Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

Universal Armament
Interface (UAI)

Oren Edwards
USAF Aeronautical Systems Center
Phone: +1 937-904-6060
Oren.Edwards@wpafb.af.mil

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

 Overview
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• Objective:
– To discuss the role of UAI in USAF weapons integration
efforts, continuing dialog on the future of UAI for NATO
members

• Outline
– UAI: a brief history
– Capabilities Overview
– Technical Scope: How does UAI work?
– Interface Management: Current & Planned
– USAF Implementation
– Opportunities for International Participation
– Summary

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Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

UAI: A BRIEF HISTORY

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 UAI: A Brief History
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

UAI is a US DOD and NATO initiative

to develop standardized functional
interfaces in aircraft, weapons and
mission planning to support
integration of future weapons
independent of aircraft OFP cycles

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 UAI: A Brief History
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

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 Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

CAPABILITIES OVERVIEW

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 Capabilities Overview
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• The “Capability Gap” in today’s context

– “Less than a month into the Libyan conflict, NATO is
running short of precision bombs, highlighting the
limitations … countries in sustaining even a relatively small
military action over an extended period of time, according to
senior NATO and U.S. officials.”
• Washington Post, Friday, April 15, 2011

– Universal integration capability did not previously exist

• Non-standard software interfaces drive integration schedules

Is it possible to increase the “rate” of integration?

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 Capabilities Overview (cont)
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• Two aircraft deploy to same forward base, each with

similar structural/avionics configurations, both are UAI
compliant
– Nation A objectives (acft with SDB CDS): SEAD
– Nation B objectives (acft with BRIMSTONE CDS): mechanized

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 Capabilities Overview (cont)
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• After several missions…

– Nation A acft have completed objectives, now out of munitions
– Nation B acft have surplus munitions, partial target set remains
– How can Nation A rapidly integrate BRIMSTONE to help address
remaining target set?

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 Capabilities Overview (cont)
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• If Nation B provides existing BRIMSTONE CDS or

creates limited functionality CDS…
– Nation A aircraft have rapid capability upgrade
– Both aircraft can now address remaining target set together

Rapid adaptation to an unplanned requirement is

the OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY addressed by UAI

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Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

TECHNICAL SCOPE
How Does UAI Work?

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 Interfaces Addressed By UAI
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

Platform/Store Unique Avionic Systems Unique Implementations

Of MIL-STD-1760
(P/S)
GPS INS VMS DL
Common Weapon
DTE Mission SMS
Processor Logical Interfaces
Core

Common Mission Unique Aircraft Data Files

Mission Planning Systems
Planning Common mission data
(MP) Common file formats
UPC Interface

Launch Common Data

Unique
Acceptability Requirements and
Weapon
Region (LAR) LAR Algorithms
Systems
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 How a Configuration
Data Set Works
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

Tailoring Instructions Message 1 Message 1

Use
Message 1
Message 2
Message 2
Message 5 Wait 30 ms
Message 7
Message 3
Set Variables Message 2
X=5
T=30 Message 4
B is yes
.
Wait 20 ms
. Message 5
.
Message 5 at
Sequencing and 30 Hz Message 6
Timing
Message 1
Wait 30 ms
Message 7
Message 2

…
Wait 20 ms
Message 5 at 30 Hz.
.

LAR Data Message N

Full UAI PSICD Message Set

CDS
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CDF
 UAI Mission Planning Interface
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

Common
WDLI
Interface Store
CC UPC

KHCC UAI MPICD

CC UAI adopted
Platform MP Store MP Common MIL-STD-3014
Annex Supplement Interface
for use of
MiDEF files

Common
Interface
UAI Platform
CC UPC
DTD
Mission
Mission Planning
Planning Environment (JMPS)
Software Interface Control
Component Document
System Interface
WDLI – Wpn Data Link Initialization KH – Key Handler
CC – Common Component UPC – Unique Planning Component

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 UAI LAR Standardization
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• Problem:
– Calculate the region where a platform
can release a guided weapon and hit
a given target within specified impact
constraints

• UAI efforts standardized the LAR

process
– Based on common truth data sets
instead of independent n-DOF
analysis
– Developed common process and
software toolset
– Adopted standard algorithms
– Added configuration controls to the
LAR process

• Results
– Platform LARs can be updated via
mission data only
– No OFP update will be required for
the addition of a new weapon

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 UAI Integration Process
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

Platform/Store OFP Implementation

Store Supp
Fielded
WP ‘X’ Out-of-cycle Integration Capability
P/S Adden
AC ‘A’
A/C ‘A’ SIL/DT/OT WP ‘X’
WP ‘X’
A/C Annex CDF
CDF
A/C ‘A’

P/S Adden
AC ‘A’
A/C ‘A’
WP ‘Y’ SIL/DT/OT WP ‘Y’
Store Supp CDF
CDF
WP ‘Y’

The operational capability lies in the CDF/S

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 Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

INTERFACE MANAGEMENT
Current and Planned

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 Interface Management
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

Previously in US
programs, multiple
weapon-centric
JICWGs controlled
the interface UAI brings functional
interfaces to a common
single SJICWG

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 Interface Management (cont)
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• UAI is currently a USAF Program of Record

– Since Jan 2005, the UAI Program has contracted with Boeing,
Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon for
development and management of UAI

• Efforts also underway to expand UAI as a NATO

STANAG (ie NUAI)
– Specialist Team chartered in 2007 to coordinate efforts
– SAE Int’l published AS6030 as framework for i/f mgt
– NATO Industrial Advisory Group has executed multiple
studies addressing the technical applicability of UAI to NATO
– Other programmatic discussions still underway

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Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

USAF IMPLEMENTATION

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 UAI Implementation Status
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• Programs currently implementing/testing UAI compliant OFPs:

– F-15E Suite 6
– JDAM (all versions)
– JASSM
– F-16 M6/M6+
– BRU-61
– SDB 1
– SDB 2
• Programs in planning for UAI Implementation
– MQ-1C
– F-35
– B-2
– B-1
– B-52

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 Successes
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• F-15 has accomplished

30+ JDAM releases using
UAI
• JASSM successfully
completed UAI
Certification testing
• F-15 was able to integrate
LJDAM in days with only
a CDS change
• F-16 is SIL and flight
testing with M6+
First UAI/LJDAM Release
• BRU-61 and SDB 1 accomplished in Jan 09
successfully completed
UAI Certification testing

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 Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

OPPORTUNITIES FOR
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION

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 International Opportunities
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• Although UAI is export controlled, cooperative efforts

are already underway
– NATO UAI Development: NATO Air Capability Group 2 (NUAI
STANAG development)
– OUSD Coalition Warfare Program: Turkey/USAF
• Combined with SAF/IA Intl Cooperation R&D program

• Other potential venues

– NAFAG
– NATO Industrial Advisory Group
– OUSD (US) Coalition Warfare Program
– SAF/IA (USAF)
– NATO ACT Concept Dev & Experimentation WG
Cooperative Projects Start With an Concept
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Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

SUMMARY

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 Summary
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• The gap: integrating the next weapon faster than the last
– How does this capability prioritize with other s/w candidates?

• UAI enables capabilities via config files, not lines of code

• Initial USAF pathfinders already fielded with UAI

– Add’l programs in planning/demonstration/testing stages

• NATO/International efforts progressing well

– Additional partnership opportunities exist

• Questions?

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 Summary
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• For additional information, please contact:

– Ms. Gail Sheridan, UAI Program Manager

• Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command, US Air
Force
• +1 (937) 904-6731
• Gail.Sheridan@wpafb.af.mil

– Mr. Pat Elliott, UAI Lead Engineer

• Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command, US Air
Force
• +1 (937) 255-8004
• Patrick.Elliott@wpafb.af.mil

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Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

BACKUPS

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 Acronyms
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today
• ACT – [NATO] Allied Command Transformation • MPICD – Mission Planning Interface Control
• API – Application Programming Interface Document
• BRU – Bomb Rack Unit • NAFAG – NATO Air Forces Armaments Group
• CC – Common Component • NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• CCP – Compliance Certification Plan • NIAG – NATO Industrial Advisory Group
• CDF/S – Configuration Data File / Set • NUAI – NATO UAI
• CSCI – Computer Software Configuration Item • OFP – Operational Flight Program
• DL – Data Link • OUSD – Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (US)
• DOF – Degree of Freedom • PGMPS – Precision Guided Munitions Planning
• DTD – Data Transfer Device System
• DTE – Data Transfer Equipment • P/S – Platform Store
• GPS – Global Positioning System • PSICD – Platform-Store Interface Control Document
• ICWG/JICWG – Interface Control Working Group / • SAE – Society of Automotive Engineers International
Joint ICWG • SAF/IA – Undersecretary of the Air Force,
• I/F – Interface International Affairs (USAF)
• INS – Inertial Navigation System • SDB – Small Diameter Bomb
• JASSM – Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missile • SEAD – Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses
• JDAM/LJDAM – Joint Direct Attack Munition / Laser • SIL – Systems Integration Lab
JDAM • SG – [NIAG] Subgroup
• JMPS – Joint Mission Planning System • SMS – Stores Management System
• KH – Key Handler • STANAG – Standardization Agreement
• LAR – Launch Acceptability Region • UAI – Universal Armament Interface
• MDA – Model Driven Architecture • UPC – Unique Planning Component
• MiDEF – Mission Data Exchange Format • UPS – Universal Platform Simulator
• MP CT – Mission Planning Certification Tool • USAF – United States Air Force
• M/P – Mission Planning • USS – Universal Store Simulator
• MPE – Mission Planning Environment • UUT – Unit Under Test
• WDLI – Weapon Data Link Initialization 29
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

CERTIFICATION AIDS

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 UPS Configurations
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• The UPS CSCI consists of three parts - the UPS Host

Application, a set of baseline test scripts, and a Variable
Management Tool
• There are three main test setups.
1. Mission Store as UUT (Example: JDAM or JASSM)
2. Type 1 Carriage System as UUT
3. Type 2 Carriage System as UUT (Example: BRU-61 or BRU-61/SDB)
• Developed / Delivered Baseline Test Case Script Files
1. Mission Store
2. Type 1 Carriage System
3. Type 2 Carriage System
4. Functional Scripts

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 USS Cert Tool Overview
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• The USS is used in a Platform Platform

Systems Integration laboratory (SIL)
• The USS can: (Bus Controller)
• Simulate a Single UAI Mission Store
• Simulate a Type I UAI Carriage System
with up to 8 Mission Stores
• Simulate a Type II UAI Carriage System Rack MIL-
MIL-STD-
STD-1760
with up to 8 Mission Stores Fire Power/Discrete
• Be configured to emulate store capabilities MIL-
MIL-STD-
STD-1760
to support UAI Compliance Certification Digital Data Bus
Plan (CCP) Test Cases
• Execute in Windows XP
• Behave as a “borderline acceptable” UAI
store by providing configurable response 1760 I/F Discrete I/F
timing allowing testing at the edge of
acceptable limits USS
(Remote Terminal(s))
Terminal(s))

The USS is an extremely versatile test tool designed

to fully validate a UAI Platform interface

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 CT Status
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• Final Versions of the UPS and USS that support the R02
version of the PS ICD plus some ICNs have been delivered.
• Final version of the MP CT that support the R03 version of the
MP ICD plus some ICNs has been delivered.
• Updates to the UPS, USS and MP CT are scheduled to
maintain concurrence with the UAI Configuration Versions.
– Updates are planned for approximately once a year or when
needed for a specific program capability

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 Certification Tools
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

• UAI has two Cert Tools:

– Mission Planning Cert Tool
• Software module within Precision Guided Munitions Planning System
(PGMPS)
• Tests UAI mission planning implementation / compliance
• Developed by Northrop-Grumman
– System Integration Lab (SIL) Cert Tool
• Test asset used by platforms and weapons in the SIL to test UAI
implementation and compliance
• Hardware developed by Lockheed-Martin
• Universal Platform Simulator (UPS) software developed by Boeing
– Emulates generic UAI platform to the weapon
• Universal Store Simulator (USS) software developed by Raytheon
– Emulates generic UAI store or weapon to the platform

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Certification Tools (cont)
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today

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 UAI SIL Impact
Dominant Air Power: Design For Tomorrow…Deliver Today
Repeat cycle until complete (6-12 weeks, partially affected by Lab availability)
LEGACY 4. Recompiled OFP
(or series of s/w patches)
0. S/W Dev 1. Test 2. Integ / regr testing 3. Fix OFP loaded onto A/C
Setup (until bug found) 5. Integ / regr testing
(until next
A/C A/C A/C A/C A/C A/C bug found)

Wep Wep Wep Wep Wep Wep

Sim Sim Sim Sim Sim Sim

Repeat cycle until complete (1-5 days)

UAI
0. S/W Dev& UAI 1. Test 2. Integ / regr testing 3. Update CDS, continue integ / regr
Certification Setup (until bug found) testing (until next bug found)

A/C A/C A/C A/C

Note: Assumes A/C and
weapon have already been
Wep Wep Wep Wep certified as UAI compliant
Sim Sim Sim Sim prior to SIL tests

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