Intelligent Multi-Agent System for Coordinating Multiple FCS Platforms

Battlefields of the future will consist of highly mobile, light forces that are supported by intelligent software, autonomous systems, and robotic platforms. The Future Combat Systems (FCS) concept embraces the coordination of multiple platforms and will require intelligent planning and scheduling components as well as infrastructure support for autonomously executing tasks and allowing tele-operation when necessary across wireless battlefield networks. This Phase II research addresses the challenging problem of executing and monitoring the execution of various missions (e.g., resupply, logistics, and other material handling) upon multiple FCS platforms. This effort is developing an agent-based execution, monitoring, coordination and recovery "middleware" that will extend the various components of the Weapon Systems Common Operating Environment (WSCOE) Software Development Kit (SDK). The result will be a flexible framework for developing more autonomous execution and monitoring components for the WSCOE SDK. The design aims at maximizing commonality, reuse, and adaptability across platform type and configurations (for both legacy and next generation FCS platforms). The scope of this Phase II effort is to implement the agent-based middleware mechanisms, interface them to the existing WSCOE components and use them to develop a demonstration of coordinating multiple platform coordinated missions.