HELICOPTER TACTICAL NAVIGATION
The objective of this program was to develop techniques for obtaining information on the nature of the interaction between helicopters and shielding terrain. The purpose was to provide increased understanding for the tactician desiring to use terrain shielding to increase survivability. A secondary purpose was the provision of data for the helicopter designer, showing the effect of design parameters on the ability to make use of terrain shielding.
A collection of programs was developed to permit the computation of the vulnerability of a helicopter operating over terrain. Input to the program set is a digitized DMA terrain map including both terrain elevations and vegetation. The programs model the flight of a helicopter over the terrain computing the probability of survival as it executes a variety of maneuvers.
These programs permit the evaluation of the helicopter's exposure to a variety of air defense systems including some of the dynamics of those systems. They permit the evaluation of certain helicopter design parameters since the dynamics of the helicopter, as well as its vulnerable areas, are modeled in the program. The programs simulate helicopter operations over terrain to obtain:
- A measure of the probability of survival while hovering over all points of the terrain at a number of altitudes. This generates overlays permitting one to find regions of least exposure suitable for operations.
- A measure of the probability of survival in the dynamic situation occurring during the engagement of a ground target and the evasive maneuvers preceding and concluding such engagement. During these operations the helicopter may be under attack from several air defense systems on the ground and obliged to make maximum use of terrain shielding as well as maneuver capability.
A component of these programs is intervisibility computations which permit the determination of the ground area from which the helicopter may be seen. This permits optimal siting of air defense as well as the determination of the best helicopter paths for search of the ground.