Reconstruction of Acoustic Collection Missions Against Three Cruise Missiles

Between July 1996 and June 1997, The MITRE Corporation planned and directed the collection of acoustic data on cruise missile flights as part of a corporate Mission-Oriented Investigation and Experimentation (MOIE) study examining the feasibility of using off-board sensors for over-the-horizon detection of low flying cruise missiles. The Offboard Sensing Initiative (OSI) MOIE proposed to identify and develop methods for exploiting non-traditional signatures associated with low-flying, anti-ship cruise missiles. The concept envisioned an improved detection capability, against these increasingly stealthy threats, using deployed sensors to provide early cueing, longer detection timelines, and an extended depth-of- fire. While many different sensor types were considered, MITRE and government resources limited the collection of information to acoustic signatures. The MOIE was performed under the auspices of the Program Executive Officer, Theater Air Defense PEO(TAD), with the support of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations for Air Warfare (Opnav N88) and the Commander, Patrol Wings U.S. Pacific Fleet. Each of the three missions targeted a different cruise missile. Two August 1996 missions collected acoustic data on the MQM-8G Extended-Extended Range (EER) VANDAL and the Russian-built MA-31. A June 1997 mission collected acoustic data on a Navy Special Engineering Test Target (SETT) SETT-8A. This report presents a reconstruction of the acoustic collection missions.