News:
August 2009
MDA Phase II Awarded: Fast Rendering Algorithm for Missile Emission Scenes (FRAMES)
Funding has been received for SSI's SBIR Phase II program to develop a high-altitude plume morphing algorithm for the missile defense agency.
Missile exhaust plume emission is the key observable for many of our missile defense sensor systems. Surveillance satellite sensors rely on infrared plume emission for early launch detection, tracking, and threat identification. Because of the importance of plume emission to many MDA programs, considerable effort and funding has been expended in developing high-fidelity plume signature codes. These models play a central role in the analysis of threat system data collections and in the design of sensors and their associated algorithms. FRAMES (Fast Rendering Algorithm for Missile Emission Scenes) is a sophisticated missile plume morphing and interpolation system intended to provide plumes and hard-bodies for inputs to MDA (Missile Defense Agency) engagement scenario digital simulators. FRAMES greatly increases the utility of these models by overcoming their primary limitations: lengthy simulation times and complex setup. FRAMES utilizes a matrix of high-fidelity model calculations along with field data within an innovative spatial morphing and field interpolation methodology to enable fast frame rate plume imagery to be generated over a broad range of missile and sensor operational conditions.
In Phase I, SSI prototyped and demonstrated the plume morphing technique between two plumes with a difference in angle of attack of ten degrees with remarkable agreement. In Phase II, the focus will be on building a plume and hard-body delivery system for MDA digital simulators that can deliver accurate inputs for radiative transfer algorithms, such as FLITES, within seconds or minutes.
SSI will be assisted in this effort by Kinetics, Inc. and Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center.