Sensor To Shooter Kill Chain

Jul 2022

Dr. Kenneth G. LeSueur

Trideum

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

UNCLASSIFIED // For Public Release

US Army Sensor to Shooter Test Challenges
• Large System of Systems Test Environment
• Sensors, Shooters, Networks, Decision Aids, Approval Chain
• Difference in acquisition phases at any given time of test
• Emerging reliance on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)
technologies
• Generating Scale in the number of systems, networks, interdependencies
• Repeat all of the above for near peer adversary representations
• Many vectors for Cyber threats
• Verification and Validation of associated simulations
• Classification Levels of some Sensors/Networks/Operational Scenarios
Challenges: Sensor to Shooter Kill Chains within a Multi Domain Operation
create a unique challenge to the Test & Evaluation Community
UNCLASSIFIED // For Public Release
Required Characteristics of a Sensor to Shooter Test Environment
• Adapt as Systems mature/change from Digital Model HWIL Full System
• Flexible to support Developmental and Operational Testing
• Persistent Test Capability
• Necessary for T&E schedule
• Necessary for Budget constraints
• Necessary to build and grow fidelity of LVC and V&V body of evidence
• Seamlessly Integrate into Multi Domain Operations (MDO) scenarios
• Support for CEMA/Cyber testing
• Support Movement between test Networks and embrace the use of Cross Domain
Solutions (CDS) when necessary
• Proper Deployment of Instrumentation throughout the Environment including AI/ML
systems
T&E Approach: Test and Evaluation of Sensor to Shooter Kill Chains will
require a Novel approach to meet the challenging requirements
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 Sensor-to-Shooter OV-1
Sensors
Network 2
Digital
Operationally Digital Network 1 Simulation
Simulation
Target Nomination/Processing
Relevant Artificial Intelligence/ SIL/HWIL
Environment SIL/HWIL Machine Learning
Tactical
Tactical System
System
• Systems of Systems
• Scale
• Representative Threat & Instrumentation
Decision Verification, Validation,
Tactics Taps
Accreditation (VV&A)
• Operational/Tactical
Network 3
Networks & Loads
• Cyber Threat
• Wrapped in MDO
Dissemination
Scenario

Potential Networks
Simulated Network Relevant Threat
• Army Persistent
Load CALL Representation
Experimentation Shooter
FOR
Network FIRE! Digital
Simulation
• JMN Cyber Network
• Secret DREN SIL/HWIL

• Coalition Network Tactical

System

UNCLASSIFIED // For Public Release

Solution Description
A Persistent Simulation/Test environment that supports end-to-end Sensor
to Shooter (STS) System of Systems (SoS) test and evaluation
• The solution shall include numerous Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) capabilities to be developed,
integrated, and federated to properly stimulate the entire sensor to shooter chain
• A persistent Distributed test capability linking all required test organizations/facilities/ranges
• The architecture of the solution shall be capable of supporting any mixture of simulations,
Hardware-In-the-Loop (HWIL) or live elements for each of the represented systems.
• Must include dynamic/intelligent Threat system simulations/C2 and associated tactics
• Requires a complete suite of sensors/simulations and shooter platforms and associated systems
• Tactical network/radio/waveform simulations, network traffic models & stimulators
• The environment shall contain a complete instrumentation and data collection suite
• This architecture allows scaled testing and interoperability of all STS elements
• This solution shall be capable of operating at ALL classification levels
• The Federated LVC test environment shall be formally verified, validated, and accredited (VV&A)
to ATEC Reg 73-21 to provide evaluation supportable data
UNCLASSIFIED // For Public Release
Sensor-to-Shooter Use Case
RTC Sensor-to-Shooter Use Cases
Sensor Models/HWIL/Live Weapon Models/HWIL/Live
Ground Ground to
Output
Radar Air Msl
• Performance data with high enough quality
AI/Decision Aid Model/HWIL/Live Launcher Model/HWIL/Live to be accepted by certifying authorities
AI/ML Wheeled • Latency of the kill chain
Aided C2 Launcher
• Optimal selection of Target-Weapon pairing
Threat System Models SAF/Environment Models
Cyber/ OneSAF EADSIM Terrain • Reliability of the kill chain
Air Ground Space AHWS
EW AFSIM JSTEN GPS
• Quality of the kill chain
Legend
Air Ground Space Use Case Network or Data Link • Vulnerability of the kill chain

AI Artificial Intelligence EW Electron Warfare ML Machine Learning

AFSIM Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration & ModelingGPS Global Positioning System OneSAF One Semi-Automated Force
AHWS Advanced Hypersonic Weapon System HWIL Hardware-In-the-Loop RTC Redstone Test Center
C2 Command and Control JSTEN Joint Scalable Tactical Emulated Network SAF Semi Automated Forces
EADSIM Extended Air Defense Simulation M&S Modeling and Simulation

UNCLASSIFIED // For Public Release

RTC’s Distributed LVC Integration Process

UNCLASSIFIED // For Public Release

Technical Benefits of Proposed Approach

• The proposed STS test environment will allow the testing of operationally
realistic scenarios including the relevant scale of engagements not
achievable in live testing alone
• The solution will support distributed Developmental Testing and
Operational testing augmentation
• Using Digital Twins allows the test and evaluation to expand greatly in the
number of test runs, scenarios, and edge of the envelop conditions that
are not achievable in live testing alone
• This increased data/performance measurements will significantly increase
the confidence in acquisition decisions
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Relevance of the Approach
Doug Bush, Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology,

“We are facing more and more sophisticated adversaries, we need ways to test against their
capabilities. That often will end up in simulations, those simulations will have to be very high
fidelity, to make sure it’s valid. So I think those two areas — simulations and cyber — are
probably the areas where we can improve the most on testing, working collaboratively
with the testing community,”

“It’s not just something due at the very end, it’s something you do along the way,”

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Conclusions
The Test environment necessary to meet the MDO and Sensor to
Shooter requirements will require:
• Integration and augmentation of Modeling & Simulation
• Operating in a Distributed test environment
• Multiple infrastructure networks operating at all security levels
• Operating at Division or above scales to stimulate the kill chains and
decision aid systems
• Using near-peer scenarios with dynamic, intelligent threat systems
• Instrumentation of all sensors, shooters, simulations, networks, and AI/ML
systems
• Persistent T&E environment
• Formal VV&A UNCLASSIFIED // For Public Release