These short courses were offered in conjunction with the Directed Energy Systems Symposium in Monterey, California. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits are earned for completion of these DEPS short courses.
Course 1. HELSEEM Introduction Classification: Unclassified Instructor: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: The course is an overview of the usage and application of the Government-owned high energy laser (HEL) simulation tool HELSEEM (High Energy Laser System End-to-End Model). Developed under funding from the Joint Technology Office, HELSEEM is a simulation framework that allows component models from various sources to work together to simulate system level, 1-on-1 or 1-on-n HEL engagements. Students will learn the basics of using and applying HELSEEM to industry HEL problems. Typical problems investigated in this 1/2 day course may include ATL and ground-based laser scenario models, how to set up the simulation, how to run the simulation, and how to use/interpret the outputs. Topics
Intended Audience: The intended audience is engineers in the HEL M&S field with a basic understanding of modeling and simulation concepts. Students will learn how to set up and run laser system simulations and how to interpret the outputs. A background in HEL modeling and simulation is helpful but not necessary. Students wishing to bring a laptop may install the software and follow along with the examples. No experience in the field is required; however, some experience will be helpful since the topics are covered rapidly. Instructor Biography: Mr. Ritter received his B.S.M.E. from UC Davis in 1997 and his M.S.M.E. from MIT in 1999. After working in the advanced technology division of Allied Signals Engines and Systems in Phoenix, Robin joined Northrop Grumman in Albuquerque. There he was responsible for the rehosting of TASAT (Time-domain Analysis and Simulation for Advanced Tracking) from MAtrixX to Simulink, and was a primary developer of new functionality for TASAT. He was the principal investigator for the Joint Technology Office's M&S project HELSEEM until its completion in 2004. Robin worked at Northrop Grumman until May 2005, when he left to co-found Tau Technologies, a small company focused on HEL modeling and simulation.
Course 2. Introduction to Beam Control Classification: Unclassified Instructor: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: The course is an overview of the technology and analysis needed to understand and design the beam control systems that accomplish acquisition, pointing, and tracking for a laser system. The system could be communications, imaging, or laser deposition, and the technology would still be very similar. The course also includes introductory lectures on control theory, as well as the performance equations that describe propagation of a laser beam to target. The attendees will be given the basic equations necessary to describe beam control system performance. The course will also include an introduction to adaptive optics beam control systems and a look at future beam control systems for fiber optics. Topics
Intended Audience: The students will obtain an overall understanding of the analysis needed to describe, design, and evaluate a beam control system. The course assumes that the attendee has a basic undergraduate level of engineering and mathematics. The solution of differential equations is used to describe the operation of control systems. Both technical persons and managers should benefit from the development and discussions regarding the operation of beam control systems. Technicians may find the course too analytical. The author has included references at the end of each section such that a student in the area may delve much deeper into the material if desired. No experience in the field is required; however, some experience will be helpful since the topics are covered rapidly. Instructor Biography: Dr. Merritt started working on laser systems in 1974 on the Airborne Laser Laboratory. Also in 1974, he received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He worked in civil service for several of the Kirtland laser organizations including the Weapons Laboratory, Phillips Laboratory, and Air Force Research Laboratory. His last civil service assignment was the Technical Advisor for the Airborne Laser Technology Division. He retired from the government in 1997 and went to work for Boeing-SVS in Albuquerque where he continued to analyze beam control systems. He was a Boeing Senior Technical Fellow. He retired from Boeing in 2003 and is now working for the University of New Mexico. He is teaching a controls class at the University and is a part time IPA with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland.
Course 3. Verification, Validation, and Accreditation in a Cost Effective Manner Classification: Unclassified Instructors: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: Verification and validation (V&V) is an integral part of any substantive system or software engineering project, and development professions recognize that you should implement comprehensive V&V efforts early in the lifecycle to provide positive results in terms of cost and productivity. However, to make V&V work productively, it has to be used correctly and effectively. This tutorial discusses how to effectively implement a V&V program that would reduce lifecycle costs, shorten development time, and increase the overall quality of the final product. The course will commence with a basic description of both verification (answering the question "Are we building the system right?") and validation ("Are we building the right system?). Sample V&V activities will also be discussed, along with a guide for how to meet V&V goals in a cost-effective manner. For each of the many V&V techniques, the costs, benefits, and implementation methodologies will be explained. After covering V&V, this tutorial will go on to discuss the need for accreditation and conclude with a coverage of the steps and options in an accreditation process. Topics
Intended Audience:
Instructor Biographies Dr. David Cook is a Senior Research Scientist at AEgis Technologies Group, Inc., working as Verification, Validation, and Accreditation agent in the Modeling and Simulation area. He is currently supporting verification, validation, and accreditation for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Airborne Laser (ABL) program. Dave has over 30 years experience in software development and software management. He was formerly as Associate Professor of Computer Science at the U.S. Air Force Academy (where he was also the department research director), and also a former deputy department head of the Software Professional Development Program at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He was also a consultant for the USAF Software Technology Support Center (STSC) for over six years. Dave has published numerous articles on software process improvement, software engineering, object-oriented software development, programming languages, configuration management, and requirements engineering. He has a Ph.D. in computer science from Texas A&M University, and is an authorized Personal Software Process (PSP) instructor. He is a certified Modeling and Simulation Professional through M&SPCC and can be reached at dcook@aegistg.com. Craig Kief is a Senior Software Engineer at AEgis Technologies Group, Inc. He has over 20 years of experience in modeling and simulation and operational test, and 8 years experience teaching at the Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute and the Ibero American Science and Technology Education Consortium General Assembly. He is a member of a development team creating a MATLAB model of the Airborne Laser called the ABL Performance Assessment Toolkit (ABLPAT), working as a verification, validation, and accreditation agent for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) supporting the ABL program. He is also developing a C++ based computer simulation trainer for the Active Denial System (ADS) directed energy weapon. He worked in the Policy and Procedures Directorate of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center during his military career. He has a Computer Engineering degree from the University of New Mexico, and has published and lectured on various computer-engineering related topics. He is a certified Modeling and Simulation Professional through M&SPCC and can be reached at ckief@aegistg.com.
Course 4. Laser Effects on EO Systems Classification: Limited Distribution Instructors: Duration: Full-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.70 Course Description: This course will provide a broad review of temporary and permanent effects on sensors, with a detailed section on focal plane response to the very high levels of illumination associated with in-FOV, in-band lasers. Topics
Intended Audience: This course will be useful to managers who need a solid background to evaluate and plan laser countermeasure and counter-countermeasure programs, and to scientists and analysts new to the field who need a basic understanding of the phenomenologies, measurement techniques, and community models and test data available. Instructor Biographies Dr. Joel Davis is Chief Scientist of the Systems Engineering Solutions (SES) Group at Ball Aerospace. He has a B.S. in physics from MIT and an M.S. in Astro-Geophysics from the University of Colorado. He has working in the aerospace arena for 30 years. Much of his current work supports the AFRL Directed Energy Test and Analysis organizations, and the USAF Satellite Assessment Center. He has built numerous computer models/simulations and data bases, and engaged in analysis efforts related to EO/IR sensor and laser system effectiveness; EO/IR sensor susceptibility to laser-induced effects; meteorological characterization; EO/IR-specific climatologies; test measurement requirements; laser-material effects; laser-sensor effects; laser weapon engagement sensitivities and laser predictive avoidance methodology development. As Chief Scientist at Ball SES, he also oversees its Internal Research and Development program. Dr. John Hubbs is a staff consultant at the Infrared Radiation Effects Laboratory (IRREL) in the Space Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Dr. Hubbs received his BS in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona and his MSEE and Ph.D. in engineering from the University of New Mexico. His major fields of interest include radiation effects on infrared focal plane arrays, applications of infrared technology, and circuits for optical electronics. Dr. Hubbs is a member of SPIE and the IEEE.
Course 5. Introduction to tempus Classification: Unclassified Instructor: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: Computer simulation has become an important tool in many fields of endeavor, from science and engineering to computer based training and computer animation. Over the years considerable progress has been made in tools and methodologies for simulation, but much of this progress has come in the form of improvements to a variety of relatively specialized tools, for modeling control systems, flexible structures, fluid dynamics, communication networks, and so forth. By comparision, relatively little progress had been made in tools designed to support interdisciplinary simulation, involving interactions among subsystems with qualitatively dissimilar behaviors and requiring differing modeling approaches. tempus is a simulation executive that uses a powerful and flexible block diagram-based architecture designed to meet the demands of interdisciplinary simulation. Combining ideas from object-oriented programming and hybrid simulation, tempus can be used to model just about anything. It has an open architecture, which makes it easy to integrate other software into tempus, and vice versa. This course provides an introduction to the application of tempus to the development of large, complex, and interdisciplinary models. Topics
Intended Audience: Technical professionals and managers who seek to develop and utilize interdisciplinary models of complex systems. Attendees will get the most out of the course if they are familiar with modeling and simulation techniques and structured programming. A detailed understanding of C++ is not a must, but the student who does a quick review of the language before attending will get more out of the class. Bjarne Stroustrup, the inventor of C++, has posted this overview of the language. Numerous C++ tutorials and summaries can be found here. Instructor Biographies Mr. Bob Praus is co-founder and President of MZA Associates Corporation, a small company that has distinguished itself in adaptive optics atmospheric propagation simulation and analysis. Mr. Praus was stationed at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in 1981 where he specialized in data analysis and programming for the Airborne Laser Laboratory (ALL) and development of the Wavefront Control System Simulation (WCSS). He continued his involvement in end-to-end wave optics simulation at the BDM Corporation and at RDA. From 1989 to 1991, he served as the software manager of the National Test Facility (NTF), now called JINC. Since founding MZA he has provided technical management and analysis and simulation support to a number of atmospheric characterization and compensation experiments including HABE, ABLEX, ABLE ACE, and the ABL-ACT North Oscura Peak facility. He is currently the principal investigator for MZA's Airborne Laser (ABL) modeling effort in support of the ABL SPO. Mr. Praus is co-inventor of the Adaptive Dynamic Range Wavefront Sensor (ADRWFS, US Pat. No. 6,707,020), a novel enhancement of a Hartmann wavefront sensor. Mr. Stephen Coy is co-founder and Principal Scientist for MZA Associates and provides overall technical leadership for all of MZA's work in simulation, analysis, and the design and development of advanced software tools to support simulation and analysis. Mr. Coy is the chief architect of tempus, the object-oriented software development environment which serves as the foundation for WaveTrain and of WaveTrain itself. He is the implementer of the WaveTrain wave optics library and most of the WaveTrain component and effects models. Mr. Coy has developed a comprehensive and unified approach to describing the sampling requirements associated with the numerical modeling of the propagation of light through general media. Presently, Mr. Coy is heading up the effort to enhance and extend tempus.
Course 6. Directed Energy 101 Classification: Limited Distribution Instructors: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: This course provides a general overview of directed energy weapons, including high energy laser (HEL) and high power microwave (HPM) systems. The emphasis is on the operationally distinguishing characteristics of systems nearing deployment. A special feature of the course is the availability of system simulators for use by the students. The simulators are being provided by AEgis Technologies Group. Topics
Intended Audience: This course is intended for students without a technical background as an introduction to the operational characteristics of HEL and HPM systems. Instructor Biographies: George Harrison is Director, Strategic Initiatives Office, Georgia Tech Research Institute. Before his retirement from the Air Force in July 1997, he was Commander, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. George began his career as an F-4 pilot at MacDill AFB, Florida in 1962. Since then, he has flown combat in the O-F1 from DaNang AB, RVN, and the F-4 from Cam Rahn Bay AB, RVN and Udorn RTAFB. In later years, he flew combat missions in the F-16C over Iraq (Provide Comfort), the C-130E, the E-3A and the E-8C over and into Bosnia (Deny Flight and Joint Endeavor) and the E-3B over Iraq (Desert Storm). He commanded the 4485th Test Squadron, the 479th Tactical Training Wing, the USAF Air Warfare Center and served as USAFE DO. George is an active civil aviator and is an FAA instructor in single and multiengine airplanes, instruments and gliders. Craig Kief is a Senior Software Engineer at AEgis Technologies Group, Inc. He has over 20 years of experience in modeling and simulation and operational test. He is a member of a development team creating a MATLAB model of the Airborne Laser called the ABL Performance Assessment Toolkit (ABLPAT), working as a verification, validation, and accreditation agent for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) supporting the ABL program. He is also developing a C++ based computer simulation trainer for the Active Denial System (ADS) directed energy weapon. He has a Computer Engineering degree from the University of New Mexico, and can be reached at ckief@aegistg.com. Steven Lovelady is a Senior Systems Engineer with AEgis Technologies Group, Inc. Steven is the lead architect for BattleStorm, which is a software framework for building simulations. Steven has been active in the simulation industry for the past ten years and has been involved in the creation of many types of simulators for both land and air vehicles. His recent work with AEgis has consisted of the creation of man-in-the-loop virtual simulators for laser- and microwave-based directed energy weapon systems.
| |||||||||||||||||||
