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	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
	FY98 Annual Report

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

The Enhanced Fiber Optic Guided Missile (EFOGM) is designed to be a rapidly deployable missile system capable of defeating armored vehicles, rotary wing aircraft, and other high value targets. As part of the Rapid Force Projection Initiative (RFPI), a "system of systems" advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD) composed of hunters and killers, EFOGM is to have real-time connectivity to hunters (forward sensors) and to be responsive via Force XXI C3I Digitization.

The EFOGM system consists of a fire unit and eight missiles mounted on a High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle, heavy variant. Each missile has a 15-kilometer range and relies on a fiber optic data link to transmit and receive command and sensor inputs to find and defeat threat targets masked behind hills, in foliage, or in urban settings.

Once launched, the missile utilizes inertial instruments to automatically navigate along a preprogrammed flight path. The missile has a high-resolution infrared video camera in its nose, designed to provide the gunner with an unobstructed view of the surrounding terrain from the missile's perspective. The gunner can pan the missile's seeker to investigate targets of opportunity as the missile flies a non-ballistic flight path around or over obstructing terrain to pre-selected target areas. The gunner identifies and designates targets and assists in refining the missile's aimpoint on vulnerable locations of the target.

EFOGM contributes to Joint Vision 2010 as a tactical precision engagement system that enhances the Army's dominant maneuver capabilities in the ground battle.

EFOGM is the result of a series of program starts and terminations dating back to 1978, to address non line-of-sight precision engagement of enemy forces. The latest version of EFOGM was selected in July 1994 to be an Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) immersed within the overarching RFPI ACTD. Standard OSD oversight requirements (like a formal TEMP process) do not govern the EFOGM program. However, DOT&E and OPTEC are involved early in the program to provide operational test insights and to facilitate the transition should EFOGM become a major acquisition program. Scattered testing events support the EFOGM ATD, but no dedicated OT&E or LFT&E has been scheduled.

Initial EFOGM ATD ground testing was conducted in 1995 and 1996 at Ft. Benning, GA, including an Early Soldier Evaluation and a Battle Lab Warfighting Experiment. Missile slug tests and captive flight tests have been conducted at Redstone Arsenal beginning in 1996. Some missile launch difficulties have been encountered and remain problematic, not atypical of immature missile programs at this early stage of development.

An Extended User Evaluation (EUE) is presently scheduled for FY00-FY01, with one company set of hardware (including platoon vehicles, fire units and missiles) to be provided to the XVIII Airborne Corps.

EFOGM participated in the RFPI ACTD Advanced Warfighter Experiment (AWE) conducted July-August 1998 at Ft. Benning.

Six flight tests were scheduled this year but only three were actually conducted.

EFOGM performance capabilities that have been demonstrated to date are quite limited.

The EFOGM program has been plagued with a series of technical problems that have seriously hampered the delivery of hardware to military units to evaluate. As a result, only a fraction of the hardware or capability projected was available for the RFPI ACTD AWE. Data from the AWE is therefore insufficient to fully assess EFOGM's effectiveness or suitability. The AWE did provide insights on issues of EFOGM's integration and C3I, and indicate that the EFOGM concept has potential for effectively destroying second echelon forces.

Technical challenges of the type experienced by EFOGM are not unusual in a new development program. However, the technical challenges significantly complicate the EFOGM program because of its compressed delivery schedule. Numerous operational performance issues await future testing-either within the Extended User Evaluation (EUE) or a subsequent formal OT&E. The compressed delivery schedule for EFOGM to support the EUE in FY99 may result in hardware being delivered to these units with limited technical testing and no operational or lethality/survivability testing. All tests to date, including the RFPI AWE, have focused on the EFOGM concept. Practically no data exists on operations with real hardware.

Early involvement by operational testers supports early test planning and design. Significant involvement by the service operational test agency afforded valuable opportunities to structure tests and gather data of operational significance to enhance the transition to full program status at a later time.