A system-of-systems framework for the improved capability of insurgent tracking missions involving unmanned aerial vehicles

Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly being used in a variety of military missions. One such mission is that of Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance. In these missions, unmanned aerial vehicles collect sensor data and communicate it to ground, air, and space assets to support decision-making. The ultimate purpose of the research reported in this paper is to define the requirements for a new unmanned aerial vehicle that improves the existing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance System-of-Systems. This paper describes the modeling approach, validation, and sensitivity results for performance of a single new unmanned aerial vehicle supported by other assets, as well as reliability, robustness, and baseline performance for an entire set of unmanned aerial vehicles.