Heterogeneous defensive naval weapon assignment to swarming threats in real-time

Abstract

This thesis develops an automated decision aid capable of generating defensive engagement profiles for use in naval shipboard defense. It allows the efficient pairing of multiple defensive weapon systems to several incoming threats operating in multiple domains by providing the operator with recommended weapon-target pairings based on current defensive capabilities and threat profiles. The model consists of a pre-processing algorithm and a reward-based mixed-integer programming model that takes as inputs the available defensive weapon system capabilities and incoming target information and outputs a recommended engagement profile. Recommended weapon-target pairings are based on the priority of the threat, the time available to engage it and the probability of successfully countering it. Additionally, the model allows for future planning against threats that may currently be outside the defensive envelopes of the ship, but based on current heading and speed may become available for pairing, thereby allowing the operator to plan future defensive actions. For scenarios involving four defensive weapons and 13 targets, this model produces an optimal engagement profile in approximately two seconds on a general-purpose laptop and has the potential to be continuously run to provide real-time recommendations to the operator.