Combat Identification Technology

Mission — Combat Identification Technology source

Combat Identification (CID) is the process of characterizing threat and non-threat entities in the battlespace. First and foremost, CID is a critical link in the kill chain; positive ID is a required step in every target engagement, whether short range (visual CID) to very long-range (long-range CID provided by off-board sensors, on-board sensors, or a combination of both). CID capability also provides battlespace commanders and aircrew with other options: threat avoidance, monitoring, hand-off to another C2 node or shooter, etc. The Combat Identification program's mission is to advance CID technologies across the Air Force battlespace by identifying new and maturing technologies, evaluating their application/usefulness, conducting operationally relevant demonstrations, and coordinating strategies that expedite transition aligned to Air Force priority mission threads. Activities also include advanced development, studies, and analysis to support current program planning/execution and future program planning. CID products generated in this PE are proliferated to the multiple services (Army, Air Force, Navy, MDA) where services/platforms rely on these technologies to maintain military superiority with state-of-the-art capabilities. This program element focuses on the development, integration and transitioning of new capabilities into fielded aircraft (tactical and strategic), unmanned platforms, weapons, and any system that enables Air Force CID in a battlespace. The objective consists of advancing capability in three areas: Non-cooperative CID, Cooperative CID, and CID database development. This program element is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment. Non-cooperative CID technologies (algorithms, software application, hardware application) are the predominate means for advancing CID in denied environments and do not depend on a response from the targeted platform. These technologies make up the majority of this PE's products. Cooperative CID technologies assessed under this program element include preliminary studies of next generation systems that could be employed between two non-threat, participating platforms. CID database initiates development (for new technologies) or continues advancement of existing databases with new (or upgraded) target representations. CID databases are used by all combat and ISR platforms to enable CID technologies to perform correctly. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver CID capability. The use of program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F. "In FY 2025 $0.0 million was expended for civilian pay expenses in this program element, and in FY 2026 $0.0 million is forecast for civilian pay expenses in this program element.” This effort is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.

Mission — Noncooperative Identification Subsystems source

Non-cooperative combat identification (CID) employs multiple sensing technologies and signal processing techniques designed to extract discriminating features from a battlespace entity (target). Specifically designed algorithms compare those extracted features to a tailored database to identify those targets. This is the primary method for advanced CID development and the key enabler for aiding Air Force kill-chains in denied access environments. These technologies include: (A) non-cooperative Air Target Identification (ATID) technologies, (B) non-cooperative Ground Target Identification (GTID) technologies, and (C) Studies evaluating potential new technologies. ATID development focuses on platform-centric CID technologies that enhance capability to determine enemy air threats. A primary area of focus is the development/implementation of the government-owned joint standard for CID, Joint Multi-platform Advanced Combat identification (JMAC) architecture shared/implemented by Army, Air Force, Navy, and MDA; it fuses multiple sensors to provide a robust, advanced CID solution aimed at the discovery/generation of CID features from fielded sensors. JMAC is one of three key technologies in the Missile Defense Agency's Joint Tactical Integrated Fire Control (JTIFC) Architecture, as such it is being adopted by Golden Dome. Other areas of focus include combat identification technologies that broaden the application of CID across air platforms utilizing larger air-to-air kill-webs planned for employment by the Air Force and utilize assets in unmanned aerial systems and space to improve and enable CID in future threat air engagements. GTID development focuses on platform-centric CID technologies that enhance capability to determine priority enemy ground threat systems (both offensive and defensive systems). Primary areas of focus include transitioning CID capability for denied access environments using passive radio frequency and electronic warfare information, integrating radio-based technologies into the cockpit to increase confidence of target identification and situational awareness as well as reduce fratricides, and to demonstrate weapon-based combat identification back to the launch platform using a communication link from that launched weapon. GTID also advances technology to address efficiency and sustainability issues associated with the development, operation and maintenance of non-cooperative monostatic and bi-static synthetic aperture radar aided target recognition algorithms and databases. Other areas of focus include combat identification technologies that broaden the application of CID across air platforms utilizing larger air-to-ground kill-webs planned for employment by the Air Force and utilize assets in unmanned aerial systems and space to improve and enable CID in future threat ground engagements. The Studies area discovers novel technologies that are ready to become transition-able projects and includes activities to develop a robust ability to quantitatively evaluate promising combat identification technologies using enhanced modeling and simulation capabilities, database generation, and database enhancement/employment (machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence) to employ CID technologies in an operationally useful manner. The Studies effort also performs early assessments of promising technologies through Concept Calls to determine if the program should incorporate them as a formal project within the CID portfolio. Activities also include studies and analysis to support both current program planning and execution, as well as future program planning. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver Combat Identification capability. The use of programs funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F.

Mission — Combat ID Database Development source

The Database thrust area is designed to remove the "hard-coded”, static, identification (ID) parameters (typically updated every 4-5 years) from the host platform's sensor(s) and replace them with parameterized values that are more easily and rapidly updated when new intelligence inputs come available. This allows maximum flexibility to tailor each aircraft's Combat Identification (CID) database(s) based on assigned theater of operation, threat country of interest, and assigned mission tasks. This project primarily consists of four objectives: A) determining a sensor's capability to capture target features for CID, B) designing and developing a database to contain the CID features identified in Objective A, C) developing techniques to generate the requisite features, and D) providing CID features developed from measured or modeled data. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver Combat Identification capability. The use of program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F.

Mission — Cooperative Identification Techniques source

Cooperative Combat Identification (CID) investigates technologies required to rapidly identify friendly platforms. The program develops, integrates and evaluates technologies that provide Air Force platforms with a means of positively identifying an air or ground platform as a friendly, via active or passive cooperative identification capabilities. This thrust area includes non-traditional cooperative approaches, as well as initial work on a follow-on cooperative system advancing beyond Identification Friend or Foe (IFF - Mode 5) previously developed and transitioned by this PE. Funding for initial studies related on the next generation IFF (potentially labeled Mode 6) began in FY 2023. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver Combat Identification capability. The use of program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (5)