The Air Force Institute of Technology Center for Directed Energy, an AFIT Center of Specialized Research, was recently presented the 2007 United Stated Air Force Modeling and Simulation Planning Award. The Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation presents this award annually to USAF teams that have provided outstanding contributions to USAF M&S personnel in support of the warfighter in one of seven areas: Acquisition, Analysis, Training, Cross-Functional, Test and Evaluation, Experimentation, and Planning. CDE Director Salvatore J. Cusumano, PhD, received the award on behalf of the CDE team during an 11 March 2008 ceremony held in conjunction with the annual Defense Modeling and Simulation Conference. According to Dr. Cusumano, “CDE is pleased be considered among a cadre of many top performers and to have our efforts and contribution recognized by AFAMS. This award is external confirmation of the customer focus and technical expertise that the CDE team possesses.”
CDE was recognized for its “unmatched and warfighter-focused directed energy weapons performance assessment software available to all DoD services and agencies in joint and coalition environments.” CDE has developed two performance models: the High Energy Laser End-to End Operational Simulation (HELEEOS), and the Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR). HELEEOS, developed with support from the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office (HEL JTO), models laser weapons device performance over a diverse scope of wavelengths and engagement scenarios. LEEDR, developed by CDE, is a software package that provides numerical and “real time” worldwide atmospheric data inputs into directed energy performance modeling. The accurate factoring of atmospheric effect on directed energy propagation to the target is critical to quantifying energy delivered and quantifying the resulting effect.
The HELEEOS/LEEDR engines have been utilized by the Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manuals community, integrated into JIMM, the Navy’s joint integrated mission model, and have also been leveraged within the intelligence community to address DE related technical issues within that community. HELEEOS also possesses capability to predict high power microwave propagation for defending and operating within cyberspace. The Director of the HEL JTO, Mark Neice, recently highlighted CDE contributions to the tri-service DoD DE community during his Plenary Session brief at the 11th Annual DEPS Symposium.
The broad-spectrum M&S capability of the CDE enables researchers, planners, and operators to address three of the four AF Scientific Advisory Board FY08 topics. Members of the CDE team included Richard Bartell, team lead, Matthew Krizo, lead software developer, Lt. Col. Steven Fiorino, Glen Perram, PhD, Daniel Fedyk, Kenneth Moore, Thomas Harris, Christopher Rice, Mark Houle, and Dr. Cusumano. For technical information on HELEEOS or LEEDR, please contact Mr. Bartell at richard.bartell@afit.edu; for information on CDE, please contact Dr. Cusumano at salvatore.cusumano@afit.edu.
