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  • ShipIR/NTCSIR Susceptibility Analysis

    ShipIR/NTCS is the NATO standard software for Naval IR signature prediction and the only U.S. Navy accredited IR software model for the marine environment.

    Find out why ShipIR is actively used by over 30 clients worldwide in government and naval research labs, and by naval architects.

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    Design and Analysis for IR Signature Management

  • ShipIR/NTCS (Naval Threat & Countermeasures Simulator) is a comprehensive software package for predicting the susceptibility of naval ships to IR detectors in the marine background. The software includes a generic imaging seeker model and IR flare countermeasure deployment model to simulate the engagement between a ship, its flare tactic and an infrared-guided missile. ShipIR and NTCS were developed by W.R. Davis Engineering Limited and the software package is supplied and supported commercially.

  • The IR signature of a ship originates from both internal and external sources. Internal sources include the hot engine uptake metal and exhaust, and heated interior compartments. External sources include skin heating, reflections, and contrast with the background.
  • The ShipIR component of the model consists of several sub-models. The background model includes an infrared sky radiance model and atmosphere propagation model using MODTRAN4, and a complex sea reflectance model based on the work by Mermelstein (1994) and Shaw and Churnside (1997).
  • A target is constructed from a 3D CAD surface model forming the basis for both a heat transfer model and surface radiance model. The plume trajectory and IR emission model (plume model) is capable of predicting the infrared signatures of both diesel and gas turbine propulsion systems.
  • ShipIR/NTCS Target Model Editor

 

IR Signature Analysis for Ships and Aircraft

  • Polar Plot of IR Signature Analysis
  • The IR signature and detectability of a naval vessel or aircraft may be analyzed under a wide variety of environmental conditions, from all angles and under various operating conditions.
  • The software allows the user to automatically generate results for a range of azimuth view angles, which may then be viewed in the form of a polar plot (see picture at left).
  • More in-depth analysis can then be conducted by viewing the IR scene, isolating areas of interest for further investigation, and observing the fly-in engagement of an IR seeker.
  • The code has sophisticated metrics for calculating detectibility, automatically adjusting IR signature to noise requirements as a function of various types of scene clutter.
  • An important aspect of the development of ShipIR/NTCS has been the continuous emphasis on validation. Several IR measurement trials have been conducted in order to measure the accuracy of the model and to make improvements in the most important areas.

ShipIR/NTCS simulations have been extensively validated against IR measurements of ships and aircraft under many environmental conditions. The code is actively being developed. Some areas in which the code has recently been improved or is currently being developed are:

- Full utilization of multiple processing cores

- Integration with CFD codes (e.g. Fluent) for flow and thermal modeling which correctly accounts for radiative heat transfer.

- Improvements in the accuracy of IR detectibility in the presence of a cluttered background.

- Continuous improvement in the surface properties databases which reflect recent developments of low solar absorptive paints.

- Innovative methodology for selection of correct statistical representation of environmental analysis conditions

  • Quest Simulation
  • ShipIR/NTCS Simulation CVAF Quest
  • Quest Measurement
  • IR Camera Measurement CVAF Quest

ShipIR/NTCS is also capable of accurately predicting aircraft IR signature.

  • Puma Simulation
  • ShipIR/NTCS Simulation AW129 helicopter
  • Puma Measurement
  • IR Camera Measurement AW129 helicopter

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