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Security & Use Control Assessment Dept. 12334, in conjunction with Centers 2100, 6300, and 6400, delivered two end-to-end simulations of integrated security and use-control design principles. Three tools were brought into the Virtual Deliberate Unauthorized Use Assessment Facility (VDAF) to accomplish the simulations: a force-on-force analysis software tool, a close-quarters battle software tool using augmented reality, and a haptics interaction tool for manipulating CAD models. This work sets the stage for real-time analyses in the VDAF. (12300, 2100, 6300, 6400) NW
The W87 Joint Test Assembly (JTA) team delivered to NNSA the first JTA4 production unit on schedule. This unit was later launched aboard a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile — the culmination of a five-year multiagency program that included Sandia, Savannah River Site, Kansas City Plant, Pantex, Y-12, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the US Air Force. The JTA4 is an advanced telemetry system that collects DOE and DoD data that will be used for surveillance of the W87/Mk21 warhead. (1700, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2900, 5300, 8200, 12300) NW
The Qualification Alternatives to the Sandia Pulsed Reactor (QASPR) team combined theory, experiment, and advanced simulation and computing codes to model the effects of fast-neutron pulses on the gain of silicon transistors. This key milestone demonstrated that the QASPR methodology could be used to qualify Sandia components in the absence of fast-burst reactor testing. The predicted device response, with quantified margins of uncertainty, was found to be an excellent match to the experimental results gathered prior to the closure of SPR-III. (1100, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1700, 2100, 5300, 6300, 6700, 8000, 12300) NW
Sandia designed and MESA fabricated the “Eiger” radiation-hardened, structured, application-specific integrated circuit, a user-configurable platform with function hardwired on the chip during the last stages of fabrication. Eiger’s open architecture enables design flexibility and reduces nonrecurring engineering and development costs both for new designs and obsolescent parts. It was specifically developed for embedded applications with features to minimize power consumption, static current, and photocurrent. Eiger targets Sandia’s nuclear weapon mission with potential for such applications as deep-space missions and down-hole instrumentation. (1700, 2100, 5300) NW
The Code Management System (CMS) for Use Control was implemented at the Pantex Plant. CMS significantly improves the throughput of Permissive Action Link (PAL)-equipped weapons at the Pantex Plant. The first unit was processed on May 15, 2008, and CMS now is operational for all DoD operations and DOE production. CMS supports the B61, B83, W80, and W84 weapon systems and the Code Enabling Switch. (2100, 2900, 5600, 8200, 12300) NW
The Concurrent Design and Manufacturing (CDM) Program delivered 57 different component lots for eight different technology areas in FY08. The 57 component lots totaled 18,124 units delivered to the stockpile throughout the year. CDM achieved a customer delivery performance of 96 percent. Completed component lots included explosives components, magnetics, neutron generator timers, switch tubes, power sources, and microelectronics. (2500, 2700, 1700, 12300) NW
Sandia and Honeywell FM&T completed fabrication of an integrated prototype of an optical initiation firing subsystem for weapon system applications. The prototype is packaged in a form and volume appropriate for weapon applications and integrates the laser system, firing control electronics, built-in test capability, and functional energy- interrupting elements to accommodate unique-signal safety systems. This optical initiation project seeks to enhance safety by initiating detonators with a unique high-energy laser pulse and replacing traditional detonator cables with nonconductive fiber optics. (2600, 2100, 2400, 1100, 1700, 1800) NW
Minuteman III flight test GT-194-1 was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Aug. 13, 2008, carrying two W78/Mk12A Joint Test Assembly (JTA) reentry vehicles — a high-fidelity JTA5 and an instrumented JTA6. Both reentry vehicles traveled approximately 4,200 miles, hitting a predetermined target in the vicinity of Illeginni Island at the Ronald Reagan Test Site in the Pacific. The unique flight allows for direct comparisons of the high-fidelity and instrumented JTAs’ performances through the flight environments. (2100, 2900, 8100, 12300) NW
Sandia made substantial progress in NNSA-directed transformation of stockpile evaluation, supporting enhanced confidence in annual assessments. In-flight testing, preflight temperature conditioning, expanded coverage of launch and release parameters, and new instrumentation provided data and validated structural models in rarely explored regimes. Laboratory testing incorporated vibration environments, combined temperature studies with signal variations, and employed new classified analysis. Expanded component evaluation programs were integrated into system plans, and quantification of margins and uncertainties and predictive models were employed to forecast performance. (2900, 2100, 8200, 2500, 2600, 2700, 1500, 1800) NW
The final flight test of a gravity bomb weapon containing special nuclear materials occurred at the Tonopah Test Range on July 22, 2008. A Sandia-Air Force test team successfully delivered a B61-11 to a target from an altitude of 18,000 feet. A subterranean mining operation reaching depths of more than 20 feet retrieved the test article for post-test analysis, which confirmed nominal (expected) system performance. (2900, 2100, 4200) NW
Sandia/California infrastructure and weapons groups supported a study by the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) that evaluated the costs, savings, risks, and benefits of six alternatives for Sandia/California site infrastructure operations. Among the alternatives were operating “as is,” merging some operations with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and moving the nuclear weapons mission to Sandia/New Mexico. IDA determined that continuation of current operations at Sandia/California meets mission requirements and found no compelling costs basis for other alternatives examined. (8000, 10500) NW
Sandia’s Systems Integration Technical Support Center 500 has provided the leadership allowing the first integrated science, technology, and engineering (ST&E) planning across NNSA Defense Programs. The products include a detailed synthesis and analysis of more than 20 extant plans, a short summary of the breadth of work, and a classified integrated description of work being done — all critical for ensuring an ST&E base for the nation as it moves into an uncertain future. (500) NW
Using the nuclear weapons risk-based perspectives provided by the Sandia Integrated Life Cycle Surety team, strategies for improving the security of the nuclear weapons stockpile were created. These strategies set forth a range of potential improvements in both physical security and weapon security features that could reduce the security risk of the stockpile. They will form the basis for Sandia participation in the development of a national surety strategy. (600, 12300, 8200, 6100, 2100, 200, 5600) NW
The B83 Development Joint Test Assembly-1B (DJTA-1B) was successfully flown at the Tonopah Test Range in July 2008. DJTA-1B provided critical data for verification and validation of computational simulation analyses for the B83 program. This newly designed high-fidelity flight test unit flew a unique profile and met all test requirements including an NNSA Level 2 milestone. To meet the flight test window, DJTA-1B required an aggressive schedule with close coordination among Sandia, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Kansas City Plant, Pantex, NNSA, and the Air Force. (1500, 2600, 2900, 8200) NW