Linking combat systems capabilities and ship design through modeling and computer simulation

Abstract

When designing combat vessels, the traditional approach has been to configure weapons and other operational systems around the hull. Such thinking may have been rooted in the idea that hull design is the highest priority, since it can translate into a speedier and more seaworthy vessel, thereby allowing the vessel to reach its destination and complete its mission on a timelier basis. The traditional approach, however, has its shortcomings; once the ship is built, modifications to meet changing operational requirements can be costly and difficult to implement. Ship designers have long sought a methodology to identify such shortcomings by linking mission requirements with naval requirements in the early stages of ship design. The ongoing challenge has been to devise a synthesizing and modeling tool that enables designers to assess the trade-offs that may occur as design modifications are proposed. The Naval Postgraduate School has taken on this challenge through its design concept using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). This thesis considers how MBSE might extend its use of simulation and modeling to better link architectural ship designs to combat system requirements. This thesis considers such linking and identifies a synthesizing tool that may facilitate the synthesizing and modeling process.