Optimization of weapon-target pairings based on kill probabilities

Area of Science:

• Operations Research
• Defense Science
• Optimization Algorithms

Background:

• Effective weapon-target assignment is critical for military operations.
• Existing greedy algorithms may not optimize resource allocation efficiently.
• Minimizing overkill conserves resources and enhances mission effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel optimization algorithm for weapon-target assignment.
• To ensure desired kill probabilities are met.
• To minimize overkill in weapon allocation.

Main Methods:

• Developed a new optimization algorithm for weapon-target assignment.
• Algorithm considers weapons, targets, and desired kill probabilities.
• Evaluated algorithm performance against greedy methods.

Main Results:

• The novel algorithm successfully assigns weapons to targets, meeting kill probabilities.
• It minimizes overkill, ensuring no subset of weapons exceeds desired kill probability.
• Demonstrated an average 26.8% improvement in solution quality over greedy algorithms.
• Achieved execution times in milliseconds for up to 120 weapons and 120 targets.

Conclusions:

• The proposed optimization algorithm is highly effective for weapon-target assignment.
• It offers significant improvements in solution quality and efficiency.
• This method provides a superior alternative to traditional greedy approaches.