Validation methodologies for complex, hybrid, HWIL, 6DOF missile simulations—a structured approach

Very complex simulations have been utilized in the weapons design process, on systems so fully developed as to be in the fullscale engineering or production phase of the product life cycle. With this increased use of simulations in the design, development, test and evaluation of major systems, a Program Manager must ensure the simulation tools he is relying upon are validated for the purposes they are intended.It is our thesis that simulation validation activities must be part of a systematic, coordinated program to build confidence in simulation based analyses and in overall system analyses. In developing a coordinated, formal, validation program for complex weapon system simulations it is important that validation activities increase confidence in the decisions for which the simulation analyses are being conducted. This is particularly true of simulations utilized in the assessment and prediction of performance of weapon systems not yet fielded. Program Managers must undertake such a program to tie together simulation-based activities, such as verification, validation, field tests and the utilization of complex simulations in assessing weapon system performance under field conditions.We will examine how one weapon system program successfully dealt with the technical considerations of developing a tailored validation program. Our focus will be the simulation validation process for a real-time, hybrid, hardware-in-the-loop, six-degree of freedom missile flight simulation, that was developed concurrent with the missile system, and which was ultimately used to conduct a performance assessment of the system's expected operational effectiveness under field conditions. We will reveal the lessons learned from the accomplishment of these tasks.