The weapon-target assignment (WTA) problem, known as an NP-complete problem, aims at seeking a proper assignment of weapons to targets. The biobjective WTA (BOWTA) optimization model which maximizes the expected damage of the enemy and minimizes the cost of missiles is designed in this paper. A modified Pareto ant colony optimization (MPACO) algorithm is used to solve the BOWTA problem. In order to avoid defects in traditional optimization algorithms and obtain a set of Pareto solutions efficiently, MPACO algorithm based on new designed operators is proposed, including a dynamic heuristic information calculation approach, an improved movement probability rule, a dynamic evaporation rate strategy, a global updating rule of pheromone, and a boundary symmetric mutation strategy. In order to simulate real air combat, the pilot operation factor is introduced into the BOWTA model. Finally, we apply the MPACO algorithm and other algorithms to the model and compare the data. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is successfully applied in the field of WTA which improves the performance of the traditional P-ACO algorithm effectively and produces better solutions than the two well-known multiobjective optimization algorithms NSGA-II and SPEA-II.

Multiobjective weapon-target assignment is a type of NP-complete problem, and the reasonable assignment of weapons is beneficial to attack and defense. In order to simulate a real battlefield environment, we introduce a new objective-the value of fighter combat on the basis of the original two-objective model. The new three-objective model includes maximizing the expected damage of the enemy, minimizing the cost of missiles, and maximizing the value of fighter combat. To solve the problem with complex constraints, an improved nondominated sorting algorithm III is proposed in this paper. In the proposed algorithm, a series of reference points with good performances in convergence and distribution are continuously generated according to the current population to guide the evolution; otherwise, useless reference points are eliminated. Moreover, an online operator selection mechanism is incorporated into the NSGA-III framework to autonomously select the most suitable operator while solving the problem. Finally, the proposed algorithm is applied to a typical instance and compared with other algorithms to verify its feasibility and effectiveness. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is successfully applied to the multiobjective weapon-target assignment problem, which effectively improves the performance of the traditional NSGA-III and can produce better solutions than the two multiobjective optimization algorithms NSGA-II and MPACO.

The present paper attempts to find the optimal coverage path for multiple robots in a given area including obstacles. For single robot coverage path planning (CPP) problem, an improved ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is proposed to construct the best spanning tree and then obtain the optimal path, which contributes to minimizing the energy/time consumption. For the multirobot case, first the DARP (Divide Areas based on Robots Initial Positions) algorithm is utilized to divide the area into separate equal subareas, so much so that it transforms the mCPP problem into several CPP problems, degrading the computation complexity. During the second phase, spanning tree in each subarea is constructed by the aforementioned algorithm. In the last phase, the specific end nodes are exchanged among subareas to achieve ideal-shaped spanning trees, which can also decrease the number of turns in coverage path. And the complete algorithms are proven to be approximately polynomial algorithms. Finally, the simulation confirms the complete algorithms’ advantages: complete coverage, nonbacktracks, minimum length, zero preparation time, and the least number of turns.

A new approach to solving weapon-target assignment (WTA) problem is proposed in this paper. Firstly, relative superiority that lays the foundation for assignment is calculated based on the combat power energy of the fighters. Based on the relative superiority, WTA problem is formulated. Afterwards, a hybrid algorithm consisting of improved artificial fish swarm algorithm (AFSA) and improved harmony search (HS) is introduced and furthermore applied to solve the assignment formulation. Finally, the proposed approach is validated by eight representative benchmark functions and two concrete cooperative air combat examples. The results show that the approach proposed in this paper achieves good performances in solving WTA problem in cooperative air combat.

Target maneuver trajectory prediction plays an important role in air combat situation awareness and threat assessment. To solve the problem of low prediction accuracy of the traditional prediction method and model, a target maneuver trajectory prediction model based on phase space reconstruction-radial basis function (PSR-RBF) neural network is established by combining the characteristics of trajectory with time continuity. In order to further improve the prediction performance of the model, the rival penalized competitive learning (RPCL) algorithm is introduced to determine the structure of RBF, the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) and the hybrid algorithm of the improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) algorithm and the k-means are introduced to optimize the parameter of RBF, and a PSR-RBF neural network is constructed. An independent method of 3D coordinates of the target maneuver trajectory is proposed, and the target manuver trajectory sample data is constructed by using the training data selected in the air combat maneuver instrument (ACMI), and the maneuver trajectory prediction model based on the PSR-RBF neural network is established. In order to verify the precision and real-time performance of the trajectory prediction model, the simulation experiment of target maneuver trajectory is performed. The results show that the prediction performance of the independent method is better, and the accuracy of the PSR-RBF prediction model proposed is better. The prediction confirms the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed method and model.