Unmanned aircraft systems for maritime operations: Choosing ¿¿¿a¿¿¿ good design for achieving operational effectiveness

摘要

Modern navies perform various missions such as maritime security, maritime interdiction, and counter piracy operations in addition to their traditional wartime duties. However, most warships are not built flexible enough to conduct these tasks. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) increase the flexibility of the warships and enhance mission success. The capabilities of the UAS determine how effective the mission is performed. However, tactical decisions in using UAS also affect the results of a mission. Therefore, deciding on the design parameters requires a thorough analysis of how UAS will be used together with other assets in maritime operations. This paper presents some of the current maritime challenges, explains the use of UAS in maritime operations, and assesses the operational effectiveness of UAS in a Maritime Interdiction Operation scenario using an agent-based modelling and simulation platform. The results show that UAS significantly increase the mission success, and that there is not one set of parameters to achieve a certain level of effectiveness, there may be various UAS designs which yield same results.