The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) strongly recommended U.S. forces continued improving intelligence, surveillance, andreconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and defenses, especially EO/IR countermeasure capabilities, to counter non-state actors with access tomore advanced threat technologies and sophisticated information operations. EO/IR countermeasures are shaping up to be among the few real growth areas of the Pentagon’s fiscal 2013 budget, which the Obama Administration submitted to Congress in Feb 2012. U.S. Departmentof Defense (DoD) leaders plan to spend $4.95 billion next year for EO/IR countermeasure work, which represents a growth of 7.6 percent over the $4.6 billion the DOD budgeted for electronic warfare and electro-optical countermeasures this year. The 2013 DOD budget request calls for spending $3.44 billion in electro-optical and infrared countermeasures procurement, and $1.52 billion in research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E).
Traditional airborne ISR accounts for $11.3 billion, or 1.7 percent, of the total 2012 DoD budget. ISR companies have recently benefited from the ground wars and nation-building activities in Middle Eastern countries, where there is a constant need for responsive and persistent ISR. “Even the current troop withdrawal from Iraq may not significantly reduce the ISR mission because military and political leaders recognize the deterrent effect of ISR platforms, which are mainly unmanned,” says a senior Frost and Sullivan military analyst. “Ultimately, the greatest growth opportunities will present themselves in the form of increasing ISR-sensor capabilities and size, weight, and power (SWaP) efficiencies as well as expanding the multirole mission and survivability of unmanned platforms,” notes the analyst. Another analyst has determined that “the value of the global electro optical infrared (EO/IR) systems market in 2013 will exceed $8 Billion”. As unmanned aerial systems (UASs) become more capable and undertake additional missions simultaneously, the amount of information flow from the sensors across the communications channels and data links will increase exponentially. Technical challenges will arise when marrying SWaP requirements, as well as frequency bands, because both affect the range and bandwidth capabilities of communications between ISR platforms and end users.
As Airborne ISR and EO/IR capabilities evolve, current and future military operations will demand even greater platform/sensor andenhanced multi-platform integration and interconnectivity. This seminar provides valuable information and guidance to engineers, technicians, and project managers on airborne EO/IR missions and capabilities. You will learn the fundamentals of how ultraviolet, visible, and infrared systems are used in such applications as target detection and tracking, reconnaissance, ground mapping, navigation, communications, countermeasures, and weapons delivery. You will examine proven techniques for selecting the right design approaches and technologiesto achieve optimum performance and how to overcome integration challenges with proven approaches. The wealth of practical “hands-on” experience that the instructor brings to this course is an invaluable resource to the student.
- How are Sensors Being Developed and Integrated in Manned and Unmanned Aircraft to Optimize Performance of Existing andFuture Platforms?
- How do Current Defense Trends and Plans Effect Future Opportunities in Airborne EO/IR Systems?
- What are the Fundamental Design Considerations for Developing State-of-the-Art Airborne Sensor Systems to meet MissionRequirements?
- How does the Intense Demand for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) Translate into New EO/IR Solutions on the Battlefield?
- What Role must Advanced Airborne EO/IR Systems Play in Achieving True Net-Centric Operational Capabilities?
Airborne Electro-Optical Sensor Systems
- A Detailed Examination and Analysis of Airborne Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) Sensor System Missions, Platforms, and Capabilities
- New Directions in EO/IR Technology and Future EO/IR Sensor Systems to support the DoD Mission: UAVs, UASs, ISR, Targeting, Night Vision, etc.
- Proven Approaches and Lessons Learned in System Design, Systems and Platform Integration, and Evaluation of Mission Performance
- How to Get the Most ROI from Your Architecture Products
- Technical Challenges and Solutions of Integrating EO/IR Systems on Existing and New Manned and Unmanned Airborne Platforms
- Evaluation and Analysis of Vital Plans, Programs, and Initiatives Driving the Development of Advanced Airborne Electro- Optical Systems such as OSD and Service Plans, Roadmaps, etc.
About the Speaker
MR. JOHN MINOR has over twenty five years of technical and operational experience with military sensors and weapon systems. He is an internationallyrecognized subject matter expert on airborne sensors and systems, unmanned aerial vehicles/systems, systems engineering, and flight testand evaluation. He is a highly experienced and decorated instructor and lecturer. During his career, Minor served on the technical staff of the Air Force Flight Test Center, the USAF Test Pilot School, the 46th Test Wing, Lockheed Martin, the Lockheed Skunk Works®, Loral, and Sverdrup Technology. He began his career with the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing as a sensor system specialist on the SR-71 and U-2 aircraft. Since, he has worked on a number of high-value military programs to include the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN), the BQM-145A Medium Range UAV, the CL-227 “Flying Peanut”, the F/A-18D (RC) Tactical Reconnaissance (TAC RECCE), the Advanced Tactical Air Reconnaissance System (ATARS), and the RQ-3A TIER III Minus (DarkStar) High Altitude, Low Observable, Endurance, Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), as well as numerous other highly classified programs. Mr. Minor has accumulated over 1500 flying hours in over 30 different aircraft types, including 400+ hours in the RF-4C and 300+ hours in the F-16B/D.
As the USAF Test Pilot School’s former Technical Director (2004-2008) and Systems Master Instructor (1999-2003), he was responsible fordeveloping a state of the art curricula and teaching EO/IR/Radar sensors, weapons, systems, electronic warfare, directed energy, andunmanned systems theory, operations, and flight test to the next generation of USAF Test Pilots, Electronic Warfare Officers, and Flight Test Engineers. He has taught many short courses for Society of Flight Test Engineers,Technology Training Corporation, and has lectured extensively throughout Europe to several Technical Universities and for the Royal Aeronautical Engineering Society (RAeS).
Mr. Minor holds BSEE/MSEE degrees “with distinction” from the University of New Mexico/Air Force Institute of Technology. He is an Air War College and USAF Test Pilot School graduate (class 87B). He has been honored with numerous awards and decorations to include: the Civilian Meritorious Service Medal, the 412th Test Wing’s Senior Leader of the Year Award, the Society of Flight Test Engineers Directors and Fellow Awards, the San Fernando Valley Engineers’ Council Distinguished Engineering Project Achievement Award, and the Engineers’ Council Distinguished Engineering Life Achievement Award for his educational contributions to the Edwards AFB engineering community. In 2010 he was honored to receive the “Kelly” Johnson Award for obtaining “Engineering Excellence” throughout his 35-year career by the Society of Flight Test Engineers. Mr. Minor is currently Chief of the Scientist and Engineer Strategic Workforce Management and Development Division for the Ogden Air Logistics Center Engineering Directorate. Previously he was Chief of the OO-ALC Systems Engineering Division.