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Scheduling fighter squadron training missions using column generation

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Abstract

To maintain their operative status, pilots must repeatedly execute various training exercises based on national and international requirements. Most of these exercises are performed in training missions, which are expensive and scarce. The task considered here is to plan the training activities of a squadron for the following week, given as input the available aircraft and the selected training missions. The goal is to improve the training status of the pilots. A model based on weekly duties is presented and solved using column generation, showing that realistically sized instances can be handled in a satisfactory manner.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is dedicated to Arent Arntzen, a former fighter pilot who initiated this research project between the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Arent Arntzen sadly passed away in a recent sailplane accident in South Africa. The authors wish to thank two anonymous referees, whose comments helped to improve this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

    Magnar Vestli, Lars Lundsbakken, Kjetil Fagerholt & Lars Magnus Hvattum

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  1. Magnar Vestli
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  2. Lars Lundsbakken
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  3. Kjetil Fagerholt
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  4. Lars Magnus Hvattum
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Correspondence to Lars Magnus Hvattum.

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Vestli, M., Lundsbakken, L., Fagerholt, K. et al. Scheduling fighter squadron training missions using column generation. Optim Lett 9, 1659–1674 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11590-014-0794-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11590-014-0794-y

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