HELICOPTERS ON THE ASYMMETRIC BATTLEFIELD: CHALLENGES FOR PHOTONICS Dr.EW Johnny Heikell Espoo, FINLAND URL: Tel: +358-(0) (Mobile) Fax/Voice messages: +358-(0) © Johnny Heikell _tuesday_ _johnny_heikell

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Asymmetric conflicts  Conducted increasingly in urban environments  Littoral operations becoming more common  Entire operational area is a combat zone  Insurgents disguised as civilians  Insurgents armed mainly with ad hoc and portable weapons  Insurgents mainly do not use aircraft  Assassinations conducted by all parties  Popular support critical to all parties Europe A.D. 1848

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Battlefield helicopters  Inherently unstable and difficult to fly  Low flight height, day and night  Low flight speed, zero at hovering  Weight constrained  Real estate constrained  Vibration and fuselage flexure  High noise level  Vulnerable rotors, risk of rotor- induced signal modulation  Strong IR signature  Visual signatures

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Photonics: Requirements & challenges  Must understand the operational environment  Enemy & population, culture, “hearts and minds”  Climate, topography, atmospheric conditions  Friend-foe-neutral signatures, including IR/UV background  Must adhere to strict ROEs  Ejection of MVT flares, need for low-hazard flares  Laser safety, UN Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons  Need for NLW laser  Need uniform horizontal capability  Enemy detection, identification location, and suppressive fire  Threat detection, identification, location, and CM execution  Must minimize obscured sectors

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Photonics: Requirements & challenges  Short engagement ranges and timelines  Short (2-4 s): IR MANPADS, LBR antitank missiles  Very short (<1 s): Ballistic weapons, STARSTREAK  Super short (milliseconds): IEDs, anti-helicopter mines Motor ignition Ejection MISSILE IRRADIANCE AT TARGET (arbitrary units) TIME ELAPSED (seconds) Boost Boost to sustain transition Sustain 024 Detection warning Threat declaration CM onset 315 MISSILE SPEED (m/s) IRRADIANCE SPEED Ejection spike

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Photonics: Requirements & challenges  Standoff detection of CBRE threats  Chemical: Some existing solutions (e.g. FTIR, which is sensitive to IR background clutter), differential LIDAR promising  Biological: Very difficult (fungi spores, pollen, common bacteria)  Radiological (and Nuclear): More or less same as C  Explosives: Intensive research but so far no solution that reaches 100 m standoff range (present hopes on RPAS and NLWM)  Summary: A long way to go before we have a complete solution that can be put on helicopters

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Photonics: Requirements & challenges  High spatial resolution, ISR compatibility  Accurate and positive identification and target elimination (assassination)  Need for high spatial resolution  Cueing by other ISR assets  Compatibility & data fusion Pinpoint accuracy: The assassination of Caesar in 44 B.C. Inaccuracy: The attempt to assassinate Somali clan leader Aidid in A.D. 1993

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Photonics: Requirements & challenges  Priorities for shared resources  Which pop-up frames on MFD? Who gets access to multiplex buses?  Priorities must be determined in advance  Do not overload the pilot, he is a busy working!  Alternatives to on-board acoustic sensors  Helicopter too noisy for acoustic sensors, EO alternatives are needed  An integrated photonics architecture?  DIRCM: Not in use % of combat flight time!  Multipurpose laser: DIRCM—obstacle warning—LRF—etc.?  Common apertures & receivers: IRST—MLD—LWR—etc.?  Practical limitations: No combined MLD—LWR; no combined damaging—jamming DIRCM laser  The issue is mainly a mental exertion, though the idea of improved integration is worth keeping in mind

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE Conclusions Rather evolutionary than revolutionary challenges Broader set of environmental requirements, from threats and atmosphere to socio-cultural challenges Decreasing engagement timelines, preemptive counter- measures are the only feasible solution in extreme cases Heaviest challenge for the laser community, the laser is “a deficient solution to demanding needs” Sensors: High sensitivity/long ranges  high spatial resolution/wide IFOV Need cooperation between the scientific-technical and operational communities

© Johnny Heikell 2007 SPIE