Date of Award

6-5-2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

First Advisor

Steven T. Fiorino, PhD

Abstract

The United States Air Force is partnering with the United States Army as well as allied nations to develop a revolutionary advance in logistical support known as the Joint Precision Air Drop System (JPADS). The focus of this study is to develop a process to quantitatively analyze system sensitivities to various types of weather inputs and the corresponding effect on system accuracy. Weather balloons were used to provide representative "truth" to which forecast weather could be compared. Each data type was fed into the JPADS Mission Planner to produce navigation points which could then be compared statistically. The process was tested on a limited data set to provide a first look at the variables of forecast resolution and lead-time. Initial results indicate best system accuracy is achieved for lowest forecast resolution (i.e., 45 km vs. 5 km data) and shortest lead-time (i.e., 12 hrs). This result will not only allow for better accuracy of JPADS, but also reduce bandwidth and transmission time necessary to send weather forecast data to the warfighter.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GSE-ENY-07J-01

DTIC Accession Number

ADA470065

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