SBIR-STTR Award

OptTek proposes to research and design strategies for a highly effective simulation optimization and analysis concept that can execute large numbers of parallel simulation runs, identify optimal software-only changes to AAW components, represent explicit performance metric improvements, and integrate with the AEGIS Test Bed (ATB) environment. OptTek will extend and enhance its existing OptDef simulation optimization and analysis toolkit to provide a proof of concept ACS M&S optimizer for ASCM analysis and demonstrate it on a sample optimization scenario. Using a simulation optimization approach, Phase I will explore how software-only changes can impact the performance of the ACS with a specific focus on countering evolving ASCM threats. In later work, this approach will be easily extensible to consider other criteria of interest to the broader ACS missions. To achieve the desired performance improvements of the ACS, OptTek will develop a comprehensive understanding of the ACS AAW components and the M&S suite that represents them within the ATB, determine performance metrics of interest when countering ASCM threats and identify operationally-meaningful scenarios, and develop a proof of concept ACS optimizer to integrate with a test example in the ATB.

Benefit:
Successful completion of this work will allow ACS analysts to rapidly perform more sophisticated analysis more rapidly and with better results than can be accomplished today. This approach is also applicable to and may provide benefit to many other simulation tools used by DoD analysts today. In addition to application in the DoD analysis domains, the proposed Phase I work represents a technology applicable for a broad spectrum of simulation applications across both the government and commercial spheres. Simulation is widely used throughout the Department of Defense as well as in the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Homeland Security among others. In the commercial realm simulation is heavily used by companies involved in manufacturing, transportation, logistics, and health care. The ability to efficiently perform complex simulation optimization and analysis has wide commercial applicability.

Keywords:
Multi-objective optimization, Multi-objective optimization, simulation optimization, software-only changes, Simulation Analysis, AEGIS Combat System

OptTek proposes to research and design strategies for a highly effective simulation optimization and analysis concept that can execute large numbers of parallel simulation runs, identify optimal software-only changes to anti-air warfare components, represent explicit performance metric improvements, and integrate with the AEGIS Combat System Test Bed (CSTB) environment. OptTek will extend and enhance its existing OptDef simulation optimization and analysis toolkit to provide a proof of concept CSTB optimizer for anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) analysis and demonstrate it on sample optimization scenarios. Using a simulation optimization approach, Phase II will explore how software-only changes can impact the performance of the AEGIS Combat System (ACS) with a specific focus on countering evolving ASCM threats. To achieve the desired performance improvements of the ACS, OptTek will develop a proof of concept ACS optimizer to first integrate with the Testable Component Environment, then the full CSTB federate, and then integrate the optimization and analysis software to execute with parallel CSTB design points. During Phase II, OptTek will also incorporate modeling constructs to allow analysts to quickly configure common use cases, customize optimization algorithms for more efficient discovery of the best solutions, and create a robust optimization capability for ACS analysis.

Benefit:
Successful completion of this work will allow AEGIS Combat System analysts to perform more sophisticated analysis more rapidly and with better results than can be accomplished today. This approach is also applicable to and may provide benefit to many other simulation tools used by DoD analysts today. In addition to application in the DoD analysis domains, the proposed Phase II work represents a technology applicable for a broad spectrum of simulation applications across both the government and commercial spheres. Simulation is widely used throughout the Department of Defense as well as in the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Homeland Security among others. In the commercial realm, simulation is heavily used by companies involved in manufacturing, energy, transportation, logistics, and health care. The ability to efficiently perform complex simulation optimization and analysis has wide commercial applicability.

Keywords:
software-only changes, Anti-Air Warfare, simulation optimization, anti-ship cruise missiles, Simulation Analysis, AEGIS Combat System, Multi-objective optimization