In-stride Optimal Motion Planning/re-planning for MCM Missions using Optimization

NPS NRP Executive SummaryIn-stride Optimal Motion Planning/re-planning for MCM Missions using OptimizationN8 - Integration of Capabilities & ResourcesThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Modeling High Power Microwave Engagements Versus Swarming Adversaries

NPS NRP Executive SummaryHigh-power microwave (HPM) weapons use electromagnetic waves to neutralize electronic hardware, making them an ideal candidate to defeat drones. The effectiveness of HPM weapons is determined by their intensity, their spatial effect profile, and the mobility or spatial location of the HPM weapon platforms. NPS researchers have developed modeling approaches to perform mission-level studies of effects of such weapons, including determination of optimal tactics, determination of minimum platform specifications for mission success, and trade-off analysis between parameters.Office of Naval Research (ONR)ASN(RDA) - Research, Development, and AcquisitionThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Clandestine Mine Countermeasures Optimization for Autonomy and Risk Assessment

NPS NRP Technical ReportThe PRC and Russia are the greatest miners in the world and are prepared to employ mines to tilt the Great Power Competition (GPC) in their favor. Mines are inexpensive, easily deployed, and put Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) at high-risk. Countering mines within acceptable risk levels and mission timelines is required to support DMO operational requirements. Although the development and integration of autonomous vehicles should improve DMO, research and development of new tools for optimizing distributed search effort are required to minimize risk to the force. These tools must consider the constraints placed on mine countermeasures (MCM) by the challenges of GPC. Today's MCM systems, for example, rely on surface and airborne assets, with associated force protection burdens required to establish and maintain a permissive environment. In the future, naval forces must be prepared to operate in contested environments where overt operations are denied and supporting technologies (GPS, communications, etc.) are severely limited. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have potential to conduct clandestine MCM operations, but new approaches for conducting collaborative search with multiple AUVs are needed to fully realize their potential. Research is required to identify and assess new methods for conducting entirely clandestine MCM.N8 - Integration of Capabilities & ResourcesThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Clandestine Mine Countermeasures Optimization for Autonomy and Risk Assessment

NPS NRP Executive SummaryThe PRC and Russia are the greatest miners in the world and are prepared to employ mines to tilt the Great Power Competition (GPC) in their favor. Mines are inexpensive, easily deployed, and put Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) at high-risk. Countering mines within acceptable risk levels and mission timelines is required to support DMO operational requirements. Although the development and integration of autonomous vehicles should improve DMO, research and development of new tools for optimizing distributed search effort are required to minimize risk to the force. These tools must consider the constraints placed on mine countermeasures (MCM) by the challenges of GPC. Today's MCM systems, for example, rely on surface and airborne assets, with associated force protection burdens required to establish and maintain a permissive environment. In the future, naval forces must be prepared to operate in contested environments where overt operations are denied and supporting technologies (GPS, communications, etc.) are severely limited. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have potential to conduct clandestine MCM operations, but new approaches for conducting collaborative search with multiple AUVs are needed to fully realize their potential. Research is required to identify and assess new methods for conducting entirely clandestine MCM.N8 - Integration of Capabilities & ResourcesThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Flight Validation of a Metrics Driven L(sub 1) Adaptive Control

The paper addresses initial steps involved in the development and flight implementation of new metrics driven L1 adaptive flight control system. The work concentrates on (i) definition of appropriate control driven metrics that account for the control surface failures; (ii) tailoring recently developed L1 adaptive controller to the design of adaptive flight control systems that explicitly address these metrics in the presence of control surface failures and dynamic changes under adverse flight conditions; (iii) development of a flight control system for implementation of the resulting algorithms onboard of small UAV; and (iv) conducting a comprehensive flight test program that demonstrates performance of the developed adaptive control algorithms in the presence of failures. As the initial milestone the paper concentrates on the adaptive flight system setup and initial efforts addressing the ability of a commercial off-the-shelf AP with and without adaptive augmentation to recover from control surface failures

Lethal unmanned air vehicle feasibility study

The 1991 Gulf War revealed to U.S. military planners a serious weakness in the ability of our nation's armed forces to detect and destroy mobile theater ballistic missiles systems before an enemy has the chance to use these weapons at least once, and in some cases, multiple times. Since that time there have been various studies done to show that unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) could be used to more effectively locate these mobile missile threats. However, few, if any studies, have addressed the subject of using these same UAVs to not only locate an enemy target, but to also destroy it. Therefore, this thesis provides a survey of both recent and expected future advances in UAV technology with the purpose of showing that a 'Lethal' UAV is both viable and desirable as an attack platform in the U.S. weapons arsenal. To accomplish this goal the reader is given a historical review of UAVs and their important missions, an in- depth overview of the Department of Defense's most capable UAVs, and a description of the sensors and payloads most likely to be used in the design of a Lethal UAV. Lastly, some possible Lethal UAV systems are presented along with an assessment on the feasibility of fielding such systems. While the primary objective of this thesis is to show that UAVs can be used to effectively locate and destroy mobile weapon systems, this document should also be used as a reference for those persons desiring an update on UAV technology and the DoD programs for testing and utilizing this technology.http://archive.org/details/lethalunmannedir1094535138NANAU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author

Synthesis of Optimal Control and Flight Testing of an Autonomous Circular Parachute

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.9282Development of guidance and control algorithms for autonomous solid circular parachutes is addressed. This effort is a part of the Affordable Guided Airdrop System that integrates a low-cost guidance and control system into fielded cargo air delivery systems. First, the underlying Affordable Guided Airdrop System concept, architecture, and components are described. Then a synthesis of a classical optimal control based on Pontrjagin’s maximum principle is suggested. Then the development of a practical control algorithm is detailed. Simulation and flight-test results of the final Affordable Guided Airdrop System demonstration are also presented

Vision-Based Tracking and Motion Estimation for Moving Targets Using Small UAVs

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/CDC.2010.5718149This paper addresses the development of a vision-based target tracking system for a small unmanned air vehicle. The algorithm performs autonomous tracking of a moving target, while simultaneously estimating GPS coordinates, speed and heading of the target. Tight real-time integration of UAV’s video and telemetry data-streams with geo-referenced database allows for reliable target identification, increased precision and shortened time of target motion estimation. A low cost off the shelf system is utilized, with a modified radio controlled aircraft airframe, gas engine and servos. Tracking is enabled using a low-cost, miniature pan-tilt gimbal. The control algorithm provides rapid target acquisition and tracking capability. A target motion estimator was designed and shown in multiple flight tests to provide reasonable targeting accuracy. The impact of tracking loss events on the control and estimation algorithms is analyzed in detail.This work was supported by the U.S. Government through funding from USSOCOM

Vision-based tracking and motion estimation for moving targets using unmanned air vehicles

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.33206This paper addresses the development of a vision-based target tracking system for a small unmanned air vehicle. The algorithm performs autonomous tracking of a moving target, while simultaneously estimating geographic coordinates, speed, and heading of the target. Tight real-time integration of unmanned air vehicle’s video and telemetry data streams with georeferenced database allows for reliable target identification, increased precision, and shortened time of target motion estimation. A low-cost off-the-shelf system is used, with a modified radiocontrolled aircraft airframe, gas engine, and servos. Tracking is enabled using a low-cost, miniature pan-tilt gimbal. The control algorithm provides rapid target acquisition and tracking capability. A target motion estimator was designed and shown in multiple flight tests to provide reasonable targeting accuracy. The impact of tracking loss events on the control and estimation algorithms is analyzed in detail.United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM