We are working to develop a comprehensive, integrated software framework and toolset to support model-based engineering (MBE) of laser weapons systems. MBE has been identified by the Office of the Director, Defense Science and Engineering as one of four potentially “game-changing” technologies that could bring about revolutionary advances across the entire DoD research and development and procurement cycle. To be effective, however, MBE requires robust underlying modeling and simulation technologies capable of modeling all the pertinent systems, subsystems, components, effects, and interactions at any level of fidelity that may be required in order to support crucial design decisions at any point in the system development lifecycle. Very often the greatest technical challenges are posed by systems involving interactions that cut across two or more distinct scientific or engineering domains; even in cases where there are excellent tools available for modeling each individual domain, generally none of these domain-specific tools can be used to model the cross-domain interactions. In the case of laser weapons systems R&D these tools need to be able to support modeling of systems involving combined interactions among structures, thermal, and optical effects, including both ray optics and wave optics, controls, atmospheric effects, target interaction, computational fluid dynamics, and spatiotemporal interactions between lasing light and the laser gain medium. To address this problem we are working to extend Comet™, to add the addition modeling and simulation capabilities required for this particular application area. In this paper we will describe our progress to date.
The Comet Performance Engineering Workspace is an environment that enables integrated, multidisciplinary
modeling and design/simulation process automation. One of the many multi-disciplinary
applications of the Comet Workspace is for the integrated Structural, Thermal, Optical Performance
(STOP) analysis of complex, multi-disciplinary space systems containing Electro-Optical (EO) sensors
such as those which are designed and developed by and for NASA and the Department of Defense. The
CometTM software is currently able to integrate performance simulation data and processes from a wide
range of 3-D CAD and analysis software programs including CODE VTM from Optical Research
Associates and SigFitTM from Sigmadyne Inc. which are used to simulate the optics performance of EO
sensor systems in space-borne applications.
Over the past year, Comet Solutions has been working with MZA Associates of Albuquerque, NM, under
a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratories. This funded effort is a "risk reduction effort", to help
determine whether the combination of Comet and WaveTrainTM, a wave optics systems engineering
analysis environment developed and maintained by MZA Associates and used by the Air Force Research
Laboratory, will result in an effective Model-Based Engineering (MBE) environment for the analysis and
design of laser weapons systems.
This paper will review the results of this effort and future steps.
The development of space-borne Electro-Optical (EO) sensors for both NASA and the DOD is currently overrunning initial cost and schedule estimates by 2x to 3x, in an environment where Congressional review and even cancellation of these programs is triggered by more modest overruns of 20% to 30%. A substantial improvement in the cycle time of development for these systems is needed while retaining adequate sensor performance levels with high reliability. Concurrent engineering practices promise significant reductions in project cost and delivery time.
Conference Committee Involvement (6)
Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions X
22 August 2018 | San Diego, California, United States
Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions IX
8 August 2017 | San Diego, California, United States
Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions VIII
1 September 2016 | San Diego, California, United States
Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions VII
11 August 2015 | San Diego, California, United States
Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions VI
29 August 2013 | San Diego, California, United States
Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions V
25 August 2011 | San Diego, California, United States
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