Date of Award

3-2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Operations Research

Department

Department of Operational Sciences

First Advisor

Shane N. Hall, PhD

Abstract

Military strategy and operations have evolved significantly over the past decade. This evolution has led to a change in the military resources required to carry out missions successfully. In line with these requirements, demand has increased for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with enhanced capability to perform surveillance and to strike targets of interest. This research effort aids in the design of a next generation UAV by employing a simulation optimization approach. The goal of this research is to maximize the number of targets destroyed in a conflict scenario by a newly designed UAV that is subject to size, weight, and budget constraints. The solution approach involves the development of a simulation model representing a conflict scenario, which includes various types and quantities of targets, and weather conditions. The model is used to test the effectiveness of various UAV configurations in detecting and destroying targets. A tabu search meta-heuristic is constructed to optimize the configuration of the UAV, in terms of the number and type of sensors, synthetic aperture radar, and weapons.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GOR-ENS-08-22

DTIC Accession Number

ADA482457

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