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Multi-UAV Mission Efficiency: First Results in an Agent-Based Simulation

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Book cover Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems (MESAS 2020)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 12619))

Abstract

To assess the mission effectiveness and efficiency of future airborne systems-of-systems with autonomous components, appropriate performance models and metrics are required. In a first attempt, such metrics were derived systematically by subject-matter experts (SMEs) decomposing a specific mission and its tasks hierarchically, until measurable criteria were reached. Weights of the criteria were obtained through the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), using linguistic variables for the pairwise comparison of criteria on all decomposition levels.

This work demonstrates determination of such metrics in a multi-agent 2D simulation. The results are aggregated according to their respective weight, generating the mission run’s total evaluation.

An air-to-ground operation by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with pop-up threats present was chosen as an example mission. Deploying different force packages, their UAV models having different characteristics, in the simulation yields distinct aggregated evaluation outcomes. These signify differences in efficiency and thus suitability for the selected mission.

For investigation of result robustness local sensitivity analysis is used. For validation it will be required to have the SMEs compare their assessments of the conducted missions to the generated results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Flight Systems, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, 85577, Neubiberg, Germany

    Julian Seethaler, Michael Strohal & Peter Stütz

Authors
  1. Julian Seethaler
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  2. Michael Strohal
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  3. Peter Stütz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julian Seethaler .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NATO M&S COE, Rome, Italy

    Jan Mazal

  2. University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Adriano Fagiolini

  3. Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic

    Petr Vasik

  4. NATO M&S COE, Rome, Italy

    Michele Turi

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Seethaler, J., Strohal, M., Stütz, P. (2021). Multi-UAV Mission Efficiency: First Results in an Agent-Based Simulation. In: Mazal, J., Fagiolini, A., Vasik, P., Turi, M. (eds) Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems. MESAS 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12619. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70740-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70740-8_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-70739-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-70740-8

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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