Optimal Control of Sensor Threshold for Autonomous Wide- Area-Search Munitions

Abstract

The optimal employment of autonomous wide area search munitions is addressed. The scenario considered involves an airborne munition searching a battle space for stationary targets in the presence of false targets. Targets are modelled with uniform, Poisson, and normal distributions. False targets are modelled with Poisson distributions. All relevant parameters can be extracted from intelligence information on the enemy’s order of battle and the sensor performance specification. Analytic weapon effectiveness measures are derived using applied probability theory. The effectiveness measures derived in this paper handle time-varying parameters which characterize the battle space environment and the performance of the munition’s sensor. This allows the formulation and solution of optimization problems that maximize the probability of a target attack while at the same time constraining the probability of a false target attack. Optimal schedules for controlling the sensor threshold during the flight are derived and compared to the optimal constant-threshold results. An increase in weapon effectiveness is demonstrated when the sensor threshold is dynamically controlled during the flight.