Tactical Systems


Advancing Military Operations with Precision Guidance and Control and Mission Planning Technologies
The Tactical Systems program area adapts Draper’s strengths in strategic and manned space systems to the critical needs of tactical forces in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Tactical Systems focuses Draper’s capabilities in autonomy, accuracy, and awareness in the domains of soldier systems, munitions GN&C, missile defense GN&C, and undersea systems. Providing solutions in this space meets the urgent needs of national security in supporting stability and counterinsurgency operations and responds to the increased proliferation of ballistic missiles.

Customer-Focused Areas
In the area of littoral and undersea, Draper is developing intelligent autonomy algorithms for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the autonomy architecture and demonstration software package for the Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Program Office (PMS403).

Draper is working on systems for land battle that focus on the dismounted soldier, Global Positioning System (GPS), precision munitions, and missiles. Under the leadership of the U.S. Army’s Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center(Natick), development activities include aircraft mission planning and parafoil GN&C software for the Army/Air Force Joint Precision Air Drop System (JPADS) operations on C-130 and C-17 aircraft. The airdrop mission planner includes models for several unguided airdrop systems (ones that cannot be controlled during descent). These models are the basis for developing optimal air release points. Government-conducted testing has demonstrated that JPADS has improved landing accuracy for payloads over existing methods by 56% and 70% for unguided airdrop systems deployed from C-130 and C-17 aircraft, respectively.

JPADS’s guided parachute supply delivery system, designed to reduce the risk to troops during resupply missions, made its combat debut in Afghanistan on August 31, 2006. Draper was responsible for the now-fielded mission planning system software and also demonstrated the flight of an advanced guidance software package for use on a precision airdrop system being considered for early field use.

Draper is developing low-cost guidance electronics and GN&C software for the Navy’s Ballistic Trajectory Extended Range Munition (BTERM) program. The Laboratory demonstrated precision guidance of long-range, gun-fired projectiles in support of ground maneuver warfare. The Draper-developed Low-Cost Guidance Electronics Unit (LCGEU) demonstrated new maximum range and precision impact levels for two types of Navy projectiles: the EX-171 Extended Range Guided Munition (ERGM) and BTERM. These tests proved the LCGEU’s utility as the first “common” guidance electronics for multiple Navy projectiles.

For the U.S. Army Natick Laboratories Future Force Warrior program, Draper is designing the Precise Positioning System. Draper is undertaking GPS modernization efforts for the GPS Joint Program Office (GPS/JPO).

Draper is a trusted agent for GN&C expertise across the Missile Defense Agency. Development activities include innovativeadvanced discrimination concepts, advanced GN&C for microsatellite experiments, advanced reliability interceptor testing methods, and working with industry to insert new technology into existing components of the operational capability.

Technology Development Activities
Tactical Systems is committed to developing promising technologies to enable human-systems collaboration, advanced inertial instruments, small unmanned aerial vehicle GN&C, and tactical exploitation through programs with S&T sponsors. An example of humansystems collaboration work that Draper is advancing is integrated planning and execution for strike and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations for DARPA’s Joint Air-to-Ground Unified Adaptive Replanning (JAGUAR) program.

As the design and integration contractor for JAGUAR, Draper is responsible for system design, architecture, and integration of component technologies. By bringing all the functions of combat operations, including target identification, assessment, and information management, together in a single planning architecture, Draper offers significant improvement in efficiency. Our closedloop planning and control for JAGUAR should enable autonomy that will prevent the obsolescence of Air Operation Center activities by better adapting it to new weapons, sensors, and tactics.

Contact Information: busdev@draper.com