Navy Mobile Instrumentation System

ABSTRACTIn response to declining DoD budget levels, Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) has drastically reduced the number of live‐fire TRIDENT missile flight tests over the last five to six years. Consequently, the data from each of the remaining flight tests becomes that much more valuable so means have been sought to affordably provide more perceptive information from each of the reduced number of missile tests. In response to this situation, new instrumentation systems have been developed, which collectively are called the Navy mobile instrumentation system (NMIS). These may temporarily be installed on ships of opportunity, provided by the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) and sailed into broad ocean areas (BOAs) to collect reentry body data. The design of our instrumentation, and our memorandum of agreement (MOA) with NAVO, allows NAVO to continue to conduct their surveys enroute to the terminal (impact) area. The NMIS consists of the following subsystems: (1) C‐band and X‐band radars; (2) optics recording and display; (3) S‐band multi‐object tracking and recording; (4) scoring of reentry impacts; and (5) weather profile collection and recording. The subsystems use commercial off‐the‐shelf (COTS) equipment whenever possible (Buckman and Vetter 1998). This paper will discuss specific technical innovations of the individual NMIS systems and will showcase samples of data that have been obtained from developmental testing during actual Trident missile flight tests. Also, this paper will describe the NMIS operational support concept and maintenance concept.