Compact Test Range with improved reliability - A Case Study

Abstract

This article explains the concept of designing a compact test range with minimum sensor configuration for test and evaluation of flight vehicles for improved accuracy and reliability. All aerial flight vehicles has to be validated for its intended use before their induction using test range with accurate sensors viz Electro-optical Tracking Systems (EOTS), RADAR & Telemetry and various other supporting instruments. A typical test range needs minimum configuration of sensor deployment. Various configurations have been consolidated for making of perfect Test Range. A compact Test Range with minimum infrastructure and instrumentations is discussed. A detailed analysis is also made to obtain accurate results and improved range reliability for determining the performance of the aerial target. Concept of using Laser Range Finder (LRF) with Infra Red (IR) imager is introduced for better measurement accuracy. The minimum configuration of a Test range should have RADAR with LRF or IR sensor and one LRF with IR sensor. Telemetry with IR sensors is also proposed. It is also depicted that the more the number of sensors, better will be the reliability of the results from the Test Range.