Development of Analysis Techniques for Predicting Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) Equipped UAV Performance in Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare Environmen

This effort will design tactical decision aid (TDA) software that will estimate the performance of a magnetometer-equipped UAV seeking to exploit the magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) signatures of a submerged submarine. Arete Associates will design software to yield estimates of performance such as probability of detection as well as appropriate search pattern flight paths. The environmental conditions to be considered include noise from geomagnetic sources, geology and ocean waves. Tactical considerations include search pattern orientation and potential encounter orientations with respect to the Earth"s field, swell direction, wind and other factors. The software plan will identify modules encapsulating each of the relevant models or algorithms. A module integration plan will develop a Monte Carlo framework to evaluate probability of detection and other measures of effectiveness, allowing candidate search patterns to be ranked. Arete Associates will assess these plans for feasibility, taking into consideration module speed, maturity and other design factors. Under the Phase I Option task, Arete Associates will develop prototypes of key modules to instantiate a basic prototype of the TDA software.