In FY98, an Integrated Product Team developed a fully coordinated TEMP update to maintain adequate T&E concepts/resources by accepting additional program schedule risk. T&E funding for the program has been reduced to free funding for other program cost growth and to keep the program executable within available funding levels. DOT&E approved a TEMP update in November 1998.

FY99 test activity has mostly been centered on Test and Measurement (T&M). T&M efforts have continued to gather both instrumented ground truth and prototype sensor views of environmental, threat, and false alarm data. T&M collection events planned during the year slipped to the end of FY99 due to CMWS sensor availability, OFP development difficulties, and cost of the T&M effort.

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) capabilities are essential in providing an assessment of the operational effectiveness and operational suitability of the ATIRCM/CMWS system. Live fire and drone requirements have been reduced from nearly 400 to 175 events by developing new T&E concepts. Without a properly validated and verified HITL, DOT&E does not believe the M&S methodologies developed by the Project Office will be valid.

In March 1999, ATIRCM/CMWS sensor and jam head laser production difficulties, OFP development delays, and other EMD issues resulted in a cost and schedule breach and subsequent rebaselining of the program. The Project Office's primary efforts during FY99 was the restructuring of the program, though T&E resourcing and M&S development efforts continued. M&S efforts and software development showed good progress as evidenced by implementation of software engineering control standards and incremental M&S software development. Progress has also been made towards integrating M&S into both the Systems Integration Laboratories (SIL) (located at the contractor's plant and several government facilities) and the HITL. Nearly all T&E test assets have been procured, with scheduled test activity awaiting contractor delivery and government acceptance testing of system components. The new schedule allows: (1) the Project Office to solve EMD delays; (2) delivery of a more robust Operational Flight Profile (OFP) for M&S with HITL; and (3) more coordinated DT/OT testing.

Modeling and simulation are critical elements of the test and evaluation program because the extensive matrix of potential missile-aircraft interactions to be evaluated would require a substantial increase in the number of test firings. M&S will be used to examine many of those interactions while simultaneously reducing program costs. However, the FY99 slip in the program schedule caused by continued EMD hardware development difficulties has adversely impacted software deliveries essential to the M&S effort. The aggressive continuum of M&S intended to support development, hardware (and software) in the loop testing, open air range testing, installed equipment testing, and IOT&E of the system is dependent upon timely delivery of OFP and system hardware. Continued delays in contractor furnished EMD hardware/software will impact the test program significantly.

Aircraft integration schedules are at risk due to delayed EMD deliveries, and have resulted in an Air Force decision to delay CMWS test, integration, and production on the lead fixed wing platform, the F-16. RDT&E funding for fixed wing integration and test efforts is fully funded in FY00, but T&E funding is insufficient to conduct fixed wing integration and test efforts in accordance with the program's acquisition strategy.

Additional program schedule risk accepted by the Project Office in the current TEMP is attributable to a reduction in available T&E resources (QF-4 drone targets, test instrumentation packages, spare threat missiles and missile telemetry kits, etc.) to absolutely bare minimums. Mitigating features of the test design and M&S efforts are intended to help control scarce test resources. The program's schedule is tight with little allowance for developmental delays, and the possibility exists that no platform will be available to conduct fixed wing T&E requirements. If expenditure of EMD resources exceeds the rates anticipated, system integration efforts are delayed, or fixed wing T&E funding issues are not resolved, the test program will be forced to halt: (1) pending identification of the EMD integration and test problems; (2) procurement of additional funding sources; and (3) time required for the procurement and build-up of replacement test resources to complete the minimum adequate IOT&E identified in the TEMP.

To reduce risk and cost to the program, DOT&E agreed to a test strategy that utilized the Aerial Cable Facility (ACF) at the White Sands Missile Range for all rotary-wing live missile-firing events. The Project Office is investigating using other ranges for a portion of the missile firing events to further reduce cost, but the impact to the test strategy has yet to be assessed. DOT&E believes that use of the ACF is central to an adequate and suitable test program.

The operational configuration for tactical helicopters calls for only one ATIRCM jam head on the top of the platform behind the rotor and two jam heads for transports and large helicopters. The operational consequences of a single jam head needs to be assessed to ensure adequate defensive protection exists when the single jam head is masked due to the aircraft fuselage and during tactical employment of host platforms.