Air/Ocean Tactical Applications

Air/Ocean Tactical Applications under the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Navy / BA 4: Advanced Component Development & Prototypes (ACD&P), aims to enhance future METOC mission capabilities supporting naval warfighters worldwide. The program focuses on identifying, transitioning, demonstrating, and integrating new state-of-the-art government and commercial technologies into Combat Systems and programs of record. This includes providing real-time and near-real-time operational effects of the physical environment on the performance of combat forces and their new and emerging platforms, sensors, systems, and munitions. The program's specific objectives include developing atmospheric and oceanographic data assimilation techniques, forecast models, data management systems, and software for use in mainframe, desktop, and laptop computers. Additionally, it addresses the bathymetric needs of the Navy and develops algorithms to process new satellite sensor data for integration into Navy and Marine Corps decision support systems.

The METOC Data Acquisition project within this program aims to provide future mission capabilities to warfighters by detecting and monitoring environmental conditions throughout the entire battlespace. It focuses on transitioning promising new sensor technologies from government and commercial industry bases into operational programs for warfighters. The project's objectives include providing timely and accurate METOC data to operational and tactical commanders, demonstrating and validating the use of tactical workstations and desktop computers for processing and displaying METOC data and products, developing new charting and bathymetric survey techniques to reduce hazards to navigation, improving forecast accuracy, integrating acoustic oceanographic data as components to tactical decision aids, updating applications of refractivity from radio projects, developing processes for inclusion of quantified atmospheric aerosol data into calibration algorithms for satellite retrieval of environmental parameters, and initiating advanced remote sensing retrievals of earth system characteristics using current and upcoming Satellite Based Environmental Monitoring frequencies available in optical, infrared, and microwave spectral bands with common processing software between sensors and applications.

Overall, these efforts are aligned with the Navy's maritime strategy to enhance METOC mission capabilities supporting naval warfighters worldwide by integrating advanced technologies into combat systems to provide real-time operational effects of the physical environment on combat forces.