Analysis of Nondeterministic Search Patterns for Minimization of UAV Counter-Targeting

• Main Author: Stevens, Timothy S.
• Other Authors: Chung, Timothy H.
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/32905; http://hdl.handle.net/10945/32905

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === In an attempt to mitigate the expanding counter-UAV capabilities of adversary countries developed in response to the United States_ increased reliance on these platforms, we apply a nondeterministic search pattern to a finite area searcher. By implementing a Levy distribution on search leg lengths we analyze the trade-offs between efficiency and evasiveness of the searcher, comparing the expected time to target detection for a given set of Levy parameters to a probabilistic time to counter-targeting based on intelligence driven enemy capability. The culmination of this thesis is the development of a robust simulation tool, capable of modeling various parameters on both searcher and search area, the output of which is a quantifiable estimate on the probability of mission success.