Using Evolutionary Algorithms for the Scheduling of Aircrew on Airborne Early Warning and Control System

Equipped with an advanced radar and other electronic systems mounted on its body, Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) enables the airspace to be monitored from medium to long distances and facilitates effective control of friendly aircraft. To operate the complex equipment and fulfill its critical functions, AWACS has a specialised flight and mission crew, all of whom are extensively trained in their respective roles. For mission accomplishment and effective use of resources, tasks should be scheduled, and individuals should be assigned to missions appropriately. In this paper, we implemented evolutionary algorithms for scheduling aircrew on AWACS and propose a novel approach using Genetic Algorithms (GA) with a special encoding strategy and modified genetic operations tailored to the problem. The objective is to assign aircrew to various AWACS tasks such as flights, simulator sessions, ground training classes and other squadron duties while aiming to maximise combat readiness and minimise operational costs. The presented approach is applied to several test instances consisting notional weekly schedules of Turkish Boeing 737 AEW&C Peace Eagle AWACS Base, generated similar to real-world examples. To test the algorithm and evaluate solution performance, experiments have been conducted on a novel scheduling software called AWACS Crew Scheduling (ACS), developed as a test bed. Computational results reveal that presented GA approach proves to be quite successful in solving the AWACS Crew Scheduling Problem and exhibits superior performance when compared to manual methods

Evolution or revolution? : the impact of the 1991 Gulf War on United States Air Force doctrine : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University

One of mankind's greatest accomplishments this century has been the realisation of powered flight. Aviation has significantly changed the way that humans think, live and, for better or worse, wage war. The advent of airpower has revolutionised the conduct of warfare during the twentieth century as the development of platforms with the ability to project military power while operating above the earth's surface has opened a third dimension to armed conflict. Technological advances has made man's ascent into the air possible and it has progressively become the most important sphere of modern warfare. Airpower entails the use of the air not just as a medium for transit, as in the case of a projectile, but also for manoeuvre, deployment and surprise which includes aircraft, non-ballistic cruise missiles and more increasingly, space assets. Constrained by geography and the physical environment to a much lesser extent than surface forces, airpower enjoys speed, reach, responsiveness and perspective far exceeding those of land or seapower. Today, aircraft are able to fly unlimited distances and deliver a variety of weapons upon targets with unprecedented destructive capacity. As well as applying direct firepower, aircraft are able to protect and enhance the combat power of all other friendly forces, regardless of their operational spheres. Indeed, the versatility, range, speed, precision and lethality of contemporary airpower have made it such an integral component of modern warfare that no major military operation can be efficiently conducted without it. In many instances, airpower has demonstrated that it can be the dominant form of military power

Jimmy Carter and the sale of the AWACS to Iran in 1977

© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. It appeared that as 1977 dawned, the political climate in the United States might render multi-billion dollar arms sales into unstable regions a thing of the past. Jimmy Carter triumphed in the presidential election of November 1976 on a popular platform of arms control and the introduction of human rights considerations into American foreign policy. His transition from that idealistic candidate to the president who agreed to sell Iran a fleet of highly advanced AWACS aircraft, as part of a record breaking $5.7 billion arms package, is therefore outwardly confusing. Yet, when examining the entrenched policy path that Carter inherited regarding arming Iran, and the larger needs of Cold War containment, the logic of Carter’s decisions essentially to betray his own policies in this case becomes clear

Analysis of the most suitable project management approach for projects with parallel planning and execution phases

Planning projects is a key for success. In the case of projects with major investments like in aircraft maintenance related projects, it is even more indispensable. It is imperative to have total control of all variables and requirements due the enormous complexity and investment associated, which can lead to huge losses if a reliable plan is not established. This work was developed in a multinational military aviation company on the Airborne Warning and Control System Depot Level Maintenance (DLM) project. This project is characterized by parallel planning and execution phases which shows to be difficult tasks for a traditional project management approach as currently in use. The team faces issues on performing both phases at the same time, which can compromise compliance with project requirements and may decrease customer satisfaction. In order to overcome this problem, after assessing different approaches from the literature, a new approach has been developed to solve the issue that the DLM project was facing. As conclusion, the new approach turned the planning phase much more effective, which allowed to use less resources than before to perform it without interfering on the execution phase. This increased the planning performance, which will provide updated plans to the execution phase, ensuring by that way the compliance with project requirements

A STRATEGIC SERIOUS GAME ADDRESSING SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Serious Games are currently extending their capabilities to strategic Education and Training by innovative approaches and new technological solutions. In this paper, the authors propose a new Serious Game devoted to address such aspects with special focus on System of Systems Engineering (SoSE). The proposed case uses a challenging framework related to the development of an innovative System of Systems for defense and homeland security that could be used by users to acquire the fundamental concepts of SoSE. The scenario allows to investigate alternative interoperable solutions among different platforms, sensors, infrastructures and doctrines respect evolving threats in relation to an air defense solution based on airborne radars

China Near Seas Combat Capabilities

The capstone U.S. Defense Department study on the future operational environment declares, China\u27s rise represents the most significant single event on the international horizon since the collapse of the Cold War. Understanding and assessing changes in China\u27s traditionally defensive naval strategy, doctrine, and force structure are of obvious importance to the U.S. Navy (USN) and other Pacific navies concerned with the possible security implications of that rise. This chapter examines the development of the Chinese navy\u27s Houbei (Type 022) fast-attack-craft force and its roles and missions in China\u27s near seas and discusses implications for the U.S. Navy and other navies in the region.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-red-books/1010/thumbnail.jp

India and Its Air Power: Transformational Challenges

The Balakot airstrikes and the air combat thereafter in which a MiG-21 Bison of the Indian Air Force (IAF) had to engage a much more modern F-16 of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has once again brought IAF modernisation back into focus. IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, has said that the IAF has hit an all-time low of 31 fighter squadrons vis-à-vis the government authorised 42.1 He highlighted the convergence of strategic interests between China and Pakistan and their rapidly modernising Air Forces. The IAF, on the other hand, has been slowly losing the combat edge that it had enjoyed over Pakistan in 1971 in terms of both quality and numbers. Technology-intensive airpower requires Faster replacement of assets due to quicker obsolescence

North American Bird Strike Advisory System: Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan has been accepted for inclusion in 2009 Bird Strike North America Conference (11th Joint meeting of Bird Strike Committee USA & Canada, Victoria BC, Canada, 14-17 September 2009). The international aviation community recognizes the high human and economic costs associated with bird strikes. Hundreds of lives and millions of dollars have been lost in recent years because of this problem. Notably, aviation experts in North America recognize the importance and availability of potential solutions for this problem. Several models and systems such and the USAF’s Bird Avoidance Model (BAM) and the Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) as well as the technological development of advanced radar and communications systems have made great progress in addressing the problem of bird strikes. However, many have argued that further and much greater advancement could be made if the current fragmented and competitive efforts could be consolidated in a single cooperative venture. This strategic plan is the initial step in a process of consolidating and integrating the various United States and Canadian civil and military efforts in order to develop and implement North American Bird Strike Advisory System. The plan has been developed based on the collected wisdom and technical knowledge of the top personnel and organizations in the field of aviation safety. If implemented, the plan will represent a critical first step leading to the realization of a North American Bird Strike Advisory System that will help protect aviators and their equipment from the deadly and costly effects of bird hazards. The plan outlines the architecture of a notional bird strike advisory system for North America. It identifies the key agencies that must be involved in the development of the system. It establishes a top level schedule and identifies six key goals in developing an integrated system. The plan describes more detailed objectives and activities required to accomplish these goals. Recommendations are made regarding which agencies might most effectively take the lead in integrating various activities needed to accomplish each goal. It proposes a 5 year budget of approximately $16,000,000 in order to support the initial phases of the effort. The strategic plan and its appendices also outline in considerable detail the key technical challenges, risks, and suggested organizational and technological solutions for these problems. While reviewing this strategic plan, it’s important to remember that it is not a detailed blueprint for developing and implementing the final system. Rather, it is a starting point for an evolving project and system that can be continuously developed and improved as technology and organizational systems become more advanced. The relatively modest budget proposed is essentially a “down payment” for the more robust system that will evolve based on this initial consolidation and integration effort. The plan represents an important first step in moving beyond fragmented competitive approaches to consolidated and integrated system that will save hundreds of lives and prevent a great deal of economic loss associated with destroyed or damaged aircraft and equipment. The plan highlights the many advantages of an integrated and consolidated bird strike advisory system. One such advantage is the improvement in the accuracy and fidelity of bird avoidance information to users in the aviation community. Another advantage of the proposed system is the synergistic use of data from new and existing radar and other systems to enhance reporting on bird activity without compromising the current effectiveness of those systems. Throughout the plan, the development of a robust communications infrastructure and network is described to enhance the timeliness and scope of bird advisory information delivery.publishe