(U) Missile Navigation and Re-entry Vehicles

(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).)

Overview: (U)
(U) The Ballistic Missile Technology Office develops and demonstrates technologies through the Missile Navigation and Reentry Vehicles program that modernize and sustain the Air Force ICBM force by Missile Technology Demonstration Flights.  

Description: (U)
(U) This program supports the Air Force Space Command's (AFSPC) Force Application Role, which includes Nuclear and Conventional Deterrence.  Portions of these technologies also support the Hard and Deeply Buried Target Defeat Capability (HDBTDC) MNS.  GPS-aided navigation systems directly support AFSPC's mission area of Space Operations by potentially reducing range operation costs where accurate range instrumentation (metrics) and independent range safety data from GPS can supplement current range radar and range safety systems.  The development of the low cost, small, inexpensive GPS-aided navigation units brings great flexibility to launching missiles from locations not currently fully instrumented.  Anti-jam, anti-spoof, and plasma interaction GPS antenna efforts are also envisioned as efforts that support the Space Information Dominance mission area.

(U)  GPS-aided navigation systems also provide an inexpensive conventional precision strike capability for defeating hardened and deeply buried targets.  The integration of commercial and military technology to develop fast response GPS reception, signal processing, and interactive control, represents the technical building blocks required for vehicles that move at missile speeds.  These technologies are extensions of current work being pursued by all branches of the Armed Services.  These efforts are to extend GPS capabilities to space military threats and environments and to qualify the systems for orbital velocities. 

(U)  The following technology efforts are key to developing the minimal number of technical building blocks essential to modernize and sustain ballistic missiles:

(U)  Range Instrumentation and Safety Technology Flight:  The Missile Technology Demonstration (MTD 3) Flight 3 will build on the very successful MTD 1 and 2 flights. AFSPC, Army, DSWA, Range Joint Program Office, and Navy will also participate in this launch.  The group of experiments to be flown will include an In-Flight Safety System (IFSS) validated during MTD 2. Again, all navigation data will be compared to the range radar data.  This experiment will furnish additional flight data for evaluating low cost, off the shelf tactical GPS/IMUs applied to missile environments.

(U)  Other experiments on this flight include a penetrator impacting the surface, and instrumentation packages to measure the deceleration and loading during penetration, and an off-the-shelf Ashtech GPS receiver for additional range safety and metrics measurements. Data from this flight will go directly to support AFSPC's CBM ACTD. 

(U)  Solid State Navigation Instrument Technology: Micro mechanical device technology is the next logical step in the development of inertial measurement instruments.  Current technology produces gyroscopes and accelerometers that are approximately 1 mm square.  The accuracy of these instruments is not adequate for ballistic missile missions; however, the rate of improvement is startling.  Also, the possibility of processing data from an array of instruments enhances the accuracy of the data and holds out the possibility of small, low cost, highly redundant, accurate IMUs adequate for the most demanding navigation mission.

(U)  Missile Technology Demonstration (MTD-4) Flight 4: The MTD-4 will be another sounding rocket or an ICBM flight demonstration to test modifications to the Mark 11C reentry vehicle, autonomous range safety systems, high speed penetrators, and high velocity smart fuses.  These demonstrations support the AFSPC CBM ACTD and the Hard and Deeply Buried Phase 0 Concept Exploration.

(U)  Antenna Technology, Missile Technology Demonstration (MTD-5) Flight 5: A key element in using the GPS-aided technology in the demanding missile environment is maintaining unhindered communication between vehicle and GPS satellites.  Plasma, high temperatures, long range, high speeds, and jamming make advances in antenna technology essential.  This project extends the current GPS state-of-the-art to ICBM temperatures, distances, and signal jamming environments and provides demonstrations on an ICBM flight.

(U)  Missile Technology Demonstration (MTD-6) Flight 6:  The MTD-6 will demonstrate developments relative to the Common Aero Vehicle.  This will be an ICBM flight and contain advanced terminal guidance systems and potential conventional weapons payloads. 

User Impact: (U)
(U) None.

Programmatics: (U)
(U) Concept/Technology.
	(U) IOC: 02/1996 (2QFY1996).

Related Initiatives: (U)
(U) MM III Sustainment/Deactivation

Related Requirements: (U)
(U) None.

Related Categories: (U)
(U) Adv Tech Integration & Demos

Road Map Placements: (U)
(U) TECHNOLOGY- RDT&E.

Lead Office: (U)
(U) Air Force.

Date of Information: (U)
01 July 1997

(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).)