Analysis of the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) in Small Unit Urban Operations

摘要

The Marine Corps has recently embarked on the development of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) to replace the aging Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system. This thesis examines the critical elements this platform must possess to effectively support small units operating in urban environments. The author addresses this issue by creating and exploring an agent-based simulation of a platoon conducting an urban patrol in a setting similar to those currently being encountered in Iraq. The platoon utilizes the VTUAV as an intelligence-gathering asset. The author designed an experiment to generate data from the simulation scenario, and then used multiple regression analysis and regression trees to relate the UAV capabilities to the patrol's operational effectiveness. The results suggest that the effectiveness of a VTUAV is greatly influenced by noise in the urban warfare environment. He uses a loss function, along with the regression models, to identify UAV configurations that improve operational effectiveness, yet are robust to uncertainties about civilian and insurgent behavior. The VTUAV must have high communication capability, as well as accurate sensing, to perform well across a range of environmental conditions. (6 tables, 27 figures, 23 refs.).