Resilience-driven cooperative reconfiguration strategy for unmanned weapon system-of-systems

As the unmanned weap system-of systems(UWSoS)becomes complex,the inevitable uncertain interference gradu-ally increases,which leads to a strong emphasis on the resilience of UWSoS.Hence,this paper presents a resilience-driven cooperative reconfiguration strategy to enhance the resilience of UWSoS.First,a unified resilience-driven coopera-tive reconfiguration strategy framework is designed to guide the UWSoS resilience enhancement.Subsequently,a cooperative reconfiguration strategy algorithm is proposed to identify the optimal cooperative reconfiguration sequence,combining the cooperative pair resilience contribution index(CPRCI)and coop-erative pair importance index(CPII).At last,the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm are demonstrated through various attack scenario simulations that include differ-ent attack modes and intensities.The analysis results can pro-vide a reference for decision-makers to manage UWSoS.

Mission reliability modeling and evaluation for reconfigurable unmanned weapon system-of-systems based on effective operation loop

The concept of unmanned weapon system-of-systems(UWSoS)involves a collection of various unmanned systems to achieve or accomplish a specific goal or mission.The mission reliability of UWSoS is represented by its ability to finish a required mission above the baselines of a given mission.However,issues with heterogeneity,cooperation between systems,and the emergence of UWSoS cannot be effectively solved by traditional system reliability methods.This study proposes an effective operation-loop-based mission reliability evaluation method for UWSoS by analyzing dynamic reconfiguration.First,we present a new connotation of an effective operation loop by considering the allocation of operational entities and physical resource constraints.Then,we propose an effective operationloop-based mission reliability model for a heterogeneous UWSoS according to the mission baseline.Moreover,a mission reliability evaluation algorithm is proposed under random external shocks and topology reconfiguration,revealing the evolution law of the effective operation loop and mission reliability.Finally,a typical 60-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-swarm is taken as an example to demonstrate the proposed models and methods.The mission reliability is achieved by considering external shocks,which can serve as a reference for evaluating and improving the effectiveness of UWSoS.

Improved method for subsystems performance trade-off in system-of-systems oriented design of UAV swarms

For the rapidly developing unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)swarm,the system-of-systems(SoS)oriented design is a prospective conceptual design methodology due to the competence for complex mission requirements and subsystems interactions.In the SoS oriented design,the subsystems performance trade-off is the basis of design decisions.In the trade-off for surveillance missions,most previous works do not consider track reporting and mainly focus on the design of platforms.An improved method for the subsystems performance trade-off in the SoS oriented UAV swarm design is proposed.Within an improved design framework with subsystems disaggregation,this method is characterized by treating platforms,sensors,and communications as equally important subsystems,integrating operational strategies into the trade-off,and enabling the trade-off for track reporting.Those advantages are achieved by a behavior-based modular model structure for agent-based operational modeling and simulation.In addition,a method of analyzing the bounds of the communication range is also presented.Simulation experiments are conducted by using precision-based simulation replication rules and surrogate modeling methods.The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method,and show that the configuration of area partitioning changes the trade space of subsystems performances,indicating the necessity of integrating operational strategies into the conceptual design.

Research on system-of-systems combat simulation model formal specification and representation

To makesystem-of-systems combat simulation models easy to be developed and reused, simulation model formal specification and representation are researched. According to the view of system-of-systems combat simulation, and based on DEVS, the simulation model＇s fundamental formalisms are explored. It includes entity model, system-of-systems model and experiment model. It also presents rigorous formal specification. XML data exchange standard is combined to design the XML based language, SCSL, to support simulation model representation. The corresponding relationship between SCSL and simulation model formalism is discussed and the syntax and semantics of elements in SCSL are detailed. Based on simulation model formal specification, the abstract simulation algorithm is given and SCSL virtual machine, which is capable of automatically interpreting and executing simulation model represented by SCSL, is designed. Finally an application case is presented, which can show the validation of the theory and verification of SCSL.

An evaluation method of contribution rate based on fuzzy Bayesian networks for equipment system-of-systems architecture

The contribution rate of equipment system-of-systems architecture(ESoSA)is an important index to evaluate the equipment update,development,and architecture optimization.Since the traditional ESoSA contribution rate evaluation method does not make full use of the fuzzy information and uncertain information in the equipment system-of-systems(ESoS),and the Bayesian network is an effective tool to solve the uncertain information,a new ESoSA contribution rate evaluation method based on the fuzzy Bayesian network(FBN)is proposed.Firstly,based on the operation loop theory,an ESoSA is constructed considering three aspects:reconnaissance equipment,decision equipment,and strike equipment.Next,the fuzzy set theory is introduced to construct the FBN of ESoSA to deal with fuzzy information and uncertain information.Furthermore,the fuzzy importance index of the root node of the FBN is used to calculate the contribution rate of the ESoSA,and the ESoSA contribution rate evaluation model based on the root node fuzzy importance is established.Finally,the feasibility and rationality of this method are validated via an empirical case study of aviation ESoSA.Compared with traditional methods,the evaluation method based on FBN takes various failure states of equipment into consideration,is free of acquiring accurate probability of traditional equipment failure,and models the uncertainty of the relationship between equipment.The proposed method not only supplements and improves the ESoSA contribution rate assessment method,but also broadens the application scope of the Bayesian network.

A Study on Configuration and Integration of Sub-Systems to System-of-Systems with Rule Verification

Increasing complexity of today’s software systems is one of the major challenges software engineers have to face. This is aggravated by the fact that formerly isolated systems have to be interconnected to more complex systems, called System-of-Systems (SoS). Those systems are in charge to provide more functionality to the user than all of their independent sub-systems could do. Reducing the complexity of such systems is one goal of the software engineering paradigm called component-based software engineering (CBSE). CBSE enables the developers to treat individual sub-systems as components which interact via interfaces with a simulated environment. Thus those components can be developed and implemented independently from other components. After the implementation a system integrator is able to interconnect the components to a SoS. Despite this much-used approach it is possible to show that constraints, which are valid in an isolated sub-system, are broken after this system is integrated into a SoS. To emphasize this issue we developed a technique based on interconnected timed automata for modelling sub-systems and System-of-Systems in the model checking tool UPPAAL. The presented modelling technique allows it to verify the correctness of single sub-systems as well as the resulting SoS. Additionally we developed a tool which abstracts the complicated timed automata to an easy to read component based language with the goal to help system integrators building and verifying complex SoS.

Study of relationship between motion of mechanisms in gas operated weapon and its shock absorber

The article deals with the motion of the breech block carrier and the weapon casing of an automatic weapon mounted on a flexible carriage and the base of the weapon.Earlier works,which did not consider the dynamic properties of the base of the weapon,did not allow to reconcile the calculated and experimental results of the weapon casing displacement when shooting from firing rests.For the analysis of the motion of individual parts,the methods of mathematical modelling and firing experiments using a high-speed camera were chosen.Calculations show the best accord with experiment when modelling the system with 4 degrees of freedom.The oscillation of the system regarding the movement of the breech block carrier and the weapon casing was investigated under changed conditions of rate of fire,the use of a muzzle brake and different types of shock absorbers.The velocities and displacements of the weapon casing and the breech block carrier at different values of the impulse of the gases to the breech block carrier were determined.

Weapon target assignment problem satisfying expected damage probabilities based on ant colony algorithm

A weapon target assignment （WTA） model satisfying expected damage probabilities with an ant colony algorithm is proposed. In order to save armament resource and attack the targets effectively, the strategy of the weapon assignment is that the target with greater threat degree has higher priority to be intercepted. The effect of this WTA model is not maximizing the damage probability but satisfying the whole assignment result. Ant colony algorithm has been successfully used in many fields, especially in combination optimization. The ant colony algorithm for this WTA problem is described by analyzing path selection, pheromone update, and tabu table update. The effectiveness of the model and the algorithm is demonstrated with an example.

Weapons system portfolio selection based on the contribution rate evaluation of system of systems

The weapons system portfolio selection problem arises at the equipment demonstration stage and deals with the military application requirements.Further,the contribution rate of the system is one of the important indicators to evaluate the role of a system,which can facilitate the weapons system portfolio selection.Therefore,combining the system contribution rate with system portfolio selection is the focus of this study.It also focuses on calculating the contribution rates of multiple equipment systems with various types of capabilities.The contribution rate is measured by establishing a hierarchical multi-criteria value model from three dimensions.Based on the value model,the feasible portfolios are developed under certain cost constraints and the optimal weapons system portfolios are obtained by using the classification optimization selection strategy.Finally,an illustrative example is presented to verify the feasibility of the proposed model.

Dynamic Weapon Target Assignment Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Entropy of Discrete Particle Swarm

Aiming at the problems of convergence-slow and convergence-free of Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm(DPSO) in solving large scale or complicated discrete problem, this article proposes Intuitionistic Fuzzy Entropy of Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization(IFDPSO) and makes it applied to Dynamic Weapon Target Assignment(WTA). First, the strategy of choosing intuitionistic fuzzy parameters of particle swarm is defined, making intuitionistic fuzzy entropy as a basic parameter for measure and velocity mutation. Second, through analyzing the defects of DPSO, an adjusting parameter for balancing two cognition, velocity mutation mechanism and position mutation strategy are designed, and then two sets of improved and derivative algorithms for IFDPSO are put forward, which ensures the IFDPSO possibly search as much as possible sub-optimal positions and its neighborhood and the algorithm ability of searching global optimal value in solving large scale 0-1 knapsack problem is intensified. Third, focusing on the problem of WTA, some parameters including dynamic parameter for shifting firepower and constraints are designed to solve the problems of weapon target assignment. In addition, WTA Optimization Model with time and resource constraints is finally set up, which also intensifies the algorithm ability of searching global and local best value in the solution of WTA problem. Finally, the superiority of IFDPSO is proved by several simulation experiments. Particularly, IFDPSO, IFDPSO1~IFDPSO3 are respectively effective in solving large scale, medium scale or strict constraint problems such as 0-1 knapsack problem and WTA problem.

Response surface method using grey relational analysis for decision making in weapon system selection

A proper weapon system is very important for a na- tional defense system. Generally, it means selecting the optimal weapon system among many alternatives, which is a multiple- attribute decision making （MADM） problem. This paper proposes a new mathematical model based on the response surface method （RSM） and the grey relational analysis （GRA）. RSM is used to obtain the experimental points and analyze the factors that have a significant impact on the selection results. GRA is used to an- alyze the trend relationship between alternatives and reference series. And then an RSM model is obtained, which can be used to calculate all alternatives and obtain ranking results. A real world application is introduced to illustrate the utilization of the model for the weapon selection problem. The results show that this model can be used to help decision-makers to make a quick comparison of alternatives and select a proper weapon system from multiple alternatives, which is an effective and adaptable method for solving the weapon system selection problem.

Scenario-based modeling and solving research on robust weapon project planning problems

Weapon project planning(WPP) plays a critical role in the process of national defense development and establishment of the future national defense force. WPP faces the backgrounds of various uncertainties, intense inter-influence of weapon systems and involves modelling, assessment, and optimization procedures.The contents of this paper are mainly divided into three parts: first,the WPP processes are analyzed, and related elements are formulated to transform the qualitative problem to mathematics form;second, the value evaluation model of WPP solutions is proposed based on two criteria of total capability gap and total capability dispersion; third, two robustness optimization models are constructed based on the absolute robustness criterion and the robustness deviation criterion to support the robustness optimization process under multi-scenario. Finally, a case is studied to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed models and approaches.

Weapon configuration, allocation and route planning with time windows for multiple unmanned combat air vehicles

Unmanned combat air vehicles(UCAVs) mission planning is a fairly complicated global optimum problem. Military attack missions often employ a fleet of UCAVs equipped with weapons to attack a set of known targets. A UCAV can carry different weapons to accomplish different combat missions. Choice of different weapons will have different effects on the final combat effectiveness. This work presents a mixed integer programming model for simultaneous weapon configuration and route planning of UCAVs, which solves the problem optimally using the IBM ILOG CPLEX optimizer for simple missions. This paper develops a heuristic algorithm to handle the medium-scale and large-scale problems. The experiments demonstrate the performance of the heuristic algorithm in solving the medium scale and large scale problems. Moreover, we give suggestions on how to select the most appropriate algorithm to solve different scale problems.

Granular analyzing of weapon SoS demand description

The systematism of weapon combat is the typical characteristic of a modern battlefield. The process of combat is complex and the demand description of weapon system of systems （SOS） is difficult. Granular analyzing is an important method for solving the complex problem in the world. Granular thinking is introduced into the demand description of weapon SoS. Granular computing and granular combination based on a relation of compatibility is proposed. Based on the level of degree and degree of detail, the granular resolution of weapon SoS is defined and an example is illustrated at the end.

Resilience approach for heterogeneous distributed networked unmanned weapon systems

Disconnection in the distributed heterogeneous networked unmanned weapon systems is caused by multiple weapon units＇ failure. The technical routes were analyzed to achieve resilience in the disconnection situation. A heterogeneous distributed network model of networked unmanned weapon systems was established. And an approach of adding relay weapon units was proposed to a- chieve fault tolerance after weapon units＇ failure due to attack or energy exhaustion. An improved ge- netic algorithm was proposed to determine and optimize the position of the relay weapon units. Simulation results in the MATLAB show that the improved resilience-based genetic algorithm can restore the network connection maximally when the number of relay units is limited, the network can keep on working after failure, and the implementation cost is controlled in a reasonable range.

Close-in weapon system planning based on multi-living agent theory

The close-in weapon system(CIWS)is a combat system that faces a complex environment full of dynamic and unknown challenges,whose construction and planning require a systematic design method.Multiliving agent(MLA)theory is a methodology for the combat system design,which uses the livelihood degree to evaluate the multi-dimensional long-term operational effectiveness of the system;whereas,there is still no uniform quantization framework for the livelihood degree,and the adjustment methods of livelihood degree need to be further improved.In this paper,we propose the uniform quantization framework for the livelihood degree and detailed discuss the methods of livelihood adjustment.Based on the MLA theory,the multi-dimensional operational effectiveness of the missile-gun integrated weapon system(MGIWS)is analyzed,and the long-term combat effectiveness against the saturation attack is assessed.Furthermore,the planning problem of the equipment deployment and configuration is investigated.Two objectives,including the overall livelihood degree and cost-effectiveness(CE),are proposed,and the optimization method based on genetic algorithm(GA)is studied for the planning problem.

Weapon effectiveness and the shapes of damage functions

This paper provides a review of methods of assessing a fragmentation weapon’s effectiveness against a point target or an area target with keeping the focus on the necessity of using the Carleton damage function with the correct shape factor.First,cookie-cutter damage functions are redefined to preserve the shape factor of and to have the same lethal area as the corresponding Carleton damage function.Then,closed-form solutions of the effectiveness methods are obtained by using those cookie-cutter damage functions and the Carleton damage function.Finally,the closed-form solutions are applied to calculate the probability of damaging a point target and the expected fractional damage to an area target for several attack scenarios by using cookie-cutter damage functions and the Carleton damage functions with different shape factors.The comparison of the calculation results shows that using cookie-cutter damage functions or the Carleton damage function with a wrong shape factor results in quite significant differences from using the original Carleton damage function with a correct shape factor when weapon’s delivery error deviations are less than or comparable to the lengths of the lethal area and the aim point is far from a target.The effectiveness methods improved in this paper will be useful for mission planning utilizing the precision-guided munitions in circumstances where the collateral damage should be reduced.

A bi-population immune algorithm for weapon transportation support scheduling problem with pickup and delivery on aircraft carrier deck

The weapon transportation support scheduling problem on aircraft carrier deck is the key to restricting the sortie rate and combat capability of carrier-based aircraft.This paper studies the problem and presents a novel solution architecture.Taking the interference of the carrier-based aircraft deck layout on the weapon transportation route and precedence constraint into consideration,a mixed integer formulation is established to minimize the total objective,which is constituted of makespan,load variance and accumulative transfer time of support unit.Solution approach is developed for the model.Firstly,based on modeling the carrier aircraft parked on deck as convex obstacles,the path library of weapon transportation is constructed through visibility graph and Warshall-Floyd methods.We then propose a bi-population immune algorithm in which a population-based forward/backward scheduling technique,local search schemes and a chaotic catastrophe operator are embedded.Besides,the randomkey solution representation and serial scheduling generation scheme are adopted to conveniently obtain a better solution.The Taguchi method is additionally employed to determine key parameters of the algorithm.Finally,on a set of generated realistic instances,we demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms all compared algorithms designed for similar optimization problems and can significantly improve the efficiency,and that the established model and the bi-population immune algorithm can effectively respond to the weapon support requirements of carrier-based aircraft under different sortie missions.

Weapons equipment portfolios selection based on equipment system contribution rates

Equipment selection is an essential work in the research and development planning of equipment.The scientific and rational development of weapons equipment portfolios is of considerable significance to the optimization of equipment architecture design,the adequate resources allocation,and the joint combat performance.From the system view,this paper proposes a method of weapons equipment portfolios selection(WEPS)based on the contribution rate of weapon systems,providing a new idea for weapon equipment portfolio selection.Firstly,we analyze the WEPS problem and the concept of the contribution rate under the systems background.Secondly,we propose a combat network modeling method for weapon equipment systems based on the function chain.Thirdly,we propose a WEPS method based on the contribution rate,fully considering the correlation relationships between potential weapons and the old weapon systems by the combat network model,under the limitation of capability demands and budget resources,with the objective to maximally increasing the combat ability of weapon systems.Finally,we make a case study with a specific WEPS problem where the whole calculation processes and results are analyzed and exhibited to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method model.

Service-oriented weapon systems of system portfolio selection method

Weapon system portfolio selection is an important combinatorial problem that arises in various applications,such as weapons development planning and equipment procurement,which are of concern to military decision makers.However,the existing weapon system-of-systems(SoS)is tightly coupled.Because of the diversity and connectivity of mission requirements,it is difficult to describe the direct mapping relationship from the mission to the weapon system.In the latest service-oriented research,the introduction of service modules to build a service-oriented,flexible,and combinable structure is an important trend.This paper proposes a service-oriented weapon system portfolio selection method,by introducing service to serve as an intermediary to connect missions and system selection,and transferring the weapon system selection into the service portfolio selection.Specifically,the relation between the service and the task is described through the service-task mapping matrix;and the relation between the service and the weapon system is constructed through the servicesystem mapping matrix.The service collaboration network to calculate the flexibility and connectivity of each service portfolio is then established.Through multi-objective programming,the optimal service portfolios are generated,which are further decoded into weapon system portfolios.