Integrated mission models and simulation through the entire program lifecycle

A key factor in developing a successful system is the ability to characterize the system mission and capabilities in the early lifecycle phases, thus verifying the validity of the project from a technical standpoint. It is an unfortunate fact of engineering that the mission modeling activities often are uncoupled from the later systems analysis and architecture activities. By integrating the mission models and simulations with the earliest lifecycle products, such as the OV-1 and OV-2 DoD Architecture Framework (DoDAF) models, we show how a Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) approach can establish continuity between system lifecycle phases when implemented over the entire system lifecycle, as well as provide feedback between the models and simulation results. An approach integrating IBM Rhapsody Designer for Systems Engineers with OPNET network modeling is presented.