ABSTRACT
Innovative technologies and integrated system concepts to address air, land, maritime, and space capability gaps need innovative field test and modeling and simulation (M&S) tools. These are essential to transitioning the suitable capability in a timely and cost-effective manner. Modeling and simulation provides a low-cost option for assessing these innovations to understand whether operational requirements will be met and identify areas needing further attention so as to ensure capability gaps are comprehensively addressed under various conditions. This chapter introduces an atmospheric characterization and radiative effects M&S tool vital to the development and operational impact of Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), as well as integrated kinetic and non-kinetic (i.e., high energy laser or HEL) capabilities. The tool is anchored on a verified and validated first-principles, atmospheric characterization model developed by the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Center for Directed Energy (AFIT CDE).
