MODELING AND SIMULATION FOR HYPERSONIC SYSTEMS
Confidently and quickly deploy next-generation warfighting systems
The use of hypersonic systems is a developing warfighting initiative that promises to be a game changer as the United States seeks to maintain its superior defensive posture. However, as with any new technology, designing, developing, testing, and evaluating the accuracy and effectiveness of such a complex system is challenging, time consuming and costly. As our adversaries threaten to advance their own hypersonic capabilities at a rapid rate, the U.S. Department of War (DOW) must be able to precisely predict thermal protection system performance, flight characteristics, signal propagation, and weapon effectiveness assessment in order to reduce acquisition timelines and costs, and ensure hypersonic systems are mission ready
PRECISION MODELING AND SIMULATION
Modeling and simulation are a critical piece to the overall process of developing and evaluating hypersonic maneuverable vehicles. Thorough modeling and simulation of weapon designs can predict material failures or design flaws prior to expensive flight test events. Additionally, predictive analytics in threat environments can better indicate weapon survivability and offer increased assurances of weapon performance in denied areas.
Through our work on a variety of DOW conventional missile and nuclear deterrence programs, Arcfield has developed and maintains extensive analytical tools and expertise in modeling and simulation for three important effects analyses to assist in vehicle design, development, test and evaluation.
AEROTHERMAL EFFECTS
When calculating important design parameters, such as heat transfer rates, control surface deflections required to maneuver a hypersonic vehicle, erosion of the thermal protection system, and loss of communication due to plasma blackout, agencies must consider many complex phenomena that induce extreme temperatures. The effects of these extreme temperatures significantly influence the aerodynamic properties of the hypersonic vehicle, such as lift, drag and moments.
Our extensive collection of proprietary and commercially available analytical tools supports full launch-to-impact analysis capability. Our software suite combined with our expertise in the aerothermal analysis of hypersonic vehicles delivers modeling and simulation of full trajectories, including material and surface response, involves the calculation of time/altitude varying aerodynamic coefficients, nose tip recession, heatshield, antenna window ablation and control surface degradation.
PLASMA EFFECTS
Plasma generation surrounding a vehicle traveling at hypersonic speeds is a normal environment that must be understood and accounted for if the vehicle is to be effective as part of an overall weapon system. Plasma characterization is aligned closely with the ability to predict the ablation of vehicle exterior material, the chemical reaction of ablated materials in the flow field around the body, and overall vehicle stability and survivability. Prediction of plasma effects is critical for estimating a vehicle’s ability to transmit and receive electromagnetic (EM) signals during flight.
For more than a decade, Arcfield has developed, matured, and applied proven plasma effects modeling and simulation tools for DOW fleet ballistic missile test and evaluation programs. We utilize a mix of proprietary and commercial off-the-shelf tools to predict EM signal propagation through a plasma field generated during hypersonic flight.
WEAPON EFFECTIVENESS
Arcfield has a proven 60+ year history of assessing military utility and effectiveness of nuclear and conventional, deployed, and advanced hypersonic weapon system concepts. These assessments evaluate both ballistic and maneuvering hypersonic delivery systems.
We analyze single-weapon, multi-target effectiveness scenarios against different fuzing options, including contact and proximity fuzes. We also evaluate bomb damage effectiveness and conventional damage mechanism (blast, fragmentary and incendiary) on multiple types of target sets, including hardened, buried and surface.
WHY ARCFIELD
For more than six decades, Arcfield has provided end-to-end hypersonic and nuclear deterrence mission support to our customers. This comprehensive experience differentiates us from our peers and provides us with unique insight to directly support front-end engineering while validating models and simulations with real-world test results. We work shoulder to shoulder with our government customers and vehicle developers to ensure the rapid deployment of systems to meet the short and long-term requirements of combatant commanders.
