Analysis of JDAM Tests at China Lake

Abstract

This paper examines telemetry signal levels of the Joint Direct Air Munition (JDAM) tests at China Lake NAWC. Significant received signal level variations were observed as the munition approached impact. This paper presents and examines two simple multipath models to explain the received signal variations. The first model assumes a flat earth and a single specular multipath reflection. The second model uses the actual contour of the earth and considers a number of specular multipath reflections. The first model (which assumes the single multipath reflection) more accurately reproduces the variations in the received signal level than the second.