OPTIMIZING ENERGY EFFICIENT UAV ROUTING IN SUPPORT OF MARINE CORPS EXPEDITIONARY ADVANCED BASE OPERATIONS

Abstract

Resupplying future United States Marine Corps’ expeditionary advanced bases means developing resilient resupply methods. This thesis looks for a solution to reduce the risks associated with complex resupply operations, where troops and high-value equipment are exposed to the dangers of operations in a contested environment. Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), logistics missions can be conducted at greater efficiency and at lower risk to the force. This work addresses the problem of last-mile resupply using multiple autonomous UAVs. We develop an optimal UAV routing system, which creates the optimal energy-efficient flight paths for the UAVs between resupply nodes, accounting for changing wind conditions. The optimal minimum energy-trajectory generation (UAV flight path and velocity along the flight path) that connects each pair of nodes is based on the Pontryagin maximum principle. By minimizing energy expenditures required for flight, we increase UAV range and decrease the logistical resupply footprint in contested terrain. In order to minimize energy expenditures among multiple resupply nodes, we build on work done with a multiple-traveling salesmen problem to create optimal UAV delivery routes. While the general case of the optimal routing problem is not new, formulating this task as an optimal trajectory control problem, tied to the optimal routing of military logistics missions, increases the flexibility, agility and effectiveness of the Marine Corps.