Programmatics (U):

(U) Programmed.

Images (U):

(U) None.

Related Initiatives (U):
NameTitle
DSP/NDSDefense Support Program(DSP)/Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (NDS)
NBC DetectionNuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) Detection
SBIRS High NUDET PackageSpace-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) High Nuclear Exo-atmospheric Detonation (NUDET) PACKAGE
This Table Is Unclassified.

Related Requirements (U): None.

Related Categories (U):
NameTitle
NDSNuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (NDS)
This Table Is Unclassified.

Road Map Placements (U):

NameTitle
SURVEILLANCE AND WARNINGSPACE FORCE ENHANCEMENT: SURVEILLANCE AND WARNING
This Table Is Unclassified.

Requirements, Funding and Additional Hotlinks (U):

(U) None.

Lead Office (U):

Air Force.

(U) DoD: OASD(C3I), Pentagon, Washington, DC
(U) Service Staff: SAF/AQSS, Pentagon, Washington, DC
(U) Major Command: HQ AFSPC/DRFN/DORS, Peterson AFB, CO
(U) Program Management: HQ AFMC/SMC/CZ, Los Angeles AFB, CA

Point of Contact (U):

(U) Lt Col Debra Matson, Open Phone: DSN 833-6365.

Date Of Information (U):

(U) 01 October 1997



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(U) For comments/suggestions contact: Office of the National Security Space Architect (NSSA), 571-432-1300.

(U) Road Map Production Date: 23 June 2001


The effects of any budget/program decisions made since the information was collected during 1997-98 are NOT reflected in the National Security Space Road Map (NSSRM).