Beyond MRT

Present laboratory test techniques for evaluating Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) target acquisition sensors largely rely on simplistic infrared scenes such as four-bar targets against highly uniform backgrounds. One such test, Minimum Resolvable Temperature (MRT), is the primary laboratory test and evaluation (T&E) parameter for FLIRs. While these `simple' targets remove many `unwanted' variables for engineering analysis, they do not resemble the `real world'. Tactical FLIR sensors are being integrated into target acquisition subsystems (TAS) to provide information for purpose other than visual consumption, including automatic target detection, queuing, tracking, and automatic target recognizers. Ultimately, FLIR TAS operational performance must be demonstrated through live field testing. However, new acquisition strategies are driving toward performance specifications and increased modeling and simulation (and realism) into all levels of the testing processes. The time has come to look beyond MRT to assess the total operational performance of FLIR target acquisition subsystems in the laboratory. This paper describes the application of Dynamic Infrared Scene Projection (DIRSP) to project synthetic in- band infrared imagery (surrogate of the real-world) into the FLIR sensor entrance aperture. This paper concludes with a proposed utilization of DIRSP to support laboratory T&E of tactical FLIR target acquisition subsystems - beyond MRT.