Atmospheric Propagation Effects through Natural and Man-Made Obscurants forVisible to MM-Wave Radiation (Les Effets des Conditions Defavorables de Propagation sur les Systemes Optiques, IR et a Ondes Millimetiques)

摘要

Modern, precision-guided weapons require that guidance and targetacquisition/recognition systems take into account the effects of the propagation environment. Successful performance must be obtained under adverse weather conditions such as haze, clouds, fog, rain, snow and under adverse battlefield conditions such as dust, smoke and man-made obscurants. Sensors operate at wavelengths ranging across the millimetre, IR and the visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Propagation effects vary drastically over this wavelength span and systems may employ a combination of sensors to mitigate adverse environmental conditions. The effectiveness of countermeasures such as multispectral obscurants and multispectral camouflage also depends on atmospheric properties. System performance is measured in terms of probability of detection, probability of recognition and, ultimately, in terms of probability of a kill. A partial listing of the processes that affect theses probabilities and, in turn, are affected by the propagation environment includes extinction, angles and amplitude scintillation, target to background contrast, contrast transmission and clutter characteristics. The Symposium will address the following topics: (1) Natural obscurants; (2) Multispectral camouflage; (3) Man-made obscurants and battlefield-induced phenomena; and (4) Target and background signatures.