Attch_1_CALL_0001 _SOO_8_May_14.docx

LASER EFFECTS ASSESSMENT, MODELING, AND RESEARCH

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

CALL 0001

8 May 2014

PURPOSE

AFRL/RDLE researches high energy laser interaction with systems of interest to the Air Force (AF) to understand, quantify, predict and assess the lethality and vulnerability resulting from these interactions. To accomplish this, AFRL/RDLE seeks to apply and enhance experimental and predictive capabilities to address existing and emerging laser systems and target materials.

BACKGROUND

The Laser Effects Research Branch (AFRL/RDLE) has the charter to develop susceptibility criteria for evaluating target vulnerability and the lethality of laser technologies for aircraft self-defense systems as well as tactical and strategic laser systems. The target set for susceptibility and vulnerability studies includes a broad range of ground, air, and space systems including next generation imaging missiles, RF missiles, fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, and surface-to-air missiles.

In the past, AFRL/RDLE has conducted a series of vulnerability studies on Electronic Optic/Infr-Red ( EO/IR) devices for the AFRL D2, MEDUSA, and Aircraft Self Protect (ASP) programs. Significant improvements were accomplished in developing techniques, capabilities and procedures to quantify the laser vulnerability of EO/IR tactical targets. The current study will continue to build upon and extend these capabilities. The EO/IR vulnerability database, system modeling capabilities, and engagement models initiated in these earlier efforts will be expanded and improved to evaluate laser countermeasure effectiveness.

AFRL/RDLE has also conducted a series of laser vulnerability studies on strategic and tactical target systems over the past decade including experimentation, physics-based model development, and analytical assessments. These efforts have been performed in support of a number of DoD programs including the High-Energy Laser Joint Technology Office (HEL-JTO), the Air Force Precision Engagement (PE) product line, the Airborne Laser Program (ABL), the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) program, the Aircraft Self-protect (ASP) program, the Integrated Air Vehicles Self Defense (IAVSD) program and other nascent tactical high-energy laser (HEL) programs. These lethality science studies have significantly advanced the current understanding of vulnerability of tactical missiles, aircraft, unmanned air vehicles, explosive ordnance/ munitions, and ground systems. The results of these efforts have been widely distributed through the Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) annual conferences and AFRL reports, thus providing the HEL community with critical information for sizing and evaluating the mission utility of new emerging laser weapons.

SCOPE

The scope of this Call includes program planning, intelligence coordination, failure mode analysis, computational predictive methods including development of advanced techniques for addressing coupled-physical phenomena, data analysis and interpretation of the physical causes leading to the observed damage effects, vulnerability assessments, probabilistic methods for engagement analysis, target reconstruction from limited information, system and sub-system vulnerability, aimpoint selection, surrogate target fabrication, high heating-rate thermal and optical property measurements, test planning, test design/instrumentation development requiring innovative diagnostic approaches, test execution, and documentation.

TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES AND GOALS

The experimental, analytical, and modeling goals of this program have been developed to result in the ability to understand, measure and predict:

(1) The phenomenology of laser interaction and the effects of directed energy weapons on systems/subsystems and components of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) specifically the Air Force (AF). This target set includes ground, air and space systems.

(2) Novel methods for extending and/or enhancing existing vulnerability assessment computational capabilities for assessing laser effects on systems of interest to the AF.

(3) Effectiveness and enhancement of laser systems as countermeasures and counter-countermeasures.

The metrics for success will involve scientific advancement and breakthroughs in new effects and/or signature generation techniques for destroying targets and for performing damage/degradation assessment, respectively.

The LEAMR objectives are consolidated into three (3) research Technical Areas (TA) as follows:

Technical Area 12: Laser Interaction Testing Laser interaction testing addresses the need for well-controlled experimental procedures to quantify the effects of high power continuous-wave (up to MW Class) and high energy pulsed (kJ) lasers interacting with individual materials, multi-material subsystems, and/or fully functional targets. Key areas include:

· Pre-Experimental Analysis

· Material Characterization Testing, for example;

a. Specific heat

b. Microstructure

c. Thermal expansion

d. Optical characteristics – scattering and absorption

· Microstructural analysis for material identification

· Failure Modes Analysis Review

· Experimental Planning

· Unique Target Fabrication

· Experimental Environment

· Experiment Execution

· Post-Experiment Data Reduction

· Post-Experiment Failure Analysis

· Counter-measure Studies

· Counter-Countermeasures Studies

· Special Diagnostics

· Contingency Planning and Range Safety In addition, this Technical Area seeks novel methods in the following Special Topic Areas:

1. Non-contact high heating rate (several 100̊/sec) material properties measurements, specifically:

a. Optical (absorptance, reflectance and transmission)

b. Specific heat

c. Thermal conductivity

d. Thermal diffusivity

2. Experimental laser/material interaction imagery that can accomplish the following:

a. To record interaction through flames and smoke

b. Surface response to laser interaction at high rates

c. Plume attenuation and species quantification

3. Data collection under high heating rate environments:

a. Target thermal and structural response under rapidly changing thermal environments

4. Novel laser diagnostics in the areas of:

a. Beam quality and imagery

b. Irradiance

c. Power

5. Development of imaging system test-beds to include:

a. Design and fabrication

b. Operation

Technical Area 13: Target Vulnerability Assessments and Data Analysis The objectives for the Target Assessments area are to conduct assessments that combine target vulnerability data from testing, target optical signature measurements, target exploitation intelligence, system-level fault tree and failure mode analysis, shotline dependency, and computational predictive results into a comprehensive probabilistic vulnerability assessment. Key areas include:

· Intelligence Coordination for Target and Threat Characterization

· Develop and Demonstrate State-of-the-Art Engagement and Engineering Models for Predicting Laser Effects

· Model Verification, Validation, and Accreditation

· Experimental Coordination and Data Analysis

· Target Vulnerability Assessment

· Software, Database, and Hardware Maintenance In addition, this Technical Area seeks novel methods in the following Special Topic Areas:

1. Fast running engagement/engineering models

a. Laser effects calculations

b. Parallel algorithm implementations

c. Ray tracing algorithms and computational geometry

d. Engineering level dynamic engagement strategies

2. Statistical methods for threat and target assessments

a. Statistical approaches for laser susceptibility calculations

b. Statistical methods for aimpoint uncertainty

Technical Area 14: Laser Target Interaction Modeling and Simulation The objectives for the Laser Target Interaction Modeling and Simulation area are to conduct research leading to the development of advanced computational methods for predicting the physical phenomenology resulting from high energy laser interactions. The tools are concurrently applied to predict ongoing experiments resulting in data leading to the continued development of credible, verified and validated methods and innovative physics algorithms. Prediction of the laser interaction must take into account a spatially and temporally resolved beam irradiance profile, absorption into the target, localized thermo-structural response, coupled physical phenomena, and resulting damage modes. Quantification of uncertainty is essential to appropriate application of results. The Laser Interaction M&S Area must work closely with the Laser Interaction Testing Area at all phases of testing to ensure proper code input is obtained and that test design reflects the needs of the modeling technical area. Key areas include:

· Develop and Demonstrate State-of-the-Art Physics-based Models for Predicting Laser Effects

· Provide documentation to support Model Verification, Validation, and Accreditation

· Experimental Coordination and Data Analysis

· Develop Simplified Physics-Based Solvers for Engineering Models

· Parametric Analysis, Optimization, and Uncertainty Quantification

· Software, Database, and Hardware Maintenance

In addition, this Technical Area seeks novel methods in the following Special Topic Areas:

1. Coupled multi-physics simulations

a. Coupled Aero/Thermal/Chemical/Mechanical simulations

b. Aero-assisted laser melt removal

c. Laser/Kinetic weapon synergies

d. Laser induced initiation/ignition of flammable/energetic materials

2. Laser-induced material ablation

OTHER INFORMATION

To achieve AFRL/RDLE laser effects research goals for DoD, it is necessary to transition system vulnerability and lethality data to necessary parties that conduct trade-studies for potential concept of operations and proposed laser weapon systems. The tools can include improved prediction methods with flexibility to adjust parameters within a reasonable range, probabilistic codes that are anchored to empirical data, and databases.

Experimental conditions must replicate relevant target environments either in the laboratory or in the field and may require the use of vacuum chambers or wind tunnels and the control of target dynamics or real-time system monitoring.