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Joint Unmanned Aircraft System

Mission Environment (JUAS-ME)

A Ground Test Architecture for Army

Manned/Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)

U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command

Robert E. Stone

JUAS-ME Army Program Manager (PM)

Advanced Technology Office

US Army Redstone Test Center (RTC)

Michael J. O’Connor

JUAS-ME Architecture Lead

Trideum Corporation

November 4, 2015

Lewis Hundley

JUAS-ME Assistant PM

Trideum Corporation

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Manned/Unmanned Teaming

• MUM-T is an Army capability in which manned aircraft assume varying

Levels of Interoperability (LOI) (i.e. control) of unmanned aircraft

systems (UAS) to accomplish intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance

(ISR) and target prosecution.

• These LOI’s are defined as follows in NATO STANAG 4586:

LOI 1 – Direct Receipt of Secondary Data from UAS

LOI 2 – Direct Receipt of UAS Sensor/Payload Data

LOI 3 – Control of UAS Sensor/Payload

LOI 4 – UAS Flight Control

LOI 5 – Launch and Recovery of UAS

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Conceptual MUM-T Scenario

LOI 1-4 DefsMUM-T is a True SoS and Requires a SoS Test Environment

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MUM-T Test Challenges

• Testing of MUM-T systems has several unique challenges:

MUM-T is a true system of systems (SoS), comprising manned

aircraft, the UAS/ground control station (GCS), and in some

scenarios dismounted soldier systems. Testing of these capabilities

must be performed in a true SoS environment to assess all

functionality and limitations of the combined systems.

MUM-T functionality is inextricably tied to the transmission of data

across the tactical data link. The ability to control this link in an open

air test environment is limited at best.

Current FAA restrictions on UAS flight in the National Airspace

(NAS) typically requires expensive ferry and logistics costs to co-

locate the manned aircraft at the UAS flight area for testing of

MUM-T capabilities.

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JUAS-ME Ground Test Solution

• In order to meet these challenges, RTC developed a ground test

architecture linking existing tactical hardware in the loop (HITL), installed

systems test facilities (ISTFs), labs, and ranges using the Defense

Research Engineering Network (DREN) into an aggregate SoS

environment for MUM-T testing. The architecture, known as the Joint UAS

Mission Environment, is comprised of the following Team Redstone

facilities:

RTC Aviation System Test and Integration Lab (AvSTIL) – a manned

aircraft installed systems test facility focusing on MUM-T and ASE testing.

The AH-64E was placed in virtual flight using AvSTIL capabilities.

AMRDEC Joint Systems Integration Lab (JSIL) – A Gray Eagle HITL facility

with both air vehicle and GCS. The Gray Eagle was also placed in virtual flight

within the facility.

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JUAS-ME Ground Test Solution

(continued)

RTC Distributed Test Control Center (DTCC) – a unique capability focused

on the design, control and execution of distributed tests. Additionally the

DTCC houses the tactical data link emulation, the common scenario

simulation (OneSAF) and serves as the focal point for data collection and

analysis.

RTC Laser Lab - a sensor performance testing lab in which UAS payload

laser designators can be fired and characterized.

RTC Range Facilities – test towers with full view of 5 km range. Provides

instrumented targets for tracking and lasing with full suite of witness sensors

networked into the test architecture.

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• While JUAS-ME development focused on the AH-64E and Gray Eagle,

the architecture can integrate any TCDL based HITL or ISTF for manned

or unmanned aircraft with only minor modifications.

• JUAS-ME is a tri-service development sponsored by the Test Resource

Management Center’s Central T&E Improvement Program (CTEIP).

• JUAS-ME successfully demonstrated the base architecture in FY13 and

FY14, and was awarded the Army Modeling and Simulation Office

(AMSO) Award for FY14 in the Team T&E category.

JUAS-ME Ground Test Solution

(concluded)

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JUAS-ME Concept

RTC

Range

1553

PLD Msgs

MDBCTT

Common

Sensor

Payload

RTC DTCC

AMRDEC JSILRTC AvSTIL

JSTEN

TCDL

Tactical

Msgs

TCDL

Tactical

Msgs

TCDL

Tactical

Msgs

OneSAF

AH-64E

TSPI

MQ-1C

Air Vehicle

TSPI

MQ-1C

GCS

TSPI

OSRVT

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JUAS-ME Unique Developments

• Several unique components were developed to support the JUAS-ME

effort.

Joint Scalable Tactical Emulated Network (JSTEN) - An

established Army product that provides tactical network emulation for

a variety of terrestrial and airborne RF based networks. JUAS-ME

updated JSTEN to:

Include bit-level processing algorithms based on the Air Force’s

Standard Common Data Link (SCDL) Specification.

Incorporate a unique IP Multicast Multiplex function allowing

separation of “publish” and “subscribed” multicast data.

Implement a deterministic Data Link Filter allowing user selected

data link messages to be blocked.

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JUAS-ME Unique Developments

(concluded)

Multiplex Data Bus Controller Translator Transmitter (MDBCTT)

– Used within AvSTIL to overdrive MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 429

busses for virtual flight. JUAS-ME modified MDBCTT to:

Allow 1553 bus data to be converted to IP, routed over a

standard network structure, and then re-converted back to 1553.

Extends MIL-STD-1553 Busses over ten’s of kilometers

Allows UAS payloads to be placed on the RTC range and

still function under the control of the UAS bus controller.

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JSTEN

Joint Scalable Tactical Emulated Network

Forward error

Correction

GFPGFP

Forward error

Correction

Bit-Level

Data Link Spec

Algorithms

TDL Msgs

From Tx

Platform

Radio

Performance

Antenna

Performance

Tx Platform Vehicle

RF Parameters

Radio

Performance

Antenna

Performance

Rx Platform Vehicle

RF Parameters

TDL Msgs

Passed to Rx

Platform

-OR-

TDL Msgs

Stopped

JSTEN Data Link Emulation Allows

MUM-T Functionality Evaluation Under

Full Range of Conditions

Relative Geometry

RF Propagation

Terrain

Weather

Physics Based

Algorithms

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MDBCTTMultiplex Data Bus Controller Translator Transmitter

1553 - S

1553 - P

MDBCTT

CSP C2 Commands

INS NAV Data

Gray Eagle AV

Payload Control Computer

1553 - S

1553 - P

MDBCTT

RT

(Surrogate CSP)BC

(Surrogate PCC)DREN (via DTCC)

Gigabit E-net

Overdrive

Data

Source

CSP EU CSP TU

1553 PLD

Messages Range

MDBCTTJSIL

MQ-1C

HITL

Targets

On RTC

Range

JUAS-ME MDBCTT Allows

1553 Buses to be Extended

up to Approximately 25 km

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Extended

MIL-STD-1553

RTC AvSTIL

Apache

AMRDEC JSIL

Gray Eagle

RTC DTCC

Data Link

Emulation

RTC Range Tower

CSP

JUAS-ME Test Geometry

Emulated

Data Link

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JUAS-ME Virtual Test Scenario

Gray Eagle in loiter

pattern north west

of Redstone

GCS located at

RTC airfield

AH-64 flying south

east of RedstoneOSRVT located at

Bldg 4500

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Example of Tactical Video Degradation During Target Tracking in

LOI – 3 Due to Emulated Data Link Quality Degradation

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JSTEN Control and Monitoring GUI

Apache Gray Eagle UAS

Apache Received Video UAS Transmitted Video

As Relative Range

Increases, Video Packets

Begin to Drop Out

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Data Link Degradation Videoin LOI 3

Gray Eagle CSP Video From Range CSP Video Received at Apache

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Emulated Target Prosecution Using

UAS Laser Designator in LOI-4

CSP Track

(symbology removed)

Witness Camera

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Summary

• The JUAS-ME architecture integrates Army manned and unmanned

systems into a SoS environment to support ground testing of MUM-T

capabilities.

• JUAS-ME allows full software functionality testing of MUM-T systems,

including target prosecution with actual UAS sensors on the range.

• Program development focused on Apache, Gray Eagle, and OSRVT, but

any TCDL based system can be integrated into the architecture.

• JUAS-ME cuts across organizational boundaries to maximize use of

existing HITL, ISTF, Laboratory, and Range assets from RTC and

AMRDEC to support the Aviation Warfighter.