Determination of optimal aircraft mix in an air force

Abstract

Determining a desired aircraft mix is a classical long-range planning problem for any air force. This report presents a decision model for this problem. The objective is to determine the aircraft mix which satisfies various requirements at minimal life cycle cost. The requirements (stated as constraints) represent factors such as mission needs, aircraft availability, and various resources and facilities required to maintain and operate the force. The mission neeeds are constructed from several wartime scenarios. Relevant components of life cycle costs are considered in the model. A detailed example is developed, solved as a non-linear, mixed-integer optimization model, and analyzed. (Author)