NORAD Air Surveillance Technology Tradeoff Study

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NORAD Air Surveillance Technology Trade-off Study

• Using STK and a Multi-Attribute Utility Algorithm

Cherie Gott NORAD-NORTHCOM
Directorate of Analysis This presentation is a
compilation of independent unclassified research
and analysis and does not necessarily reflect
the views, policies, or programs of NORAD-NORTHCOM
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NORAD Two Countries One Team

• Aerospace Warning Aerospace Control
• Cornerstones of the NORAD mission
• Aerospace Threats from Without and Within
• Pre 911 Outward focus from our borders to
  incoming threats
• Post 911 Added interior focus on domestic
  airspace
• Enforce control of the skies
• ground-based radar
• airborne radar
• satellites
• fighter aircraft
• command structures
• intelligence capabilities

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NORAD Air Surveillance Requirements
Interior
Perimeter
Special Flight-restricted Zones
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Current Fixed Radar Assets

• Joint Surveillance System (Air Route Surveillance
  Radars ARSR)
• Long range 3-D rotating phased-array
• 43 radars positioned along periphery of the
  Continental United States (CONUS)

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Current Fixed Radar Assets

• Federal Aviation Administration Interior Radars
• LRR Long Range Radar (ARSRs)
• SRR Short Range Radar (Airport Surveillance
  Radars ASR)

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Current Fixed Radar Assets

• Tethered Aerostats
• Long range, low-level surveillance
• 15,000 ft altitude and below
• Positioned along Southern border of the United
  States

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Future Wide-area Surveillance Options

• OTHR Over-the-Horizon Radar
• Ionospheric bounce results in very long
  over-the-horizon detection ranges (1500 NMi)
• All-altitude detection

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Future Wide-area Surveillance Options

• High Altitude Airship
• Unmanned and un-tethered airship
• Designed to Operate in the stratosphere (60,000
  80,000 ft).
• Large ground footprint make HAA an attractive
  alternative for wide area surveillance.

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Potential Gap-filler Solutions

• Passive Bistatic/Multistatic Radar
• Collects ambient RF signals in the atmosphere
  emanating from sources such as radio, tv,
  cell-phone transmissions
• Continuous, covert, all-weather surveillance
• Inherently useful for low-altitude detections
• Potentially low cost

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Air Surveillance Technology Trade-off Study

• To determine the best NORAD air surveillance
  technology options, as a Family of Systems
• Assessed 5 configurations of sensor systems
• Each configuration included a mix of sensors
• Existing Ground-based Sensor Network
• Wide Area Surveillance Options
• Gap-Filler Solutions

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ASTS Methodology

• Determine Essential Elements of Analysis (EEA)
• Coverage Area
• Detection Capability
• Cost (ROM)
• Multi-Attribute Utility Analysis
• Identifies specific value dimensions within
  each category of EEA
• Overall evaluation of individual sensor system is
  a weighted summation with respect to mission
  utility
• Contribution of each sensor system rolled into
  the larger Family of Systems configuration
• Used STK Coverage to calculate contribution of
  individual sensors within complex overlapping
  coverage areas
• Result is a single utility score for each
  configuration considered

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Notional Configurations and Coverage Results
75.22
75.22
Coverage Requirement By System Baseline
75.22 Gap-Fillers 7.06 High Alt Airship
58.81 OTHR 44.08
Config 1 Baseline
Config 2 Baseline Gap-Fillers
93.36
90.76
Config 3 Baseline Gap-Fillers HAA
Config 4 Baseline Gap-Fillers OTHR
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Detection Scoring Process for Single Sensor

• Example Scoring the System Position Accuracy
  Parameter

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Methodology (U)
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Sample Decision-Making Products
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Surveillance Technology Visualization Tool

• STK Sensor System Scenario with Button Tool
  Interface
• User-Selectable Visualization Options
• By Configuration
• By Sensor Type

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Questions?Contact Info Ms Cherie
GottNORAD-NORTHCOM/Analysis Directoratecherie.go
tt_at_northcom.mil