Optimized and Rapid Employment of Loitering Weapons in Response to Fires

ALPHATECH has developed a prototype planning tool, dubbed RATTLER, for Robust Automated Tactical Tomahawk Loitering and Engagement Router, in Phase I of this SBIR effort. RATTLER uses a variety of optimization techniques to construct missile trajectories that maximize target "coverage": the ability of the collective salvo of missiles to be redirected to a new set of aim-points. A RATTLER-generated strike plan is robust against uncertain retargeting events: once a strike plan is generated and put into execution, the same optimization techniques will be applied to the problem of dynamic retargeting. When a missile is diverted from its nominal flight path, RATTLER simultaneously perturbs the other flight paths, such that the remaining missiles maintain maximal coverage of the outstanding potential targets. In Phase I we have demonstrated the feasibility of our algorithmic concepts for tactical Tomahawk loiter and engagement planning. Our goal in Phase II will be to build upon this success: develop and rigorously evaluate a software tool based on these algorithmic concepts. The objectives of the software tool will be to optimize planning for near real-time employment of loitering weapons in support of critical user decisions.