The Air Warfare Systems division oversees and supports program managers plan and execute developmental testing of over 65 Fighter Aircraft, Transport, Trainers, Tankers and Sensor manned aircraft, Air-to-air and Air-to-ground weapons, most unmanned and remote piloted aircraft programs. Responsibilities also include key sensor subsystems and aircraft survivability equipment.

Portfolio Scope

The Air Warfare programs supported by this division are grouped into seven system bins with example programs to include:

• TACAIR: F-35, F-22 and F-15 upgrades, F/A-18 variant upgrades, Trainers and Joint Landing systems.
• Heavy Lift Aircraft: KC-46A Tanker, C-5 Heavy Lift upgrades, C/H/M-130 transport upgrades, C-27 transport.
• Sensor Platforms and Special Mission Aircraft: E-2D, JSTARS, AWACS, P-8A, NAOCC, E-XX, VXX.
• Electronic Warfare and Aircraft Self Protection Systems: Next Generation Jammer, LAIRCM, Hostile Fire indicators, CIRCM, JATAS, B-2 DMS, IDECM
• Weapons: AIM-9X, AMRAAM, AARGM, B-61, SDB, JAGM, JSOW, JASSM, Future Missiles
• UAVs: Global Hawk, Reaper, Fire Scout, MRMUAS, UCAV-D, UCLASS, BAMS
• Radars/Links/Other: MP-RTIP, AESA, IFF, IRST, MADL, MALD-J, JPALS, QF-16, 5th Gen Target

The division also oversees cross-cutting efforts to include: Hostile Fire Indication and Aircraft Self-Protection technologies, Joint Countermeasures T&E Working Group, Helicopter Survivability Task Force, IR Countermeasures Study and Aerial Target Control systems.

Of the 65+ programs in the portfolio about 30% are in the Pre-MDD to Milestone B phase, 20% are between Milestone B and C, with 50% at post-Milestone C.

Portfolio Trends

The following outline key planning factor aspects from the portfolio for some of the system bins to gauge future AW T&E planning: TACAIR Modifications (Including Bombers)

• Milestone B to the beginning of major DT (avg): 60 months estimated, 72 months as executed.
• DT/OT Duration (avg): 40 months estimated, 43 as executed

Tankers, Cargo, C2

• Flight Test: ~3 yrs avg (new or heavy modifications) 1-2 yrs avg for COTS & Minor Upgrades
• Flt Hrs per month: 24 (new starts) , Re-fly Rate: 45% avg, Flights per A/C: 2-4/wk
• DTE Flight Hrs: 2000-4000 depending upon complexity

UAS/RPA

• Initial Variant: Program Start to major DT (avg) - 34 months (reflects rapid prototyping)
• Subsequent Block Upgrades: Program Start to major DT (avg) - 63 months
• DT/OT Duration: 40 months avg (New and Mods)
• DT&E Flight Hrs: 1500-3700 (depending upon payload complexity)

ATA/ATG Weapons

• DT Duration (DT/IT) avg; New Starts: 48 months. Modifications: 24-30 months.
• Flights: 0.5-0.9 events/month Air-to-Ground weapons (depending on power type), 0.5 events/month for Air-to-Air weapons

Understanding DT&E

Programs spend the vast majority of T&E resources and time in DT which routinely spans years and make up between 14% and 20% of development costs. DT&E is expansive and complex dealing with very small through very large test events and phases, multiple test plans and reports, diverse executing and certification agents and under continuous configuration change. Significant management attention by Government T&E managers within programs and Responsible Test Organizations in the field must be maintained to ensure program progress.

Key Air Warfare Tenets for Successful DT&E

Objective: Maximize discovery early in the Acquisition process to avoid significant costs later.

• Plan for adequate T&E early on setting up programs for success. Very difficult to solicit additional T&E funding after program inception.
• Think “performance characterization” throughout the development. i.e. what the DT data is telling us about what this system can and cannot do.
• Characterize basic performance as early as possible with all available test results.
• Press for demonstrations of interconnectivity as early as possible
• Develop an executable T&E plan. Know Power and Scope of the test planning matrix
• Performance verification must take into account the human element. Introduce the operator and maintainer as early as feasible.
• Once SUT is somewhat stable, expand understanding of behavior as early and often as possible.
• Conduct demonstrations beyond the center of the performance envelope early. Understand where likely catastrophic failures may emerge, then focus DT to characterize. Strive for T&E balance of that before Milestone C to that after.
• Make DT and data relevant to OT&E where possible.

Air Warfare Focus Areas

The primary focus for the AW Action Officers is to help programs succeed with the appropriate DT&E. The focus is at three acquisition phases:

1. Test Planning Adequacy at Program Inception (to Milestone B)
   • Understanding Requirements and their implications on T&E
   • Understanding CONOPS and its implications on T&E
   • Scope and Balance of Test Program
   • Cost of Test Program
   • Key Risk Areas Identified/Mitigation plans in place
2. Assessing Program Progress (Milestone B to C and Beyond)
   • Knowing enough to support a low-risk decision at Milestone C
   • Design stability and maturity
   • Status of key Qualifications and Certifications
3. Operational Test Readiness (Milestone C to the IOT&E certification)
   • System Performance: System, System-of-systems and Family of Systems performance, CONOPS/TTP availability
   • Operations: Operator/Platform/ Support Infrastructure are in place and ready
   • Executable OT: Test Assets, Ranges, Certifications, Authorities are ready

Recent High Interest Topic Areas

The following discuss two key planning items that have arisen in the last year where this division has assisted programs navigate to successful T&E strategies and approved T&E Master Plans (TEMPs)

• Design of Experiments. It is important that the scope of program testing and the evaluation framework be based on an analytical methodology. The identification and adjudication of key factors and assessment levels takes substantial collaboration to arrive at a T&E plan that is affordable and executable. DASD-DT&E has sponsored a scientific test and analysis techniques community of experts (STAT-COE) to assist programs develops their T&E strategies. DASD-DT&E looks for reasonable timing & scope in acceptable TEMPs. Programs can base their planning on any accepted methodology (Factorial, Hyper cube, etc.) though understand that some organizations have their own preferences for those tests in their purview.
• Reliability Growth – OSD policy requires reliability growth in the Systems Engineering Plan and reflected in the TEMP. The vast majority (>80%) of growth takes place within the first 25 percent of the development cycle, yet the majority of attention to reliability growth in T&E is spent in the more later phases of integrated systems testing where at best 20% growth can be expected. Aircraft low rate production decisions will be primarily based on subsystem and partially integrated estimates augmented with what little flight testing has been conducted. Growth curves are built with failure rate predictions of key components, that loose validity as the system is built, integrated and tested. As such, demonstrated subsystem reliability results are critical to assessing design risks leading to Milestone C, much more so than later on as programs proceed to IOT&E. All data is useful in the maturity discussion leading to MS C.