NATO Precision Airdrop Initiatives and Modeling and Simulation Needs

Abstract

The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC) is the lead agency for most U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) airdrop programs and is teamed with numerous DoD organizations and contractors to plan and execute numerous Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS) efforts to include an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). The JPADS ACTD is integrating a USAF-developed laptop-computer-based precision airdrop planning system known as the Joint Precision Airdrop System Mission Planner (JPADS-MP) with the US Army Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS) in the light category of weight (2,201-10,000 lbs rigged weights). The integrated system objectives include the ability to airdrop JPADS systems of up to 10,000 lbs rigged weight, from altitudes of up to 25,000 ft mean sea level (MSL), with up to 10+kms of offset, and land precisely within 100 meters of a preplanned ground impact point. The NSC is also chairing the NATO ad hoc Joint Precision Airdrop Capabilities Working Group (JPACWG) within the NATO Air Force Armaments Group (NAFAG) with numerous NATO Nations participating. The JPACWG was formed in Sept 04 to support the use of precision airdrop in military operations as one of ten (10) high-priority, short-term requirements identified by the Conference of