Abstract
Swarming small unmanned aerial or ground vehicles (UAVs or UGVs) have attracted the attention of worldwide military powers as weapons, and the weapon‐target assignment (WTA) problem is extremely significant for swarming combat. The problem involves assigning weapons to targets in a decentralized manner such that the total damage effect of targets is maximized while considering the nonlinear cumulative damage effect. Two improved optimization algorithms are presented in the study. One is the redesigned auction‐based algorithm in which the bidding rules are properly modified such that the auction‐based algorithm is applied for the first time to solve a nonlinear WTA problem. The other one is the improved task swap algorithm that eliminates the restriction in which the weights of the edges on graph G must be positive. Computational results for up to 120 weapons and 110 targets indicate that the redesigned auction‐based algorithm yields an average improvement of 37% over the conventional auction‐based algorithm in terms of solution quality while the additional running time is negligible. The improved task swap algorithm and the other two popular task swap algorithms almost achieve the same optimal value, while the average time‐savings of the proposed algorithm correspond to 53% and 74% when compared to the other two popular task swap algorithms. Furthermore, the hybrid algorithm that combines the above two improved algorithms is examined. Simulations indicate that the hybrid algorithm exhibits superiority in terms of solution quality and time consumption over separately implementing the aforementioned two improved algorithms.
Highlights
weapon-target assignment (WTA) plays an increasing role given the growing requirement for the collaborative engagement of several weapons relative to several targets in modern battlefields [1]
We name this paper’s redesigned auctionbased algorithm AB1 and the conventional auction-based algorithm AB2. e conventional auction-based algorithm implies that the auction-based algorithm is combined with the method of adding virtual targets in [22] such that the WTA problem is reduced to the linear sum problem without considering the cumulative effect. e performances of AB1 and AB2 are compared in terms of solution quality and time consumption. e solution quality is expressed via the mean of the optimized damage value (equation (1)) of 100 simulations. e time consumption is the mean of the runtime of 100 simulations
The runtime of AB1 slightly exceeds that of AB2, they are both processed within 0.5 second for up to 120 weapons and 110 targets. e time requirement for WTA is satisfied because ground targets generally move slowly
Summary
WTA plays an increasing role given the growing requirement for the collaborative engagement of several weapons relative to several targets in modern battlefields [1]. Various extant studies focused on solutions for WTA that are mainly applied in the traditional high-value weapon platforms such as air defense WTA [2,3,4] or ship target strikes [5, 6]. Compared to expensive equipment, swarming UAVs or UGVs attract the attention of military powers worldwide because of advantages including strong autonomy, low cost, high flexibility, and fast upgrades [7]. The United States of America uses the advantages of a large quantity of low-cost UAVs to synergistically destroy a few key enemy targets [8, 9]. Given the large-scale and decentralized autonomous framework of the swarming combat system, it is necessary to develop more efficient WTA algorithms to maximize the total damage value of enemy targets in a decentralized manner
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
