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Tech Project Brings Innovation to EP-3E

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS040929-14
Release Date: 9/30/2004 3:57:00 AM

From Naval Air Systems Command Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Public Affairs

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- A new technology project called Story Maker will bring critical improvements to the capability of the Navy EP-3E to identify potential hostile targets. The EP-3E is the Navy's sole land-based signals intelligence reconnaissance aircraft.

In mid-August, the Office of Naval Research Missile Defense, Future Naval Capabilities, transitioned the science and technology of a composite combat identification and data fusion technology development project to Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Program Manager (PMA) 290, Capt. Steven R. Eastburg for use in the EP-3E aircraft.

"The Story Maker project will provide our EP-3 crews with greatly improved information gathering capability," remarked Eastburg. "We must continue to develop new systems to strengthen the quality and accuracy of this information. This will be critical to ensuring our success in the global war on terror."

Through the application of newly developed algorithms funded by the Office of Naval Research, Story Maker fuses and reasons with on-board and off-board collected data, building evidence for track identification. The result is faster and improved target identification accuracy, critical in the reduction of missed engagement opportunities and the prevention of fratricide.

In early 2004, comparison testing was conducted with an EP-3E operational crew engaged in a simulated wartime scenario at the EP-3E Systems Integration Lab in China Lake, Calif. The test results found that the addition of Story Maker enabled identification of 10 times as many tracks with 98.6 percent accuracy, a significant improvement over current capabilities. The new technology will be fielded on the EP-3E Joint Airborne SIGINT Architecture Modification Common Configuration aircraft as a systems upgrade in mid-year 2006.

Based on the P-3 Orion airframe, the mission of the EP-3E is to provide national, fleet and theater commanders with near-real-time signals intelligence information. With sensitive receivers and high-gain dish antennas, the platform exploits a wide range of electronic emissions from deep within targeted territory. The Story Maker project will further support this mission.

"We will continue to provide our Sailors and air crew with everything they need to ensure that the U.S. military's best operational Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft continues to improve," said Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Special Missions Aircraft Department Head Cmdr. James Baratta.