Air interdiction mission planning using dynamic programming

A simple algorithm to aid air interdiction mission planning is described. Threats are modeled by circles, and routes are described by a sequence of turnpoints. Dynamic programming finds the minimum-risk route to a specified target. The minimum-risk route depends on the distribution of threat-avoidance weight or risk odds assigned by the user. A computer program based on this algorithm complements current manual planning methods by providing preliminary route options which avoid known threats and take advantage of favorable terrain. Final detailed planning must still be performed manually.