Hostile Targets Research Articles

Modeling and Simulation of UAV Task Assignment and Execution in Designated Area Based on Order Strike Theory

Abstract Since 2023, local conflicts have intensified and local wars have occurred frequently. The term “order strike” has appeared on the battlefield many times and is one of the hot spots in the study of modern warfare. Order strike has the characteristics of small scale, fast response, low cost, etc. It is a distributed combat mode proposed by the US military on the basis of theories of “Kill Chain” and “Mosaic Warfare”, etc. This paper takes the UAV penetration and strike against large targets as research case, and builds a new type of UAV penetration and strike combat platform based on the theory of “order strike”, combined with the technologies of “ StarLink “ satellite network reconnaissance and intelligent UAV control. This combat platform can continuously monitor the designated area and effectively strike the hostile targets invading the area. Finally, we conducted a preliminary simulation and initial effectiveness evaluation of the method proposed in this paper through multi-agent simulation.

Predictors of Human Efficiency in Radar Detection Tasks

Aegis operators simultaneously locate and monitor the activity of several hostile targets, intervening and alerting their team when appropriate. Utilizing the Aegis Combat System, operators find, track, and respond to dynamic targets on a radar screen. The demand that operators undergo is often high, inevitably causing strain on cognitive functions and detriments to performance. We applied model-based measures, Cost and Multitasking Throughput, to quantify the influence of external factors on processing efficiency in radar task(s). We captured the influence of three experimental manipulations, each of three levels, on human efficiency to track the location of hostiles and/or detect brief radar interference. We collected participants’ performance to complete a multiple object tracking (MOT) task and an electronic attack detection task (EA) using a radar display. A factorial manipulation of conditions comprised changes to task(s) (EA, MOT, or both), the number of targets to track (2, 4, or 6) and the presence or absence of distractors, deemed 'friendlies' (between 500-1000 total tracks). Our novel individual- and model-based approach provided quantitative estimates of human efficiency. We compared the observed variation in efficiency among predictors including target quantity, visual load, and the presence of one or two interrelated tasks. Through quantifying the relationship of these variables to radar detection tasks, we discuss implications of our findings and provide a framework to examine how system designers may develop tools to alleviate observed cognitive demands and/or counter potential threats of electronic attacks in radar detection and tracking tasks.

Autonomous Unmanned Heterogeneous Vehicles for Persistent Monitoring

Swarms of unmanned vehicles (air and ground) can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of military and law enforcement operations by enhancing situational awareness and allowing the persistent monitoring of multiple hostile targets. The key focus in the development of the enabling technologies for swarm systems is the minimisation of uncertainties in situational awareness information for surveillance operations supported by ‘system of systems’ composed of static and mobile heterogeneous sensors. The identified critical enabling techniques and technologies for adaptive, informative and reconfigurable operations of unmanned swarm systems are robust static sensor network design, mobile sensor tasking (including re-allocation), sensor fusion and information fusion, including behaviour monitoring. The work presented in this paper describes one of the first attempts to integrate all swarm-related technologies into a prototype, demonstrating the benefits of swarms of heterogeneous vehicles for defence applications used for the persistent monitoring of high-value assets, such as military installations and camps. The key enabling swarm system technologies are analysed here, and novel algorithms are presented that can be implemented in available COTS-based unmanned vehicles. The algorithms have been designed and optimised to require small computational power, be flexible, be reconfigurable and be implemented in a large range of commercially available unmanned vehicles (air and ground).

DETERMINATION OF THE ACOUSTO-OPTICAL DEFLECTOR PARAMETERS FOR A LASER-RADIATION ROCKET GUIDANCE SYSTEM

The work is devoted to the development of an acousto-optic deflector for a laser-beam guidance system (LLSN) of missiles. LLSN is used in semiautomatic portable missile systems to destroy hostile targets of various types. An analysis of the methods for constructing such systems has shown that the most promising devices with pulse-code modulation using semiconductor pulsed lasers.
 The article provides a diagram and describes the principle of operation of the LLSN with pulse-code modulation. A problematic issue in the implementation of such a system is the development of a device for deflecting a laser beam, through which the missile is guided to a target. Scanning mechanical devices that are currently in use have a complex design, significant dimensions and weight, and limited performance.
 The article proposes to use an acousto-optic deflector to deflect the laser beam within the information field of the guidance system, which is devoid of these disadvantages, since it replaces the mechanical scanning device with an electronic one. The purpose of the article is to determine the main parameters of the acousto-optical deflector.
 The article discusses the principle of operation of an acousto-optic deflector. It is noted that glasses based on germanium chalcogenides, in particular, glass with the composition Ge2.17As39.13S58.70, have especially low values of acoustic losses (α <1 dB / cm).
 The largest deflection angle of the laser beam will be observed with Bragg diffraction. Relationships are given that can be used to determine the main characteristics of the deflector: the angle of deflection of the laser beam, the modulation frequency of the acoustic wave, resolution, speed, and others. When using the above ratios for the typical parameters of the existing guidance system, the values of the indicated characteristics are calculated.

How unintentional cues can bias threat assessments during shoot/don't-shoot simulations

ObjectiveIdentify whether contextual information may unintentionally alter decision-making during lethal force training. BackgroundLethal force decisions inherently involve a threat assessment, where an individual learns to identify a threat and use force commensurate to the situation. This decision is ultimately subject to numerous cognitive influences, particularly during training where artificial factors may bias decision-making. MethodParticipants made threat assessments for tasks that presented hostile stimuli (pointing guns) and non-hostile stimuli (holding cell phones). Experiment 1 identified issues in target design by applying scoring rings as cues to targets, whereas Experiment 2 used bullet holes to assess cues due to target reuse. Experiment 3 applied these cues equally to hostile and non-hostile stimuli to prevent a predictive relationship from forming. ResultsSignificant cueing effects were observed in both Experiments 1 and 2. For Experiment 3, response times were not impacted by the invalid cues as participants could no longer reliably use the cue to distinguish between hostile and non-hostile stimuli. ConclusionStimulus-related factors can unintentionally create predictive relationships during lethal force training. These predictive factors are problematic because they allow participants to make threat assessments during training in a way that would never be realistic in the field. ApplicationModifications should be made to hostile and non-hostile targets in equal measure to avoid creating an unintentionally predictive relationship that identifies hostile targets. In practice, scoring rings and bullet holes should be added to non-hostile stimuli to better parallel hostile stimuli.

The Market for Corporate Control and Information Quality: Evidence from Peer Firm Disclosure Response to Takeover Threat

We examine the voluntary disclosure behavior of peer firms of hostile takeover targets. We find that peer firms under control threat use a disclosure strategy that emphasizes bad news: they provide more bad news forecasts, tend to bundle bad news forecasts with earnings announcements, use more negative tone in conference call presentations, and more evenly distribute negative tonal words throughout the presentation to heighten the visibility of bad news. This asymmetric disclosure of bad news is concentrated in firms whose managers have greater incentives to mitigate control threats – firms with younger CEOs, CEOs with higher total compensation, and firms with weaker anti-takeover provisions. Further tests show that peer firms also manage accruals downward. We contribute to the sparse literature on the impact of corporate control contests on voluntary disclosure by demonstrating that peer firms under control threat emphasize bad news to preempt control threat.

How Many Bullets Do You Need? Contrasting and Comparing Behavioral Outcomes and Cognitive Abilities When Using a Semiautomatic Versus Automatic Firearm

Abstract Civilian, police, and military policies about firearms attract significant attention, yet the corresponding discussions tend to focus on retrospective evidence, such as the effectiveness of previous policies or reactions to recent tragedy. Less attention is devoted to proactive research issues. In particular, recent evidence has demonstrated a strong link between shooting performance and cognitive abilities, which provides numerous implications for policy decisions, assessment procedures, and firearm training. One important issue is how the weapon’s rate of fire affects performance. Specifically, how does behavior differ when one is using a semiautomatic versus automatic weapon, and which cognitive abilities are most important with each weapon type? Results indicated that participants fired nearly twice as many rounds when armed with automatic versus semiautomatic weapons, yet they showed no difference in successfully neutralizing hostile targets. However, participants were more than twice as likely to inflict civilian casualties with automatic weapons, and different cognitive tasks aligned with the likelihood of inflicting civilian casualties for each specific weapon type. This evidence suggests substantial differences in shooting behavior based on the rate of fire. Furthermore, the cognitive evidence predicted performance regarding hostile casualties and civilian casualties inflicted even when accounting for differences in gender, previous firearm use, and video game experience. This evidence supports the idea that different cognitive mechanisms may underlie different aspects of shooting performance, which could allow for targeted assessments and training based on firearm type.

Lessons from the Air Campaigns over Libya, Syria, and Yemen

ABSTRACT: The international air campaigns over Libya, Syria, and Yemen offer lessons for the planning of future interventions. Planners and politicians must acknowledge hostile targets will evolve over time, and it is impossible prevent civilian casualties entirely. They should accept the likelihood every action will be filmed and posted online, and they should plan for post-conflict reconstruction as rigorously as they plan for conflict. ********** The past five years have seen four major air campaigns conducted by foreign powers in the Middle East: The NATO-led mission over Libya, the US-led mission against ISIL over Iraq and Syria, the Russian mission support President Assad in Syria, and the Saudi-led campaign over Yemen. While these interventions differ significantly in their focus, conduct, and participation, they offer a number of lessons for the political and military leadership of the United States and other Western nations. These lessons are particularly important the political preparation of military operations and the sustainment of political support over the long term. As such, it is vital for the military factor them into planning and communicate them political leaders. The five key lessons are: 1. The likelihood of creep, in which air strikes expand an ever-growing list of target types; 2. The likelihood of force evolution, in which new types of assets are brought into theater accelerate an apparently slow-moving campaign; 3. The inevitability of civilian casualties; 4. The new information environment created by observers on the equipped with smartphones, cameras and satellite imagery; and 5. The need for a coherent post-conflict reconstruction plan focused on providing immediate civilian services--shoes on the ground accompany boots on the ground. Target Creep The international campaign over Libya began on March 19,2011. Its authority was United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorized UN members to take all necessary measures ... protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack. (1) For the first 12 days, the operation, dubbed (OOD), was conducted by a coalition of the willing, led and enabled by the United States, together with Britain and France; from March 31 onwards, NATO took over the command of the operation, renamed Protector' (OUP). The operation formally concluded on October 31, 2011. The author of this article was a NATO press officer throughout the operation. Militarily, the conflict can be divided into four phases. The first week of Operation Odyssey Dawn was marked by the rapid destruction of Gaddafi regime armored columns by high-tempo air and cruise-missile strikes, lifting the immediate threat the key rebel stronghold of Benghazi. (2) The assumption of command by NATO and the launch of OUP coincided with a prolonged period of predominantly urban fighting along relatively static front lines; during this period, NATO was accused of having fallen into a stalemate. (3) This second phase endured until late July when the forces opposed Gaddafi broke out of their strongholds and advanced on the capital, Tripoli, with a speed that surprised OUP's commander. (4) Following the fall of Tripoli, the final phase was marked by a gradual reduction in the tempo of combat, until by October, OUP was conducting only half as many sorties per day as it had in April--approximately 80 per day, against a peak of almost 150. OUP units clearly possessed overwhelming technological superiority over Gaddafi forces: in seven months of operations, not one Operation Unified Protector casualty was caused by enemy action. It was, moreover, unprecedentedly precise: Out of more than 6,000 airstrikes, five were confirmed as having resulted in civilian casualties (a subject which we shall return). …

적외선 영상의 탐지 정보를 이용한 표적 geolocation 기법

본 논문에서는 적외선 영상에서 탐지된 표적의 픽셀정보를 이용하여 실제 환경에서의 표적의 위치를 추정하는 geolocation 기법에 대하여 제안한다. 제안하는 기법은 지대지 전장 환경에서 공중 정찰을 통한 적대 표적의 위치를 파악하는 시스템에 적용이 가능하다. 적대 표적의 geolocation에 영향을 주는 요소는, 시스템의 광학적 왜곡, 지형적 왜곡, 정찰 모듈의 GPS(Global Positioning System) 및 IMU(Inertial Measurement Unit) 왜곡을 들 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 광학적 왜곡과 지형적 왜곡에 적응적인 geolocation 을 위하여 광학 정보의 다항식 최적화와 지구 곡률을 고려한 시선거리 계산 기법을 적용하였으며, 3차원 모의 환경에서 실험한 결과 시스템 요구사항 내에서 geolocation의 정확도를 만족함을 확인하였다. In this paper, we proposed the geolocation method using target detection information in infrared images. Our method was applied to geolocation system of hostile targets in ground-to-ground field. The major distortion that has bad effect of geolocation was composed of optic, topography, GPS(Global Positioning System) and IMU(Inertial Measurement Unit) of reconnaissance unit. We proposed enhanced geolocation method to cope with optic and topography distortion using polynomial fitting and slant-range calculation model to overcome earth curvature problem, and the result showed that the performance of our method was good for system requirements.

Multistatic ISAR autofocus with an image entropy-based technique

A key issue in radar research for many years has been the noncooperative identification (NCI) of moving targets. Such targets can be aircraft, ships, ground vehicles, satellites, or ballistic missiles. Nowadays, identification is mostly based on cooperative methods like the identification friend-foe (IFF) systems in the military sector or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) for civil aircraft. However, a number of situations exist in which a cooperative identification is not possible. In conflict situations, hostile targets do not identify themselves. Knowledge of their type by NCI yields a tactical advantage. History has also shown a significant number of cases in which neutral or friendly targets have been destroyed due to their inability to identify themselves. Neutral targets usually do not share IFF codes of conflict parties, and friendly targets may turn off their IFF when performing covert operations. Operations between allied nations have also been a source of possible IFF failure. Furthermore, the desire for NCI is not limited to conflict situations. Unidentified aircraft or ships often are suspected to be terrorists. In all of the above situations, a decision on a possible response is extremely time critical, and possible consequences can be serious. For this reason, NCI remains an important research topic.

Weapon Target Assignment with Combinatorial Optimization Techniques

Weapon Target Assignment (WTA) is the assignment of friendly weapons to the hostile targets in order to protect friendly assets or destroy the hostile targets and considered as a NP-complete problem. Thus, it is very hard to solve it for real time or near-real time operational needs. In this study, genetic algorithm (GA), tabu search (TS), simulated annealing (SA) and Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) combinatorial optimization techniques are applied to the WTA problem and their results are compared with each other and also with the optimized GAMS solutions. Algorithms are tested on the large scale problem instances. It is found that all the algorithms effectively converge to the near global optimum point(s) (a good quality) and the efficiency of the solutions (speed of solution) might be improved according to the operational needs. VNS and SA solution qualities are better than both GA and TS.

Accuracy assessment of detection performance for sidescan sonars

AbstractSidescan sonars are used in detecting hostile targets on the seabed. An accurate representation of the sensor performance is required to carefully plan and execute searches. We studied several confidence interval methods for assessing the accuracy of detection performance as a function of range from hostile targets. Using simulation, we determined that the best approach for modeling sensor data was piecewise logistic regression with cubic B‐splines at carefully selected knots. This method was demonstrated on real data collected from the CITADEL sea trial. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2012

The World Is Not Black and White: Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot in a Multiethnic Context

We examined implicit race biases in the decision to shoot potentially hostile targets in a multiethnic context. Results of two studies showed that college‐aged participants and police officers showed anti‐Black racial bias in their response times: they were quicker to correctly shoot armed Black targets and to indicate “don't shoot” for unarmed Latino, Asian, and White targets. In addition, police officers showed racial biases in response times toward Latinos versus Asians or Whites, and surprisingly, toward Whites versus Asians. Results also showed that the accuracy of decisions to shoot was higher for Black and Latino targets than for White and Asian targets. Finally, the degree of bias shown by police officers toward Blacks was related to contact, attitudes, and stereotypes. Overestimation of community violent crime correlated with greater bias toward Latinos but less toward Whites. Implications for police training to ameliorate biases are discussed.

Coverage Assessment and Target Tracking in 3D Domains

Recent advances in integrated electronic devices motivated the use of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in many applications including domain surveillance and mobile target tracking, where a number of sensors are scattered within a sensitive region to detect the presence of intruders and forward related events to some analysis center(s). Obviously, sensor deployment should guarantee an optimal event detection rate and should reduce coverage holes. Most of the coverage control approaches proposed in the literature deal with two-dimensional zones and do not develop strategies to handle coverage in three-dimensional domains, which is becoming a requirement for many applications including water monitoring, indoor surveillance, and projectile tracking. This paper proposes efficient techniques to detect coverage holes in a 3D domain using a finite set of sensors, repair the holes, and track hostile targets. To this end, we use the concepts of Voronoi tessellation, Vietoris complex, and retract by deformation. We show in particular that, through a set of iterative transformations of the Vietoris complex corresponding to the deployed sensors, the number of coverage holes can be computed with a low complexity. Mobility strategies are also proposed to repair holes by moving appropriately sensors towards the uncovered zones. The tracking objective is to set a non-uniform WSN coverage within the monitored domain to allow detecting the target(s) by the set of sensors. We show, in particular, how the proposed algorithms adapt to cope with obstacles. Simulation experiments are carried out to analyze the efficiency of the proposed models. To our knowledge, repairing and tracking is addressed for the first time in 3D spaces with different sensor coverage schemes.

Robots as Weapons in Just Wars

This essay analyzes the use of military robots in terms of the jus in bello concepts of discrimination and proportionality. It argues that while robots may make mistakes, they do not suffer from most of the impairments that interfere with human judgment on the battlefield. Although robots are imperfect weapons, they can exercise as much restraint as human soldiers, if not more. Robots can be used in a way that is consistent with just war theory when they are programmed to avoid using force against all but the most clearly hostile targets. However, the essay also cautions against using robots for counterinsurgency because they may alienate people in the contested area and lead to an escalation of hostilities.

CADAC: Multi-use Architecture for Constructive Aerospace Simulations

In today’s network-centric world, aerospace vehicles interact with many objects. They navigate by overhead satellites, synchronize their flight paths with other vehicles, swarm over hostile territory and attack multiple targets. Studying these engagements with high-fidelity constructive simulations has become an important task of modeling and simulation (M&S). The simulation framework Computer Aided Design of Aerospace Concepts (CADAC) has its roots in FORTRAN code that dates back to the 1960s and was used by industry and the U.S. Air Force to simulate aerospace vehicles in all flight environments. To adapt CADAC to the new environment, a complete rewrite was carried out in C++, taking advantage of object-oriented programming techniques. The architecture of CADAC++ is based on the hierarchical structure of inherited classes. The vehicles (aircraft, missiles, satellites or ground targets), inherit the six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) equations of motion from the classes ‘Flat6’ or ‘Round6’, conveying either the flat or elliptical Earth model. In turn, these classes inherit the communication structure from the base class ‘Cadac’. The components of the vehicle, e.g., aerodynamics, propulsion and autopilot, are represented by modules, which are member functions of the vehicle class. Communication among the modules occurs by protected module-variable arrays. Every instantiated vehicle object is encapsulated with its methods and data. To communicate between vehicles, data packets are loaded onto a global data bus for recall by other vehicles. Input occurs by ASCII file and output is compatible with CADAC Studio, a plotting and data processing package. CADAC++ is chiefly an engineering tool for refining the components of the primary vehicle and exploring its performance as it interacts (possibly repeatedly instantiated) with the multi-object environment. Its modular structure enables reuse of component models across simulations. In the 10 years of development, CADAC++ based constructive simulations have been built for many types of aerospace vehicles and integrated with mission-level simulations.

Efficient Decision Makings for Dynamic Weapon-Target Assignment by Virtual Permutation and Tabu Search Heuristics

The dynamic weapon-target assignment (DWTA) problem is a typical constrained combinatorial optimization problem with the objective of maximizing the total value of surviving assets threatened by hostile targets through all defense stages. A generic asset-based DWTA model is established, especially for the warfare scenario of force coordination, to formulate this problem. Four categories of constraints, involving capability constraints, strategy constraints, resource constraints (i.e., ammunition constraints), and engagement feasibility constraints, are taken into account in the DWTA model. The concept of virtual permutation (VP) is proposed to facilitate the generation of feasible decisions. A construction procedure (CP) converts VPs into feasible DWTA decisions. With constraint satisfaction guaranteed by the synergy of VPs and the CP, an elaborate local search (LS) operator, namely move-to-head operator, is constructed to avoid repeatedly generating the same decisions. The operator is integrated into two tabu search (TS) algorithms to solve DWTA problems. Comparative experiments involving a random sampling method, an LS method, a hybrid genetic algorithm, a hybrid ant-colony optimization algorithm, and our TS algorithms show that the proposed TS heuristics for DWTA outperform their competitors in most test cases and they are competent for high-quality real-time DWTA decision makings.

Realistic Fireteam Movement in Urban Environments

Realistic simulations of the movement of infantry in urban environments with 3D models and at interactive rates is of wide and enduring interest. Many video games have attempted it, and military simulations are increasingly doing the same. Previous attempts have fallen short in two areas: properly coordinating movement, and adequate modeling of the detection of hostile targets. Novel algorithms to simulate fireteam movement and visual scanning appropriate to urban environments are described. Measurements of the computational performance of the most expensive components of the approach are provided.

Adaptive Automation Effects on Operator Performance during a Reconnaissance Mission with an Unmanned Ground Vehicle

We simulated a generic military crew station and examined the workload and performance of robotics operators when interacting with a ground robot in the two modes of robotic autonomy, teleoperation or semi-autonomous. We examined the effect of autonomy and invocation strategies on performance. The operator had either full teleoperation (manual) or semiautonomy (static) regardless of task load. In a third condition, the robots autonomy changed based on task load (adaptive). The operator had to identify hostile targets during the mission and maintain situation awareness (SA) of his local environment and the overall mission via a SA map. Results showed that when task load increased from low to high, participants' SA performance was better in the adaptive and static automation conditions than the manual condition; their threat detection performance degradation was less in manual and adaptive than in the static condition. On the other hand, when task load shifted from high to low, threat detection performance was better in the adaptive than the other two conditions.

Human Reliance on an Automated Combat ID System: Effects of Display Format

Informing users of reliability levels can engender more appropriate reliance on automated systems. In an experiment, reliability information was presented on a rifle-mounted interface for an automated combat identification (CID) system to participants in a first-person shooter simulation of a combat environment. Results showed two effects: First, a mesh display supported better discrimination of hostile and friendly targets than did a pie chart. Second, participants shown an integrated display were better able to adjust their reliance to the changing reliability level than participants shown separated displays. Providing reliability information changed participants' reliance strategies; however, display integration appears to play a role in how system reliability information is used.