OPENING THE DOOR TO ‘OPEN’ ARCHITECTURES


“ARMY FORCES WILL HAVE TO DEVELOP MATERIEL SOLUTIONS MUCH FASTER THAN IN THE PAST DUE TO THE EASE AND SPEED OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND ADAPTATION BY ENEMIES.” INTERPRETATION: WE ARE TOO SLOW, AND OUR POTENTIAL ADVERSARIES ARE CATCHING UP.


from it combine into a powerful and innovative acquisition tool, permitting a project office to act as a lead systems inte- grator for a guided missile system.


already extended beyond the Army Avia- tion product line originally envisioned. MMT software has shown potential for surface-launched applications (e.g., sur- face-to-surface and surface-to-air). Te demonstration phase of MMT includes a series of surface launches as part of the crawl-walk-run flight test plan.


FROM SIMULATION TO REALITY Te combination of MMT’s open sys- tems architecture algorithms and the simulation environment has resulted in other development time savings. MMT develops its algorithms in a six-degrees- of-freedom (6DOF) simulation that models the missile’s flight trajectory.


Te 6DOF simulation is coded in an object oriented programming language (C++) in a manner intended to be directly compatible with real-time processing. Tus the relevant guidance and control code from the MMT 6DOF simulation can be copied directly into the C++ com- piler for the missile’s real-time flight processor in one step. Normally the tran- sition from the simulation environment to the flight hardware is a months-long, labor-intensive process with multiple steps. With its one-step process, MMT has reduced the simulation-to-real-time processor transition from months to days, saving development money as well as time.


136 Army AL&T Magazine January–March 2015


Te MMT 6DOF simulation is just as modular as the MMT hardware. Te sim- ulation has been built to permit different subsystem models to be swapped in and out at will, and to do so in a closed-loop environment, modeling the behavior of the system, that allows rapid performance evaluation of the resulting all-up round. Tis feature is particularly advantageous as a means to increase competition at the subsystem level.


For instance, a small business with a new seeker idea, such as a component or data-processing method, could receive a version of the MMT simulation with the MMT seeker model left blank. Te small business could develop its own MMT interface-compliant model, con- nect it to the MMT simulation and run it to determine how the combined system would perform in a closed-loop environ- ment representative of the new variant. Tis process can be replicated across mul- tiple vendors simultaneously, enabling a very competitive prototyping acquisition strategy. Tis capability was successfully beta-tested in July 2014 in a collabora- tive effort between MMT and another AMRDEC seeker S&T program.


CONCLUSION Te combination of the MMT modular open systems architecture and the sup- porting simulation tools that have sprung


As such, the government would be able to rapidly develop multiple prototypes before deciding on one (or more) for an initial capability. From there, the govern- ment would be able to experiment with new subsystem prototypes to reduce the cost, improve the existing capability or develop a new capability. Te result- ing system would be the best solution that the entire missile industrial base could produce, rather than just the best (proprietary) system that a single prime contractor team could produce.


Te ability to compete individual sub- systems also expands the competitive environment by creating openings for small businesses and other companies that have not traditionally participated in the development of a guided missile. MMT’s modular open systems archi- tecture provides another avenue for the Army and DOD to innovate more rap- idly and at lower cost.


For more information, contact the AMRDEC aviation missiles capability area lead at Aviation_CAL@amrdec.army.mil.


MR. CHRIS LOFTS is the MMT program lead for AMRDEC, Redstone Arsenal, AL. He has an M.S.E. in aerospace engineering from the University of Alabama in Hunts- ville and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Christian Brothers College. With over 27 years’ experience in the development of various guided missiles for the Army, he serves as its capability area lead for aviation missile S&T. He is Level III certified in sys- tems planning, research, development and engineering.


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