The speed, range, radar cross section and other threat parameters are preselectable to fit the purposes of the test. The MARS unit, installed in the NATO Sea Sparrow launcher cell, performs as an actual missile. The ship calculates prelaunch conditions using the MARS unit and the NATO Sea Sparrow system. The viewer provides a real-time display of the missile flight trajectory and system status. The application also receives, timestamps, and records all messages transmitted over the VMR network for later analysis.
Supplements live firings Nothing can duplicate the value of live firing.
Shooting a live missile against a live target gives the absolute measure of every person, process, and component in a combat engagement, from interpretation of the initial radar contacts to the last milliseconds of warhead fuzing and detonation. For many aspects of system testing and training, however, the cost and complexity of a live shot is not necessary. A VMR-simulated engagement can be precisely tailored to the needs of the program. By repeating engagements several times with slight differences in the threat parameters, weapon-system developers can observe, under highly controlled conditions, how each component and subsystem responds. The SDTS crew used that opportunity to check out how well their new software architecture functioned and to evaluate the performance of their weapon systems and radar.