Date of Award

3-1993

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Operational Sciences

First Advisor

Donald J. Caughlin, PhD

Abstract

The Air Force uses the C-18 Cruise Missile Mission Control Aircraft (CMMCA) to radar track cruise missiles (CM) during test flights. Because of the complexity of the CM flight profiles, maintaining radar coverage at all times is very difficult. This thesis attempted to apply optimal control theory to construct a simulation providing 100% radar coverage. The simulation was divided into ten second intervals, and fuzzy logic was used at the start of each interval to determine the set point, i.e., that point in space where the CMMCA should be in ten seconds. The set point calculation's fuzzy logic balanced CMMCA maneuvering based on present and future CM positions. Three different future times were used: 60, 90 and 120 seconds ahead, and the performance for each time was compared. The simulation was performed on an IBM compatible PC with Matlab and Simulink (both by The MathWorks). The final form of the fuzzy logic provided varying radar coverage at each look ahead time for a complex CM flight path (CM in 20 degrees of bank) 1850 seconds long. At 120 seconds look ahead time, the coverage was 100%. When the same profile was performed with the CM in 30 degrees of bank, coverage was degraded, and 60 seconds look ahead performed best.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GST-ENS-93M-10

DTIC Accession Number

ADA262555

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted.

Download

Share

COinS