An Open Systems Architecture Approach to Electronic Warfare Test & Evaluation

The test and evaluation requirements of an electromagnetic warfare system stem from the fundamental concepts of its intended mission: an effective system must sufficiently manage its sensors in an operationally contested electromagnetic spectrum, quickly and accurately detect and identify potential threats in that contested spectrum, and act effectively and decisively in response to any perceived threats. As a result, thorough test and evaluation of electromagnetic warfare systems requires high-fidelity signal simulation and generation capabilities to adequately stress its radio frequency processing chain. Additionally, high-resolution observation equipment must provide visibility into the radio frequency test environment from multiple perspectives: the source of the stimulation and the system under test. Sufficiently exercising and evaluating an electromagnetic warfare system has become increasingly difficult with the use of conventional commercial off the shelf test equipment, such as vector signal generators, oscilloscopes, and real-time spectrum analyzers, due to limitations in the number of available channels, the instantaneous bandwidth of each channel, and lack of measurement tools that display system behaviors with the strict time and frequency requirements unique to electromagnetic warfare applications. As the complexity of realistic electromagnetic warfare operational environments continues to grow, so must the capabilities of electromagnetic warfare test and evaluation equipment. The suggested approach is to use validated electromagnetic warfare technology to test and evaluate electromagnetic warfare technology. With this approach, affordable high-resolution multi-channel radio frequency signal simulation, generation, and observation capabilities are realizable with unrivaled flexibility, scalability, and upgradeability to provide the test and evaluation assets that the electromagnetic warfare community needs.