A statistical analysis of errors associated with the AV-8B sensor suite

The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) battlefield continues to evolve with conflicts around the world, requiring quick, precision strike capability. In support of MEU air operations, the AV-8B Harrier needs air-to-surface munitions which, once released from the aircraft, guide autonomously to the designated target coordinates. Global Positioning System (GPS) directed bomb-on-coordinate (BOC) weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) and Joint Attack Strike Missile (JASM) fulfill this capability. In-flight targeting of BOC munitions against fixed and re-locatable targets is a derived requirement of the weapon to aircraft integration. This paper is an analysis of the target location error (TLE) associated with target coordinates generated using the following AV-8B aircraft sensors: the AN/APG-65 radar utilizing medium resolution synthetic aperture radar (MRSAR) mapping, the Angle-Rate Bombing System (ARBS) using an electro-optical (EO)-TV designation, and the Head- Up Display (HUD) using visual Global Positioning System - Inertial Navigation System (GPS-INS) designations. The three major TLE contributors associated with each sensor designation are aircraft position error, operator error and sensor error. This analysis validates the use of the AV-8B sensor suite in directing BOC weapons in the following priority:

1. ARBS designations provide for the minimum TLE and should be used as the primary source for direction of BOC weapons such as JDAM.
2. HUD designations provide for a minimization of TLB and should be used as the secondary source for direction of HOC weapons such as JDAM, provided the ARBS or AN/APG-65 radar is used to determine target elevation.
3. MRSAR map designations do not provide for minimization of TLB and should not be used to direct a single BOC weapon against a single target designation. Further study is required to determine if the designations are accurate enough to direct multiple weapons against a single target designation.