Threat Assets for Test and Evaluation (TATE) Workshop

The goals of this workshop are to: 

• Introduce the T&E threat representation development strategy (strategic asset approach). 
• Provide a foundational, introductory education on advanced technologies of strategic importance to threat development for T&E.
• Foster networking and collaboration opportunities with experts across the DOD and industry to accelerate development of effective T&E solutions. 

Day one focuses on threat asset technical strategy for T&E.  On days two and three, the workshop emphasizes a balanced approach developing various synergistic assets – such as test targets, modeling and simulation (M&S) products, simulators, and stimulators – to fulfill the end-to-end T&E needs of DOD systems under test. One key attribute is the rapid integration of evolving threat technologies. 

Over four days, the workshop will feature technical briefings and hands-on lab demonstrations with interactive sessions to equip attendees with practical insights, tools, and connections.

Attendee Learning Objectives 

Day 1: Threat Engineering T&E Asset Development Strategy

• Learn a novel efficient and effective approach to satisfy future comprehensive DOD T&E threat-representative assets strategy using threat engineering techniques. 

• Explore the application of threat engineering to T&E asset development, including a dedicated session on radar cross section (RCS) characterization and requirements. 

• Learn how to construct complex threat flight dynamics models affordably and implement them using a test-bed simulation architecture approach. 

• Evaluate advanced engineering techniques for generalized modeling of threat missile damage states and assessing range-dependent lethality. 

Day 2 Option 1: Electromagnetic Warfare

• Examine the design of RF seeker systems and advanced seeker technologies, including waveforms likely to be encountered. 

• Review AI/ML-based radar waveform development and non-cooperative detection and classification methods. 

• Understand the use of digital RF memories (DRFMs) within an adversarial C4ISR campaign and the testing of AI/ML-driven capabilities in both adversarial and friendly RF systems. 

• Understand the importance of counter-DRFM methods and compare results of different techniques. 

Day 3: AI/ML using Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs)

• Learn the fundamentals of AI/ML and PINNs as applied to engineering practices. 

• Understand how different engineering analysis techniques can support AI/ML based 6DoF missile design and performance evaluations, including scaled flight testing, CFD/6DoF, CFD and analytical approaches. 

• Explore the use of AI/ML, including Physics Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), in both threat engineering and integrated missile defense systems M&S. 

Day 4: Interactive Matlab/Simulink Laboratory Sessions

• Introductory practical exercises in a computer lab setting using MATLAB/Simulink. 

• Work through complex 6DoF air defense system-missile engagement with AT3MSTB. 

• Understand a missile seeker model in SIMULINK and evaluate its performance in a missile – ASCM decoy engagement. 

• Use time-frequency and bi-frequency neural network constructs for detection and classification of intercepted threat waveforms. 

• Execute a comparison test evaluating adversarial C4ISR against a multifunction RF sensor system.