Integration Challenges for Rotorcraft on the Digital Battlefield

Rotorcraft designed for reconnaissance and light attack missions provide an opportunity to acquire tactical advantage on the future digital battlefield. Their proximity to the battlefield offers the unique potential to both filter and prioritize digital battlefield data with human intelligence. However, as communications hub, rotorcraft information processing is particularly challenging. This paper examines mission requirements for rotorcraft on the digital battlefield, and how those requirements have created the information processing challenges evident today. This paper suggests an approach for applying data fusion techniques to address those information processing challenges. Types and formats of stored on-board data are examined with emphasis on digital map overlay data. In addition, this paper briefly describes the roles of collateral technologies, such as mission equipment package design and simulation, within the development of rotorcraft information processing solutions.