F-16 Digital Terrain System: Concept of Operations and Support

摘要

This report presents a concept of operations and support for an F-16 equipped with a digital terrain system (DTS). DTS uses stored digital, three-dimensional terrain data. By overlaying the terrain data with route information threats, and cultural features, it is possible to display to the pilot all required map information. Additional DTS functions include automated mission planning, inflight retargeting, autonomous navigation, and ground proximity warning. These capabilities will reduce pilot workload by providing a single-glance tactical situation overview and allow the pilot to know exactly where he is at all times in flight to better avoid threats and make maximum use of terrain masking. In an operational environment with increasingly sophisticated threats, the DTS offers the potential to increase survivability and lethality by enhancing pilot situational awareness and reducing pilot workload. A significant part of this workload reduction will be acheived by automating mission planning on the ground to include preprogramming many of the pilot selectable features such as map scale, changes from plan view to perspective view, changes in cultural features to be shown, and sensor cueing against specific targets (sensor prepointing). Mission phases presented include mission planning; ground operations; low-level ingress and egress; air-to-surface operations both conventional and nuclear; air-to-air operations; and routine flight operations. The DTS ground support concept is two-level--base and technical repair center.