Mark Couch

Fragmentation analysis is a critical piece of the live fire test and evaluation (LFT&E) of the lethality and vulnerability aspects of warheads. But the traditional methods for data collection are expensive and laborious. New optical tracking technology is promising to increase the fidelity of fragmentation data, and decrease the time and costs associated with data collection. However, the new data will be complex, three-dimensional “fragmentation clouds,” possibly with a time component as well, and there will be a larger number of individual data points....

The purpose of survivability testing is to provide decision makers with relevant, credible evidence about the survivability of an aircraft that is conveyed with some degree of certainty or inferential weight. In developing an experiment to accomplish this goal, a test planner faces numerous questions What critical issue or issues are being address? What data are needed to answer the critical issues? What test conditions should be varied? What is the most economical way of varying those conditions?...