UVARS: Unmanned Vehicle Autonomous Routing System

The objective of this project is to develop UVARS: Unmanned Vehicle Autonomous Routing System an automated path and mission planning for aerial platforms under dynamic conditions and constraints. UVARS is based on evolutionary algorithms for global optimization that accounts for factors such as terrain, the platform's dynamic maneuvering capabilities, minimize visibility to threats, and navigational constraints and will respond to a changing environment such as new threats/targets detected, changes in no-fly zones or rules of engagement, new mission tasks required, new target priorities, new prioritization between threat exposure and image quality requirements. Phase I will demonstrate prototype performance and Phase II will demonstrate operational performance. Commercial applications of the approach will also be investigated during the Phase I and fully developed during the Phase II. A candidate platform for project demonstration and Phase III transition will be the Tomahawk cruise missile (through PMA 281 - Cruise Missiles Command and Control Program), or through the Time Critical Strike FNC and/or Autonomous Operations FNC. Scientific Systems Company Inc. (SSCI) leads this proposal team that includes the Operations Research Department at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA as our academic partner and Boeing Mission Planning Systems in St. Louis MO as our industrial partner.