Optimal Composition and Deployment of a Heterogeneous Local Air-Defense System

Abstract

A point target is threatened with attack by a raid of enemy aircraft. The enemy has a spectrum of attack tactics at his disposal, each tactic being defined in terms of speed, altitude, bomber cross-section, and raid size. The defense consists of a deployment of missile batteries surrounding the target. There are several types of missile batteries, each having a characteristic cost and a characteristic capability against a given attack tactic. The problem is to determine the optimal mix of missile batteries, and the deployment of that mix, so as to obtain the best defense against the entire spectrum of attack tactics. Although a general approach is outlined, the model is developed and the solution obtained for the special case in which the measure of effectiveness is linear with respect to both raid size and the number of defense units.