Application of the Janus Combat Model for analysis of alternatives : a study of the operational effectiveness of the common missile as compared to the Hellfire

Abstract

By 2010, 100 percent of the existing stockpile of Hellfire and TOW 2A/2B missiles will reach their design shelf life. The stock of Hellfire missiles available to support Army air-to-ground combat will be depleted by 2015. Of particular interest to the Aviation community is the Comanche first unit equipped (FUE) in 2009, which will be significantly impacted by the scarcity and condition of this primary weapon. This research employs the Janus Combat Model in a Simulation Based Acquisition (SBA) approach to an Analysis of Alternatives (AOA) in an effort to find a replacement for these legacy missiles. Janus will be utilized to analyze the military worth of a newly proposed missile named the Common Missile (CM) as compared to its primary aviation employed alternative the Hellfire Missile (HF). This analysis utilizes an Army Aviation Deep Attack scenario developed within the Janus Combat Model for this evaluation. The objective of this research is to investigate which missile is the best operational alternative for Army Aviation and to determine to what extent it is better. For this research operational effectiveness will be evaluated statistically by analyzing the systems contribution to platform key measures of effectiveness such as lethality, survivability, and engagement. Additionally, an operational analysis is performed from the warfighter's perspective examining resource requirements and fundamental tactical employment differences between the CM and HF.