Some Analytical Results for the Dynamic Weapon-Target Allocation Problem
Abstract
We consider the dynamic version of the Weapon-Target Allocation problem. This problem is, in general, NP-Complete, so our aim is to provide insight into the problem and its solution. We provide analytical solutions for simple cases of the problem as well as asymptotic results as the number of targets goes to infinity. The battle scenario being modeled is as follows. The offense launches a number of weapons (the targets) which are aimed at assets of the defense. The defense has a number of defensive weapons each of which can engage at most one target. The outcome of such an engagement is stochastic. In the static scenario all weapons are fired simultaneously. In the dynamic scenario some weapons are assigned and fired and the outcomes of these engagements are observed before further assignments are made. Values are assigned to the targets and the objective is to assign weapons to targets so as to minimize the total expected value of the surviving targets after all weapons have been fired. Generally, under suitable assumptions, we show that dynamic strategies can approximately double the defense effectiveness as compared to their static counterparts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 04, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA219281
Entities
People
- Michael Athans
- Patrick A. Hosein
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology