Frigate defense effectiveness in asymmetrical green water engagements
Loading...
Authors
Abel, Heiko
Subjects
Advisors
Sanchez, Paul J.
Date of Issue
2009-09
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Asymmetric threats pose increasing challenges to combatant commanders in Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) Operations. Threats once confined to littoral waters now extend out to the green water theater. Many NATO countries operate their post Falkland war built frigates in these missions, in which lightly armed small, agile and fast craft are often encountered. This study uses freely available real-world data to build a simulation using an agent-based modeling platform called MANA. The simulation is exercised over a broad range of factor settings that are determined by an efficient experimental design. Using linear regression and partition trees, a robust analysis is performed on the resulting dataset to create statistical models. Conclusions gained through these models suggest that a swarm of small craft, armed with handheld weapons, could attack and achieve a mission kill on a typical NATO FFH operating in a SSTR mission. It further implies that the FFH's mission survival is dependent on the sophistication of installed weapons, and that a mix of advanced, automated weapons is best suited for close-in defense against multiple small seaborne attackers. Therefore, it will benefit mission survivability to improve or replace existing body-aimed weapons of frigates serving on SSTR missions.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES)
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
xiv, 135 p. : col. ill. ;
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.