ITT Advanced Engineering & Sciences is a leading developer of high-fidelity simulation and training products for the nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) defense community and has developed training systems for every major U.S. NBC reconnaissance platform.

Recent events have driven home the need for both military and civilian personnel – from first responders to soldiers in a forward battlefield environment – to be able to test new sensor technologies and train to deal with a chemical or biological attack. To provide that critical training and simulation, Advanced Engineering & Sciences (AES) is providing leading technologies and solutions.

Providing Real-World Training and Simulation - Virtually

In order to evaluate the performance characteristics of a system or how well a sensor will detect a particular environment there must be data to analyze. Because of the lethal and environmentally damaging nature of the chem/bio agents, it isn’t practical – or in some cases treaty compliant – to provide training or evaluation tests by releasing hazardous agents or even simulants into the environment. As explained by Charlie Woodhouse, manager of the modeling and simulation department for AES, "To do real training exercises, you would need an exceptionally expensive lab, and even with that you would putting your staff in harm’s way. The advantage of computer simulation is that you can virtually represent a hazard for systems in development or you can create virtual prototypes to see how well a system may perform." This can’t be done in a vacuum; real testing is required to collect validation data for the models and to test where the models don’t work. To be cost effective, the two must be used in conjunction.

AES has a legacy of providing computer simulation solutions. This experience began with work performed for the Ballistic Missile Defense community that provided visual simulation of the effects of destroying a warhead containing a chem/bio payload. As Dr. Claudia Randolph, manager of the special projects department at AES notes, "There are many companies that can provide a detailed transport dispersion of those types of events. However, there aren’t many that can work out how the sensors interact in those cases so sensor performance can be understood." AES provides sensor performance modeling for chem/bio events. This modeling provides an understanding for how a sensor should be deployed or what the concept of operations should be for a sensor in order to provide optimal performance in a real environment. AES has provided simulation work for most of the chem/bio systems in development or in operation. This includes point sensors for both chemical and biological agents as well as active systems that employ Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR ) or other laser identification techniques.

Simulation Develops Battlefield Tactics and Techniques

In an example of this modeling and simulation capability, AES provided a solution for the use of a LIDAR system developed for long range detection of biological hazards called the Biological Stand Off Detection System, BSDS. This system was designed to fly on an UH-60 in battlefield conditions.

The problems began with the fact that the UH-60 helicopter is an aviation community asset and the LIDAR detector is a chemical community asset.

As explained by Woodhouse, "The chemical community was writing the tactics, techniques and procedures for flying these missions – which to them meant flying up as close to the forward line of troops as possible at 5,000 feet." Woodhouse continued, "The aviation community told them that if the mission flew that way, there would be a high probability of failure. The aviation community wanted to fly in tree tops, well back from the forward lines."

To solve this issue, AES installed a LIDAR simulator system at Fort Rucker, the primary Army Aviation school. Training crews from the aviation and chemical communities were brought together, given threat briefings, and simulated missions were flown. After a series of missions with different parameters and results, a set of tactics, techniques, and procedures were developed for different types of terrain. According to Randolph, "When we combined the aviation simulators at Fort Rucker with our chem/bio simulators, we had the aviation and chemical people understand how each had to work with the other and come to a concept of operations that would satisfy both communities."

Training For FOX NBC System

AES simulation systems are key to crew training for the FOX NBC reconnaissance System (NBCRS). FOX is a detection, warning, communication, and NBC intelligence gathering system that is fully integrated into an armored, wheeled vehicle. The FOX is capable of detecting NBC contamination, integrating contamination information with data received from other on-board systems, and transmitting contamination hazard and clear area intelligence to the tactical operations centers and other battlefield entities. To train FOX crews, AES installed and integrated the Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT) FOX simulator at Fort Hood. The CCTT is a networked system of manned simulators, supported by emulators that support collective training on a synthetic combined arms battlefield. Woodhouse notes that, "CCTT is really about team operations…how does a platoon of tanks maneuver with another platoon of tanks against an opposing force." With the AES trainers, the FOX crews can be put into virtual battlefields with hazards in the environment to teach them how to interoperate with a maneuver force.

Recently, AES installed another simulator at the U.S. Army Chemical School for crew training. At this facility, the FOX vehicles learn how to operate in pairs in order to operate more effectively to map battlefield contaminants.

Restoration of Operations

Another important area of simulation work for AES is in the development of situational awareness tools for Restoration of Operations (RESTOPS).

The RESTOPS program furthers the development of technologies that enhance U.S. forces' ability to survive and restore to full operational capability after chemical and biological warfare attacks.

As applied to the real world, RESTOPS provides information technologies that allow a forward airbase, for instance, to get back up to speed and full sortie rate after a chem/bio attack. Key to restoring operations is setting up procedures for assessing any chem/ bio event and minimizing its impact. Working with the Air Force Research Lab and the Soldier Biological Chemical Command, AES is modifying existing tools to better address these important issues.

As part of that process, AES is creating a situational awareness tool for military bases, which combines a Geographic Information System (GIS) coupled with a workflow database. Digitally connected sensors are arrayed around a base and are combined into the GIS.

When the sensors are activated, they are displayed on a map, giving a commander a current view of the threat situation on his base. Built into this map are additional layers of information such as the base alarm state and the protective posture of his staff. The aggregation of these sensors and ther data input builds a "picture of prediction" of what is occurring and what the appropriate response should be.

RESTOPS software is now being deployed across Pacific Air Force bases.

Virtual Prototyping

AES provides systems and technologies for chem/bio simulation in another important area known as virtual prototyping. Virtual prototyping technology enables the creation of a software-based platform that can fully mirror the functionality of a physical system which can then be evaluated without the fabrication of physical prototypes.

In the development of a chem/bio sensor, for example, virtual prototyping allows a computer to analyze the first order of characteristics of a system. Woodhouse notes that, "Regardless of the type of system, virtual prototyping brings the advantage of being able to look at the characteristics of a system and drive engineering down a more optimum path before you ever bend metal. Our models are constantly getting better and our computers are getting faster and in some cases we analyze the second order phenomena and parameters of a system under development."

In addition to the cost savings created by virtual prototyping, AES simulation technologies can also save money in training. Most battlefield chem/bio training is very expensive, especially when putting out sensor arrays and teaching people how to use and maintain them. Added to that is the fact that most chem/bio training must use costly expendables. As Randolph notes, "You want to do as much training as possible without using live agents or expendables. With simulation, you can stimulate a sensor in a virtual manner. It will act like it saw an actual event and then you can train people in response tactics as if that sensor went off for real."

Counterproliferation Modeling & Simulation

In the area of counterproliferation, AES scientists are working on developing modeling and simulation software code to test the effectiveness of offensive scenarios to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction. AES' models are used by the Air Force to compare the result of using various weapons against facilities used to manufacture and store weapons of mass destruction and the resultant neutralization and/or dispersion of these lethal agents.

Agent Transport Modeling

"Puff models" have been a standard method used by the chem/bio community for many years to track chem/bio agents. These models provide a reasonable answer in many cases. However they break down when modeling agent transport in complex urban situations. AES scientists have been developing new "particle-based" codes to provide modeling for chem/bio agent dispersion in complex environments. According to Vern Smith and Steve Diehl, Research Scientists for AES, "We use a numerical technique involving the use of tracer particles undergoing random-walk excursions to simulate the gradient-transfer diffusion process. Using this technique, any particle can go in any direction as dictated by the turbulence or flow. We are not bound by puff model limitations."

Particle-based codes provide much higher fidelity in complex situations. AES is currently pursuing this approach to develop a detailed capability to model urban transport as well as the transport of chem/bio agents throughout a building ventilation system. Both of these efforts will help to understand the threat of a chem/bio terrorist event in urban settings. Also in the works is the continued development of an ITT AES IR&D project involving "reverse transport" modeling. As Smith explains, "If sensors detect the presence of a chem/ bio agent, we can run a code that will provide information that gives us the highest probability of where that agent came from and how much was released."

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